Last Updated on 06/11/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
Nikon has recently registered the name “Noct” and rumors are flying that it could be the name for the company’s new mirrorless camera or a lens line
Things are starting to get exciting for the Nikon camp, especially since the company has a new (and believed to be full-frame) mirrorless camera in the works. Mirrorless Rumors has recently shared an interesting development to this: Nikon has registered the name “Noct” under the camera and lens category last month.
The news came from Japanese photography rumor blog Nokishita, which in turn leads to the “Noct” trademark being filed by Nikon in Europe. Does this mean “Noct” will be the name of the much awaited full-frame mirrorless camera or its lens line? This development may very well be synced with Nikon’s timeline to bring the new mirrorless camera to market by spring next year, as Nikon Imaging Japan’s executive officer confirmed just last month. It also makes sense if we take into consideration the rumored reveal of the camera at Photokina in September.
Another interesting detail to note is the notion that the camera will come with a new mount, but will still be compatible with existing F-mount lenses through a new Nikon adapter. Could it be that a lens collection for this new mount will be called “Noct”? If we bring to the picture the lens patent applied for by Nikon in September last year, we could see a 50mm f0.9 and 35mm f1.2 in this full-frame mirrorless lens system.
Mirrorless Rumors has also mentioned that “Noct” is strongly reminiscent of Leica’s Noctilux lenses — something the German company would most likely take action against. However, as a reader pointed out, Nikon has already incorporated “Noct” (after “Nocturne”) as a name for one of its most rare and fastest lenses, designed for night photography: the 58mm f1.2 Noct-Nikkor, which came out in the late 1970s and was discontinued in 1997. How this would apply to the upcoming full-frame mirrorless camera would definitely be interesting.
Whether Nikon has already named its upcoming mirrorless camera or the company is bringing back a rare lens, we’ll definitely keep our eyes peeled for how this development plays out!