I said that the Nikon DL Series would sell like hotcakes today and roughly a year later, Nikon Rumors has posted a tenuous report that the doomed premium compact camera lineup could be making a more impressive comeback than Belgium did against Senegal in the World Cup. I say tenuous because none of this information has been confirmed (nor backed up by multiple sources).
It follows rumors that Nikon is working on its first full-frame compact camera and I can’t help but wonder if these rumors regard two separate releases or are actually one in the same. After all, an aftermarket EVF was touted in that rumor. Regardless, Nikon Rumors seems confident that some kind of Nikon compact is in the works, stating: “Nikon will definitely release a new compact camera.”
The ‘DL’ rumor comes with a few details, including the use of premium materials, an included leather case, Flexible Color Picture Controls, an aftermarket smart-shoe EVF, and a stacked, 24-MP 1-inch sensor. Much of this seems par for the course and while I’d prefer an EVF as standard, offering an attachment is the next best thing, I guess. The bit that worries me is that 1-in sensor. I said in my DL retrospective that if the series were to ever make a comeback, I’d like to see an APS-C sensor. And if you look at the compact camera landscape, I think that makes absolute sense.
1-inch sensors are sooo last year?
Most of the latest and greatest premium compact cameras are built around Micro Four Thirds [MFT], APS-C or full-frame sensors, and I think most consumers are getting used to larger compact cameras and the increased image fidelity that they provide. Think about it, you’re going up against the likes of the Fujifilm X100VI, Leica D-Lux 8, Ricoh GR IV, Leica Q3, and more recently the Panasonic Lumix L10. All premium compact cameras, all packing sensors that are larger than one inch.
If there’s stock in the one-inch sensor design, it’s possible that Nikon has identified an overcrowded APS-C premium compact market and is looking to operate within a sparser class of cameras. The Panasonic Lumix ZS300 (TZ300) is the latest compact with a 1-inch sensor launched by a major manufacturer.
Technically, the Fujifilm X-Half is another recent release, although its quirky vertical mount and entry-level build mean it stands alone. The Sony ZV-1 II is a video-focused device and it’s been nearly seven years since the Sony RX100 VII, although the VIII is rumored. It just worries me that consumers expect more from a premium compact camera’s sensor in 2026.
It wouldn’t be the first time Nikon has built a system around a one-inch sensor and found it to be a hard sell. People often wrongly think of the Z Series as Nikon’s first mirrorless camera lineup, but the ‘Big N’ dipped its toe into the world of mirrorless cameras with the Nikon 1 Series, which debuted in 2011.
I don’t think you can call a system that lasted up until 2018 and spawned 13 Nikon-branded lenses and 11 cameras a complete disaster, but it certainly wasn't a resounding success either. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I’ve always wondered if the 1 Series would have proven more robust if it’d been built around an APS-C-format sensor.
Of course, everything I’ve talked about today is complete hearsay. I hope we at least get a fixed-lens full-frame Nikon. And unlike the doomed Nikon DL Series, I hope whatever Nikon’s actually got cooking gets off the ground this time. One-inch sensor or not.
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