These Nikon premium compact cameras were cancelled at the last minute, but would sell like hotcakes today!

Nikon announced the Nikon DL range of premium compact cameras at the beginning of 2016, but almost a year later, no DL camera had been released and the series was officially cancelled. The ‘Big N’ had initially aimed for a June 2016 release date, but the series hit a roadblock when the trio of camera’s integrated circuit for image processing required further development.

The DL series was put on ice, but while Nikon attempted to rectify the issue, the compact camera market was dying on its feet. Ultimately, it didn't make financial sense to fix the Nikon DL's teething problems while compact camera sales tumbled, so Nikon threw in the towel. But eight years later and the compact camera market has defied the odds and bounced back.

Consumers can hardly get hold of the Fujifilm X100VI, Ricoh revellers eagerly await the Ricoh GR IV and Canon has just re-entered the compact camera market with the Canon PowerShot V1. Anyone who’s anyone has a compact camera within its range (even Leica). Well, except Nikon... That’s right, I think the time is nigh for the ‘Big N’s’ return to the compact realm, and what better way to kick things off than by resurrecting the doomed DL?

Three cameras were planned for release: the Nikon DL18-50 f/1.8-2.8, Nikon DL24-85 f/1.8-2.8, and Nikon DL24-500 f/2.8-5.6. All three cameras were built around a back-side illuminated 1-inch CMOS sensor and were to be powered by a new EXPEED 6A processor, prior to the release of the full-fat EXPEED 6 in 2018.

The cameras had a hybrid AF system, could capture bursts of 20fps and could shoot 4K / 30p video (very respectable in 2016). The Nikon DL24-500 f/2.8-5.6 had more of a bridge-camera design, so I think it’s the DL18-50 f/1.8-2.8 and DL24-85 f/1.8-2.8 that would stack up best today. The equivalent focal lengths are actually in the name, so it stands to reason that the DL24-85 f/1.8-2.8 would have been the more popular of the two.

What I really like about these cameras is their design. They were true, pocketable compacts with classy retro beats thanks to their angular looks, leatherette and mode dials. You had a 3-inch tilting OLED touch-screen, with room for a few direct-access controls on the rear of the cameras as well as mode and exposure-compensation dials on the top plate. The DL24-85 f/1.8-2.8 also had a pop-up flash, and for those who simply couldn’t live without a viewfinder, the Nikon DF-E1 was set to provide an aftermarket EVF. To top off the premium feel, the lenses boasted Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat.

My colleague Hillary recently said that the Nikon Coolpix P7000 deserves a comeback. Well, I reckon the DL series deserves one, too! If Nikon took the design cues and premium-compact specs of the DL18-50 f/1.8-2.8 and DL24-85 f/1.8-2.8 and built them around an APS-C sensor, complete with the Nikon Z50 II’s range of Picture Controls, I reckon it’d be onto a winner. Another one to add to the list, please, Nikon!

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