We all know that retro cameras are all the rage. And while sifting through Nikon’s Medium Term Management Plan that was released alongside its latest financial results, my photography journalist brain zipped straight over to the following sentence faster than a fly to a horse’s hind:
“Strengthen proposals focused on enhanced core performance and emotional value, including heritage-inspired design.”
Heritage-inspired design, you say? Now, you could accuse me of simply looking for the answers I want to find, but I cannot help but interpret this to suggest that Nikon could be planning to further embrace the development of retro cameras in the near future.
And when you look at the current photography landscape, it would make an awful lot of sense.
Both the Nikon Zfc and Nikon Zf have proven extremely popular cameras for Nikon, and you need look no further than Fujifilm’s X Series for proof that an extensive range of vintage-style cameras can bring home the bacon.
And while I’m not suggesting that the Big N is planning on a move into the instant camera realm, Instax is another example of the potential for revisiting retro tech.
Don’t forget the film revolution, too. This hasn’t just encompassed a move back to analog cameras, but also the retro look of film imagery.
Everyone from photographers to filmmakers and even casual Gen Zers with their post-Y2K compact cameras have been digitally fabricating film grain, faking halation and embracing a bit of blur.
A new audience for Nikon
And this is where I think the real genius for Nikon lies. The Zfc and Nikon Zf aren’t just popular with Nikon stalwarts like myself. Perhaps more so than any other Z camera, they’ve attracted new Nikon fans and have done so at a time when Nikon was kind of seen as being a bit (dare I say) uncool.
Heck, even plenty of Fujifilm fans loved the Nikon Zf because it provided something they didn’t have: a full-frame camera with retro looks. Authentic retro looks.
A big part of the Nikon Zfc and Nikon Zf’s appeal is that they are modelled after the legendary Nikon FM2, which was released in 1982.
Just as the Fujifilm brand adds a stamp of authenticity to its Film Simulations, thanks to its coveted history as a film manufacturer, Nikon is able to add a layer of authenticity via a near 80-year history of making cameras.
And, boy, are there some gems I’d like to see inspire future mirrorless cameras.
My top Nikon picks due a retro-camera return
First and foremost, I’d like to see a fixed compact camera modelled on arguably the most important Nikon camera of all: the Nikon I.
The very first Nikon camera was released in 1948 and is still one of the best-looking cameras ever made, in my book. And with rumors of a fixed-lens full-frame compact Nikon doing the rounds, I’d be over the moon if the Big N took a leaf out of Leica’s book and harkened back to its rangefinder history.
Another undeniably important camera in Nikon’s history was the Nikon F, which was released in 1959 and launched the legendary Nikon F-mount. And while I would never say no to a mirrorless camera inspired by this retro beauty, the Nikon FM2 isn’t a world away in the looks department.
So, a more obvious departure from the norm would be the Nikon F3. This 1980 camera was the first Nikon camera designed by legendary automotive designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, and was the first Nikon to carry the famed red stripe.
As such, I think it would make a wonderful blueprint for future retro mirrorless cameras – truly a Nikon style icon.
Jumping to 2010, my colleague Hillary Grigonis made the wonderful suggestion that the all-but-forgotten Nikon Coolpix P7000 should make a comeback. Not strictly a retro camera, but a camera with its own pseudo-retro rangefinder look. I could certainly see an APS-C version of this camera proving popular.
And on the subject of curveballs, Nikon could do something really off the wall: how about a retro camera with the option for a waist-level viewfinder attachment?
Going back to the Nikon F series, multiple models allowed you to attach a waist-level finder. I guess the only problem with that idea is that tilting screens are essentially waist-level viewfinders, but it would certainly be a neat gimmick.
And finally, in a world where creatives are shunning AI and longing for more authentic experiences, how about releasing a – wait for it – retro-cool DSLR? Maybe that’d be a step too far in 2026…
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If you're a Nikon fan, check out the best Nikon cameras and the best Nikon Z lenses. Plus, it doesn't get more authentically retro than this: I bought the only film camera I’ll ever need: the Nikon FM is an SLR in its purest form.
