Nikon's Long-Dead DL Compact Camera Might Get a Surprise Revival

Nikon is quietly looking at bringing back a camera it killed a decade ago. Multiple sources cited by NikonRumors over the weekend claim the company is reviving the DL series — a line of premium compact cameras announced in 2016 and then abruptly cancelled before they ever shipped.

The new DL would likely stick close to the original specs. The two planned models, the DL 18-50 and DL 24-85, could return with similar body designs and lens formulas. There is also talk of a single merged version with a 24-70mm equivalent zoom lens, slightly thicker than the original bodies but covering a more useful range.

The rumored specs point to a serious pocket camera: a stacked 24-megapixel 1-inch sensor, support for Nikon’s Flexible Color Picture Control system for custom color profiles, a leather carrying case included in the box, and a separately sold EVF electronic viewfinder.

For context, the original DL series was supposed to launch in June 2016 after its February reveal at CP+. It used a 20-megapixel back-illuminated 1-inch CMOS sensor paired with an EXPEED 6A image processor. Then Nikon pulled the plug for reasons it never fully explained, leaving a hole in the high-end compact market that competitors like Sony’s RX100 series happily filled.

A revival would put Nikon back in one-inch sensor territory at a time when the compact camera market has shrunk but not disappeared. Sony, Canon, and Ricoh still sell premium pocket cameras to enthusiasts who want something better than a phone but smaller than an interchangeable-lens kit. Whether Nikon can execute this time — and actually ship the thing — is the open question.