Back in February 2017 Nikon cancelled its planned trio of premium compact DL cameras. Having announced the range at the Consumer Electronics Show the year before, Nikon decided to pull the plug before the cameras hit dealers' shelves, due to continued production delays and profitability concerns.
The news disappointed many, as Nikon had taken a slightly different approach to the 1-inch sensor premium compacts offered by rivals. Rather than offering a single model with a wide zoom range, Nikon designed two models with slightly more specialized ranges.
There was the standard-zoom DL24-85mm, while the DL18-50mm, with its unique ultra-wide focal length, was bound to have appealed to landscape and street photographers. The third camera was a bridge-style DL24-500mm model.
Now there could be some good news, however. NikonRumors is reporting that there's talk Nikon could be thinking of having another crack at producing a high-end premium compact camera.
Why the change of heart?
With the premium compact market proving to be in a pretty healthy state at the moment thanks to cameras like the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II, Panasonic Lumix LX10 / LX15 and Sony Cyber-shot RX100 V, it seems that Nikon's original concerns over an anticipated fall in sales in the sector are easing.
It would be fantastic if we saw a second-generation DL range of cameras make it into the hands of photographers at some point, as we feel the original lineup offered something that little bit different from the competition.