Nikon has just announced that the long awaited DL series of compact cameras will not be released. The cameras were announced in February 2016, but have been plagued with issues and delays. Today Nikon has announced that they have cancelled the release of all three cameras - the Nikon DL24-85 f/1.8-2.8, the Nikon DL18-50 f/1.8-2.8, and the Nikon DL24-500 f/2.8-5.6.
Each of the cameras featured a 1-inch size sensor, and was set to go head to head with Sony’s RX100 and RX10 lines, and Canon’s G7 series cameras, as well as the more recent Panasonic Lumix LX15. The large sensor could capture capture 20.8-million-pixel still images or capture 4K video at up to 30p, which would have been a big deal for Nikon.
The cancellation press release states that the Nikon engineers had identified ‘issues with the integrated circuit for image processing’ which led to the delay of the cameras. Now with so much competition in the 1-inch sensor compact market, they have cancelled the cameras altogether, citing ‘concerns regarding their profitability considering the increase in development costs, and the drop in the number of expected sales due to the slow-down of the market.’
There is no word as to whether Nikon will continue development of a DL line of cameras, or whether the idea will be consigned to the scrap heap completely. We hope that Nikon take what they have learnt and develop (what would have been) the second generation of DL cameras. Competition in the market at this level can only help consumers, with advancements in technology and quality, and a drop in price points due to competition and scale of economy. However, it is this competition and market forces that seem to have stopped production in the first place. Watch this space.
NIKON DL CAMERA CANCELLED: Timeline of Events
23 February 2016 - Nikon announce the three DL cameras. Due for release in June 2016.
14 April 2016 - A series of earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan is said to have disrupted production of certain components required by Nikon for camera production. It is not definite as to whether this directly affected the production of the Nikon DL cameras.
June 2016 - June passes an no DL cameras are released.
July 2016 - Nikon Rumours receives information, apparently ‘directly from a Nikon source, that the cameras will be released in October 2016
September 2016 - Nikon Germany tell German language website chip.de that the cameras were delayed indefinitely, although it was hoped they would be released around Christmas.
September 2016 - Nikon Rumours receives that the cameras will be announced on January 17th, 2017.
September 2016 - A Nikon customer asks about the DL cameras receives a reply from Nikon ‘the DL series will be delayed due to the effects of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes and serious issues with the integrated circuit for image processing built into the three new premium compact cameras.‘
October 2016 - Still no news from Nikon on the status of the DL cameras.
January 2017 - B&H no longer taking pre-orders for the DL Cameras, with them listed as ‘Coming soon’
13 February 2017 - Nikon announce cancellation of the release of the DL cameras.
