Lost in all the recent excitement of the Nikon D5/Nikon D500/Canon 1DXMkII/Pentax K-1/Sony a6300 and Fuji X-Pro 2 announcements was Nikon announcement of their new DL “premium compact” camera line-up. The DL line-up consists of three models all sporting fixed lenses, 1.0” 20.8 megapixel sensors and the new EXPEED 6A processor. The Nikon DL18-50 with its 18-50mm equivalent lens is there to tempt the landscape and architecture shooters. Street ‘togs and all-rounders are offered the DL24-85 with a 24-85mm equivalent lens. For nature and wildlife buffs the DL24-500 sports a 21x superzoom 24-500mm equivalent lens.
This DL line-up is designed to attract serious enthusiasts and pros. All three shoot RAW and 4K UHD video and the controls and menus are laid out to closely resemble the Nikon DSLRs making transitioning between cameras easy for Nikon users. The DL18-50 and DL24-85 are “pocketable” (not in a cell phone pocket, but a bigger pocket). The DL24-500 is based on the “bridge-camera” (AKA superzoom) platform used for the popular Nikon P900.
So in a world where point-and-shoots are lining up to commit hara-kiri, why would Nikon introduce not one but three very expensive point-and-shoots? Because they still hope there is a market for something between a DSLR and a smartphone. As smartphone image quality continues to improve, any compact camera that wants to survive will have to produce very high quality images. Enter 1.0” sensors. These have roughly four times the surface area of the standard 1/2.3” sensors found on most point-and-shoots (the Coolpix line-up for instance), and 2.8x the area of 1/1.7” sensors (such as found on the Canon S120). The 1.0” sensor is the same size (Nikon calls it CX) as found on the ill-fated Nikon 1 cameras. The Nikon 1 was Nikon’s attempt to capture the better than point-and-shoot, but smaller-than-DSLR market, but never caught on with consumers because other interchangeable lens mirrorless offerings had larger sensors (micro-4/3rds and APS-C) and superior image quality. There are other 1” sensor compacts out there such as the Canon GxX series or the Panasonic SX100, but the DLs’ real competition and the one many pros slip into their pocket as a backup is the Sony RX-100 (all four versions have proved popular).
The Sony RX-100 IV is no slouch as Nasim’s review proves. If the Nikon DL hopes to compete it will need superior optics and handling. Fortunately it seems Nikon realized this and did their best to keep the menus and controls compatible with their DSLR line-up. This seems like a good strategy as the Sony RX-100 line-up has been the dominant choice in the pro-pocket camera world for years, but lots of RX-100 users hate Sony’s confusing and disorganized menus. On the optics front Nikon included lots of the upper-end Nikkor lens features like fluorine coatings, aspheric elements and ED glass. The DL18-50 lens is even Nano-coated.
In any title fight, if there’s a tie, the reigning champ, in this case the $950 Sony RX100, keeps the crown. So how does Nikon plan to take down the RX100? The obvious direct competitor is the Nikon DL24-85. With a 24-85mm equivalent lens it squares up closely against the RX100 III and IV’s 24-70mm equivalent lens (The RX100 I and II featured a 28-100mm equivalent zoom). At f/1.8-2.8 the Nikkor and Sony’s Zeiss lenses are equally fast. The Nikon has a 20.8 MP sensor, the Sony 20.1 – call it a tie for resolution. They both claim to shoot up to ISO 12800 but I’ll believe that when I see it. As Nikon generally uses sensors made by Sony I’m guessing the DLs have Sony sensors and I’d be surprised if there is a significant difference in performance at final output. Nikon lands punches with 1:1 macro focusing mode and hybrid phase-detection/contrast-detection autofocus. Sony counters with a slightly slimmer build, lower weight and a built in electronic viewfinder. What could be the knockout punch for Nikon is the price – 300 bucks cheaper. However when one is spending $650 or more bucks for a compact camera, price is likely secondary to image quality in the final buying decision. Which is why I’m eager to get a review copy and put it up against the Sony. (PS – if you’re thinking of buying an RX100 it could pay to wait a bit and see how far Sony drops the price to stay competitive.) If the Nikkor lens outperform Sony’s Zeiss-branded lens, then Sony is in trouble. Oh yeah, the Sony shoots at 1/32000 sec and the Nikon only at 1/16000, but wait, the Nikon has Bulgarian language support – gotta say I’m pretty torn on which would be more useful.
Why would I be excited about the DL24-85? As many of you know I’m a dedicated rock climber and a quick nimble optically superior camera that would fit in a tiny pouch on my harness is very enticing. For a long time I shot Canon Powershots – the S95, S100, S110 and G10 and G12. The image quality was pretty darn good but all of them had the same crappy lens shutter that would scratch the outer element when exposed to the tiniest bit of grit. As outdoor cameras they sucked. Despite endless consumer complaints about this on the Internet, Canon never fixed the issue (at least as of the S110) and would refuse warranty fixes unless you really hounded them. I would describe the problem to their service reps who would then tell me “you are the only person who has ever told us of this problem.” To which I would reply, “you never read the hundreds of complaints on the internet about the exact same issue?” After which they would grudgingly replace the lens so it could get scratched another month down the road. I finally gave up on Canon Powershots after my S110 broke on the first day of a five-day ascent of El Capitan. I’ve been looking for a replacement ever since, but even though friends raved about their RX100s I wasn’t convinced I wanted to drop a grand on a point-and-shoot. My finger has hovered over the RX-100 buy button a few times, but always on last year’s model that was being discounted, but never quite enough. So yes, I am excited by the Nikon DL24-85, especially for climbing photography, and a bit for it’s promised macro capabilities. I can’t wait to report back to all of our readers on its performance when we get a review copy. If I feel the DL24-85 yields publication-quality images then I might push “buy”.
One DL camera with no competition is the DL18-50. The combo of super-wide-angle capability, 1” sensor and pocket sizing makes this perhaps the most exciting member of the DL line-up. I see this fitting in great for several uses – how about a lightweight landscape camera for a backpacking trip from one rim of the Grand Canyon to the other? Or utilizing the superwide capabilities in Antelope Canyon? Or when shooting wildlife where I already have a pack crammed with a 500mm or 800mm lens, a 150-600mm and a D4s and a D500 (please Santa!) and the last thing I want to add is a 16-35mm and a 50mm lens to my load in case a landscape opportunity presents itself. The DL18-50 is half the weight of the 16-35mm alone. Oooh, I’m just drooling over the possibilities. Before we get too excited, and I hate to do this, but perhaps we need to bring back those sad memories of that first Match.com date where everything looked so good on the monitor, but in real life a basketball could kiss better. We’d better wait to see how the 18-50mm lens performs. This is the one DL that has Nano coating on the lens – a good choice as at 18mm you’re just begging flare to enter your lens. I’ve seen some pretty good sample pics, but I’ll hold judgment until I’ve seen my own results. Nikon boasts of some other goodies like 20 fps shooting, optical VR and perspective control, but realistically I see high frame rate and VR as nice touches, but bigger plusses on the other DL models than the 18-50 as most wide angle shooting is of static or slow moving subjects. But for when you need it – the mountain bike jump sequence or low-light landscape sans tripod – these will be nice. The perspective control feature is something I could duplicate myself in Lightroom, but would need the foresight to give myself cropping leeway – no a big addition in my mind, but could help save some shots at the wider angles if you don’t give yourself enough leeway. So in the end I think the success of the DL18-50 will depend heavily on it’s corner-to-corner sharpness throughout it’s zoom range. This will make or break this camera for the landscape photographers that are the primary target.
Last, but not least is the DL24-500. This is the guilty pleasure camera of the DL family. The one you’ll hate to love in front of your photogeek friends but can’t wait to get your hands on. I would never say this if the Nikon P900, another supertelezoom “bridge camera” hadn’t been so damn fun to shoot. Check out my review of the P900 here. The P900 had an insane 83x zoom range. Unless you were shooting the moon or tiny birds, the long end of that range was wasted. And, as stated in that review, even though an 83x zoom range would suggest a huge compromise to image quality, this really wasn’t the case. Nikon’s optical engineers did a great job. Sure it wasn’t DSLR quality, but for a huge zoom range on a 1/2.3” sensor it way surpassed my expectations. Which is why I’m excited to get my hands on the DL24-500. At a cool grand one has to think the lens is far superior to the 600-dollar P900’s. The other issues I had with the P900 that made me not lust after owning it were poor low-light performance, long shutter lag, slow zooming and lack of RAW file output. The DL24-500 shoots RAW, has a far bigger sensor with bigger pixels (with backlit technology for better low-light performance) and we’ll have to wait to see about the shutter lag and AF speed. If the shutter lag and AF speed aren’t issues I can see this being a great “safari camera” for enthusiasts and those intent on traveling light. For the pro wildlife photographer I could see this being something I’d bring on a scouting mission so as not to miss some crazy once-in-a-lifetime happening, but not a camera I would pack when I knew when and where I was going to shoot.
The DL24-500 won’t fit in your pockets unless you still have some MC Hammer parachute pants in your closet. It has an electronic viewfinder, unlike the DL18-50 and DL24-85 which have optional EVFs (not priced yet, but rumored around $280 which negates the price advantage over the Sony RX100 IV).
One thing I can’t help but praise is the presence of custom exposure modes on all the DL models. These modes (e.g. U1 and U2 on the D7200, et al) are sorely missing on Nikon’s pro models such as the D4s and D810. These are hugely useful to any photographer and especially pros because they intimately understand exposure. Why Nikon doesn’t offer these on the D5 or D500 is puzzling/infuriating/moronic/aggravating/f’ed-up/add your own expletive here. HELLO NIKON – THIS IS AS SIMPLE AS A FIRMWARE UPDATE TO THE PRO LINE-UP – WHY, WHY, WHY DO YOU DENY YOUR MOST LOYAL CONSUMERS THIS VALUABLE FEATURE??????? (Hee hee, as an aside, autofocus was invented by Leica, but as they deemed it a feature pros didn’t need they sold the technology to Konica-Minolta. Nikon doesn’t have a monopoly on misunderstanding the needs of pros.)
Some worrying questions arise when thinking about this new line-up. First in my mind is battery life. How much juice will the EXPEED 6A suck (or the optional EVF) and how many spare batteries will I need for a rim-to-rim crossing of the Grand Canyon? How will the new sensor do in low light? If battery life and noise are acceptable then I think the success of the DL line-up will come down to optical performance. And the one last niggling worry – will quality assurance be good this time around?
My hopes are high because I think Nikon is finally listening to its customers (yay D500!) and coming out with new products that aren’t the purse-ready Nikon 1 or hipster-ready Df. The DL line-up comes as a surprise to me as Nikon has seemed so oblivious to consumer demand for years. Launching a competitor to Sony’s cherished RX100 and a whole new creature with the DL18-50 seem like very positive announcements indeed. Hopefully this also extends to dealing with their numerous QA issues of the last 5 years.
If your final output is website sharing or small prints, the DLs are probably overkill. This might change as monitors and bandwidth improve, but for now smartphones or smaller sensor point-and-shoots will suffice for this market. For publication or printing large, the 1” sensor will be good for most applications, though at higher ISOs image quality will break down quicker than larger sensors. This leaves Nikon treading the fine line between DSLR image quality and point-and-shoot size and convenience. The DL specs appear they right on track, but whether the price point is right remains to be seen. We won’t know until they actually hit the market.
Are you excited? Let us know in the comments.
Thanks, nice summary, but while I’m also looking forward to the reviews, I am still sorry they didn’t follow up on the Coolpix A.
Thanks Iustan. This really makes one wonder if the Coolpix A with its DX sensor and the Nikon 1 line are on their way out. Both were capable of good images, but didn’t strike a chord with consumers. If the DLs prove popular I think Nikon will let those older lines fade away which might make for some real bargains.
Verm
Can’t see any way to make a comment that isn’t a “reply” so here’s a comment disguised as a reply.
1. “The Nikon 1 was Nikon’s attempt to capture the better than point-and-shoot, but smaller-than-DSLR market, but never caught on with consumers because other interchangeable lens mirrorless offerings had larger sensors (micro-4/3rds and APS-C) and superior image quality.” Not to mention lack of VF, and lack of image stabilization in at least some camera/lens combos.
2. As for the DLs: What is the resolution and buffer size at each burst shooting speed (10fps, 20fps, 60fps)?
Burst rate alone means very little. How many frames can you get at each rate, and what is the JPEG resolution?
lousy summary.
looks like he is just begging to a free camera from nikon.
erm so he claims sony is 1000 buck and nikon 650, but people wont care about price, they care about quality?
so he wants to spend 1000 on a camera without bulgaria language?
LOL.. why make fun of nikon when at the end of the day nikon has same specs and cheaper?!
lousy review.. camera beggar.
My, did we have bad night last night? Rather chippy today, aren’t we?
I really enjoyed the sense of excitement and anticipation in your writing, you’ve now got me interested in how these three cameras shape up.
Thanks John!
Thanks Fanaticsta, I think the DLs are better thought out than many of Nikon’s offerings in recent times that seemed more like Nikon throwing something at the wall to see if it sticks. Df – great shots but at that price no thanks. Coolpix A – ditto. Nikon 1 – if I want mirrorless it’s because I want weight savings but want to retain DSLR quality with at least an APS-C sensor. Which begs the question does Nikon have a DX or FX sized mirrorless in the works?
Most probably yes! Nikon will introduce mirrorless APS-C and FX in future. It is already yielding ground to SONY which it need not. Probably EVF AF-C focussing and battery life issues are being researched before launching.
These look like nice cameras but I would not buy a camera without a viewfinder no matter what the price. I have a D800 and the heavy stuff and about a year ago bought a RX100m3. It is a great camera. Has a viewfinder and solid as a rock. Performs well in low light and is easy to handhold. All the features that it sounds like Nikon has except they leave out the viewfinder or rather sell it as an add-on. I don’t understand why they spend this effort and don’t build in a critical item like that.
Just my thoughts. I have D810 and RX100 mk3 (and two NEX’es). And the reason for RX100 mk3 instead of myriads of other possibilities was the integrated EVF. Yes, I can shoot probably 90% of my shots using the rear screen but for those 10% EVF is a must. And a separate bulky EVF offered by Nikon is not an answer. It’s separate and it’s bulky. And expensive.
Nikon’s calculus must be: they are betting they sell more DLs to people who don’t need an EVF (due to lower price point) or are fine with an optional add on EVF than they lose in sales to people who insist on a permanently attached one. I assume this also maximizes the internal space in the camera body for other features or cooling, and may also have other structural/reliability advantages.
I know everyone isn’t a fan but I, for one, applaud having the choice of one on the 18-50 and 24-85, rather than paying a lot for a for a feature I don’t really need. For those who insist on an integrated EVF, don’t worry, I’m sure Sony, Panasonic, or both will soon do what they can to follow Nikon’s example with the 18-50 (or come up with kind of wide angle converter) for their RX and LX lines.
Sony loves to make great cameras that often have a single fatal flaw for important purposes. With the RX10 III, it’s follow-focusing in low light. In a recent theater test, Kirk Tuck took 1000 frames and had 200 rejects, all out of focus. When I shot a recent dance event I took 800 frames and had about 3-6 rejects due to poor focus from user error. I was shooting with the V1. If the DL series has at least the same quality of focusing as the V1, plus much better images due to its 20 mpx sensor, I will be interested. I’ve proved the V1’s worth to my satisfaction. I can shoot all day with the little 6.7-13.5 zoom (18-35) in school classrooms and get wonderful stuff. A beautiful stabilized lens for working photographers. If I ever buy the DL 24-500 I will definitely save the V1 and 6.7-13.5. Just marvelous stuff for working generalist / journalist-type photographers. See www.livingwisdomschool.org, the articles in the right column about First Steps and A Day in Third Grade.`
I’m interested in the model DL24-500 but I hope Nikon will adjust its price to about $850-900.
I don’t need the other two models because I already have the Coolpix A and D750. What I need to shoot sports/wildlife with is a big zoom like Nikon 200-500mm but the DL24-500 is cheaper and smaller even though the IQ will be worse in low light. I also hope that the IQ of this DL is similar to J5 + Nikon 1 70-300mm. Please make such comparison when you have a chance to review the DLs.
Thanks for the article.
@John Sherman
I’m one of those excited with the DL 18-50. Showing a sense of wide space and scale with a compact has been a bit limiting with most of them beginning with 24mm or 28mm. The DL18-50 seems capable of showing the beautiful edge distortion that you get from shooting UWA lenses. I’d love to get yours, Nasim and the PL staff’s take on these Nikon compacts and how it stacks with the beautiful images from the Sony RX100 Mk4 Nasim reviewed. :)
^^^oh sorry. That’s for you John Sherman. Why’d it link that way??? Sorry
Hi John. As an enthusiastic but much less accomplished climber than yourself I think I’d prefer the 18-50 over 24-85 for capturing that dramatic, exposed 3D world of multi-pitch climbs.
On easier routes I sometimes drag my D800 and 18-35 along. I once tried the 24-120 and found that 24mm wasn’t enough for the close quarters stuff that happens on crowded stances, nor the dramatic scenery and the exposure. I am looking forward to trying a 18-50 for this.
Hi James,
I agree when it comes to the crowded stance shots – maybe they will make a selfie-stick attachment for the 24-85 to get that extra coverage :). Actually an 18-85 would kick butt as a climbing camera. Hopefully I’ll get to test both the DL18-50 and DL24-85 on climbs soon. One reason I wasn’t hip on the early Sony RX-100 I and II was the 28-100 lens wasn’t wide enough for climbing. Now that I’m getting old, the wider 18mm on the Nikon will make it look like I got that much higher up the climb ;)
Verm
John, I’ve already ordered the 24-85 to use as a secondary camera to the DX with telephoto zoom I normally carry around. But the 24-500 is also tempting, for those times I want to be less conspicuous. What concerns me most, though, is speed and accuracy of zooming. I don’t want to lose shots getting the lens to the right focal length. The smaller DLs have neat control rings for zooming, but the 24-500 doesn’t seem to.
Hi Aaron,
If the zoom action is like the P900, then you have legitimate concerns as far as speed and accuracy. One think I don’t like about power zoom buttons is having to tweak back and forth to get the framing I want when with manual zooms I can twist right to the composition first try.
Verm
I would be thinking about D24-500 for its range and reach at the long end. However Nikon1 J5 is compelling and affordable as I can use lenses which I already have. I am leaning towards a medium format film camera for landscapes. When will Nikon introduce a medium format camera?
How many megapixels would you like the Nikon medium format camera to have?
Hi Mohan,
With the way sensor technology continues to advance, 1″ might be the new medium format in a generation or two. Until then I would be surprised to see Nikon ever produce a DSLR with a larger than FX sensor. For all but high end commercial work or pro landscape photography, a D810 has more than enough resolution. Those are two markets (shrinking faster than the point-and-shoot market) that Nikon seems happy to let Phase One and those types deal with.
Verm
I’m really looking forward to receiving my pre-ordered 24-85.
Sometimes it’s just not practical for me to carry my D750 with Tamron 24-70, and I’ve missed so many opportunities because of this.
I’m not much for the outdoors and landscape photos. I’d appreciate the 18-50 for architecture/city and interiors, but it’s not my main focus.
Street and environmental portraits are what tick my box, and here’s where I think you negated to mention a very significant feature of the DL series.
All 3 cameras come with a hotshoe and support the CLS system – this is massive for me.
My ideal grab’n’go setup is now going to be the DL 24-85, Yongnuo controller on camera with 2 triggers on SB-500s and a couple of Rogue Flash Benders.
It will never replace my D750 – it will just help plug some gaps.
It’s a shame Nikon 1 users will be shafted. That system should have been properly priced to have been competitive. For once Nikon priced a new camera (24-80) intelligently. So I guess people will have to buy the 18-50 AND the 24-80 to have adequate coverage on the road. Not so cheap then. ;-)
I recently picked up a Panasonic GM5, which is essentially what these cameras and the V series should have been, an extremely compact interchangeable lens camera with a quality sensor and an EVF.
I think the 24-80 will pretty well simply because it’s realistically priced. However Requiscat In Pace Nikon 1.
Sorry, I’m not !
:)
The DL18-50 sounds good for me as zoom range, but immediately after announcement I bought an Fuji X100T in addition for my Nikon D750 body + 3 lenses.
I want to travel as light as possible on holidays and I want also a camera for all day use, but without compromises for image quality compared to my Nikon bag.
I hoped at least one to have larger sensor, but … unfortunately …
I’m not saying that these cameras are bad, just not what I expected.
Sorry Nikon, maybe at next generation of premium compact cameras …
Well written and interesting article. As a 70 year old I’m about ready to move to something smaller, especially when walking and cycling. I’m pretty fit but my back and knees would thank me if I sold my D7100 and assorted lenses and moved to something smaller and lighter. I’ve been agonising for a few months whether to go to MFT or Sony/Panasonic 1″ sensor cameras but couldn’t quite bring myself to do it.
I’m glad I waited for the Nikon announcement as, it seems to me, the DL range hits all my requirements and then some. I see the DL range as the equivalent of a system and rather than having one body with various lenses, the 3 cameras would provide me with a variety of individual self-contained bodies which I would choose to take with me for different purposes. In fact, all 3 would weigh less and take up less space than my current kit. Plus of course, my flashes will work on all 3!
Image quality and sensor performance will, of course, be the determining factor but I have high hopes and eagerly await detailed reviews. I have pre-ordered the 18-50 and 24-500 and may add the 24-85 to my order if reviews confirm my expectations.
Please take the opportunity to review these models whenever possible.
And if you haven’t already guessed the answer to your question, yes I’m excited!
Regards, John.
Expected availability: June 28 2016
:-(
You know what I would like to see, Verm? A camera very much like this with a true macro lens, like a 180mm macro that is super sharp from corner to corner and able to do 1:1 macro. And throw in a small slide rail made just for it, and a build an LED ring flash right around the lens like a Ricoh WG. I know a lot of small cameras have a “macro mode” but I’m talking something with an actual macro lens that can auto-focus quickly at close range and has a nice smooth, reliable manual focus ring too.
Then I would have a really nice quality small camera to keep in the car all the time for “point and shoot” situations, wider shots, and macro when the mood strikes without having to swap my big birding lens off my DSLR to put on a macro or wide angle.
What the heck? When I clicked “Post” it deleted all the lower case I’s from my post??????? Oh, actually, looking above the I’s are missing from other people’s posts too.
I just switched to Safari and there are no little I’s in any comments in Safari and Chrome on my iMac. Is this just me?
Good article and interesting comments.
I’m really just posting as a test, for your information, to see if my iMac with Safari drops the small i from each word.
Horrible sentence but the i’s prevail.
Hope this succeeds.
Darce
Well, I guess we have our answer. My previous email was complete when sent.
Sorry for multiple posts but this is sent from Firefox on a Linux machine to see if the i’s are dropped.
Hope this is useful for determining cause of problem.
Sorry I didn’t get back to you on this. The system didn’t notify me I had a reply to my post. Now that I log back in all the i’s are there. So weird.
Same here! All occurrences of the 9th letter of the alphabet are absent from the comments. Not easy to compose comments, sans the 9th letter, that sort-of obey the rules of grammar :-)
Update: Many thanks to whomever corrected the problem. I humbly suggest carefully reading the book: Mastering Regular Expressions, by Jeffrey E. F. Friedl.
Hi Joshua,
I’m interested to see how good the DL24-85’s Super Macro Mode and Focus Bracketing features work. I love capturing nature detail shots and abstracts and am a stickler for sharpness on these so these are attributes I’ll test for sure.
Verm
Please let us know!
Sony makes nice cameras, but personally I think that the new Nikons including the J5 has a huge advantage over the RX100 series and that is the touch screen which is perfectly implemented. Also colors are better from the Nikons, but that is of course my personal opinion.
A lot of people prefer to have a view finder and that is fully understandable, especially for long lenses. For a long time. I thought that a camera without a view finder was useless, but with an articulated screen and “touch to focus and shoot”, I feel that I have less and less use for a view finder anymore.
Of course a view finder is needed for long lenses, but the lenses I usually use are in the range 18-85 mm and with those lenses I can for instance shoot from a lower position by tilting the screen and being a little less intruding when photographing people.
Well, just a few thoughts from one that is eagerly awaiting the Nikon V4 with the best of two worlds – a view finder and a articulated touch screen :-)
Thanks for the review. I disagree with one major comment. To me, a tie doesn’t necessarily go to the champ. For me if image quality is similar, handling becomes key. I have a Sony Rx100 I. And I really like it, but Sony’s confusing menu drives me nuts. To me it is so confusing that I really can’t take advantage of all of its capabilities. As a long time owner of Nikon DSLR’s, familiar with their menus and how they handle, a pocketable one inch sensor camera with a Nikon menu is extremely appealing. And although I wish the optional EVF was built in, I assume that one EVF can be used on both cameras. Even so, if similarly priced and if the IQ is similar, the tie for me goes to the Nikon operating system, rather than Sony’s complicated, exasperating menu.
We who love our Nikon 1 cameras, are worried that these Dl cameras will be then end of the Nikon 1 era, where compact 1″ cameras will replace any progress efforts put to our beloved little compact kit cameras.
Sales are said to be bad for both the J and S series, while V3 sells well in certain markets, but not well enough for Nikon to invest any efforts in producing new, faster, lenses (or just ONE macro lens!), and better designed cameras, say with normal functions like bracketing and HDR.
Should have been ‘DL’, not Dl, sorry!
Thank you so much for this excellent review. I am just wondering what is the main differentiating criteria for DL24-85 and J5 (with the kit lens 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6) if I should choose between them? Is there some technical limitations why Nikon can’t just make similar f/1.8-2.8 optics for the J5?
“point-and-shoots are lining up to commit hara-kiri”
Ppl keep writing this everywhere but I really don’t get why. Smartphone cameras might be able to produce good images in good conditions, but that’s it. Taking a good pic in broad daylight is no big deal. Better compacts can do a lot more AND they still fit into a pocket, can be used with one hand, and cope with a much wider range of light conditions, can shoot raw, etc. In my opinion they are still the best choice for travel photography, where one often finds oneself in tight/crowded situations, for example (so a bigger cam would be cumbersome), or facing “can’t miss” landmarks and subjects on the go where being able to take the camera out in a fraction of a second is essential, BUT it’s also nice to be able to take better, manual shots of a landmark it time allows.
Hi Judit,
The reason people keep making that statement is because point-and-shoot sales are down, way down, and smartphones are the reason. All your points about point-and-shoots are valid, but not resonating with consumers. When I go to the Grand Canyon now, the majority of tourists are shooting with smartphones. Sometimes it looks like there are as many selfie sticks as trees on the South Rim. I see as many people shooting with tablets there as I do point-and-shoots. The popularity of imaging devices with the visitors at Grand Canyon goes like this from most popular to least: smartphone, D3200 (or Canon Rebel or other bargain DSLR), tablet, D810/D7200 or other prosumer DSRL, point-and-shoot or “bridge” camera, D4s with 500mm prime (hey that’s me photographing condors).
Verm
Are Nikon’s 1″ sensors really 1″ or 3/4″ like all the others?
The Sony/Nikon 1″ (Nikon CX format) sensor is 13.2 x 8.8 mm; area 116 mm²; diagonal 15.86 mm; crop factor 2.72.
The “inch” sizes assigned to digital sensors are confusing because they are based on video camera cathode ray tubes for capturing television images. The size is the outside diameter of the glass envelope, which is larger than the imaging area. E.g. a one inch tube has an imaging diagonal in the region of two-thirds of an inch (16 mm). The new term for digital sensor sizes is “optical format”, which is approximately 3/2 times the true diagonal of the sensor, expressed in inches. A commonly used formula for optical format in inches = (sensor diagonal mm)/16. Hence CX format sensors qualify as one inch sensors.
I couldn’t find a 3/4″ sensor, which would have a diagonal of 12 mm. The Nokia and Fuji 2/3″ sensors are 8.8 x 6.6 mm; area 58.1 mm²; diagonal 11 mm; crop factor 3.93.
For comparison, 135 format (36 x 24 mm) — aka: 35 mm full-frame; FX format — has a diagonal of 43.27 mm; hypothetical optical format of 2.7 inches.
Great review thanks for that
I’m in the market for a new compact and I’ve been going back and forth between something with a fixed lens or an interchangeable lens system such as the Sony a6000/a6300 the only problem with this is the rather average kit lens and since I’m not planning on investing in extra lenses a fixed system is probably the way to go for me since it have to be versatile and all round from landscapes and street photography to decent portrait capabilities, almost bought the RX 100 IV but I guess I’ll have to wait and see how this Nikon DL and the upcoming Canon G7X MII wil compare, never thought getting a premium compact would be such a pain
A question: why did you write that “custom exposure modes like U1 and U2 are hugely useful to any photographer and especially pros because they intimately understand exposure”? I don’t understand, I think they only allow you to save your custom exposure and picture profile settings?
A word about the Canon G7X: it was a huge hit with vloggers, because it exposes correctly for their faces when they are backlit (Canon exposes for the shadows, Sony for the highlights at default settings), and because it auto focuses quicker on their face (its almost unusable after sunset however). This is how Canon could beat the Sony RX100 models, which means that those youtubers when they want better quality for their indoors videos, go to a T3i or newer, or to a 6D.
My take on the Canon G7x is that the lens doesn’t render some objects correctly, namely foliage, rocks etc. I’m a pixel peeper mind you. And the Sony models have poor ergonomics, at the very least the exposure compensation button should be at the top, near where our thumb naturally rests.
I have a D4 and D810 with big lenses for wildlife and Nature photography, I will jump and this for a travel and street photography camera. I often travel on international business trips and the Lumix I use has such a lousy menu system and slow handling that I replaced it with my iPhone. But I am old school I want a dedicated camera, I am a photographer and not a tourist taking pics, I am out there walking in the snow and cold of Europe to capture images that I can take time to compose, set up and walk away with the feeling of having created an image, not click away like 9 mil tourists on mobile phone’s. No disrespect to tourist or those who are masterful in creating beautiful images with their phones, I am one of those that these camera’s are aimed at.
DL 24-85 // DL 18-50 // DL 24-500 SAMPLES
www.nikonistas.com/digit…038;page=1
While my primary camera system for money jobs is Nikon SLRs, I’ve never been happy with their Coolpix line. For compacts, like you, I’ve always been a fan of the Canon PowerShot S series. Great image quality but crappy lens shutter. It’s what failed on both previous models and seems to be cursing my current Canon. The DL 24-85, though, has piqued my interest as I’ve grown close to my cheapie, kinda bad, 24-85mm lens on my FX (full-size sensor) Nikons. Despite its less-than-perfect optics (I’m being nice), I love the range.
If the DL can be my always-with-me camera and performs as I expect it to be (on par with Sony), it will be my next camera purchase. It’ll be something to replace my DX SLR on hikes having lots of climbing.
Funny, an old Canon Powershot was my camera of choice on a couple of ElCap ascents. I don’t climb big walls anymore but I do a lot skateboard photography and I’m usually using wide lenses. I would love to be able to leave my DSLR rig at home sometimes and go with something much smaller and less obtrusive. I owned an RX-100 but it just wasn’t wide enough. For this reason alone, I’m super excited about the DL 18-50.
Great site!
Any word on when we might see some raw samples???
Thank you,
I’m really hoping these will be great video cameras as well. They sure have the potential.
LOL….
you claim people in the market for a $1000 camera from sony wouldnt care much about price, so a $300 price difference wont matter..
and yet you are contemplating getting the nikon as it is $650 compared to $1000 sony..
and you claim sony may likely drop price to stay competitive against nikon… so…. price matters or not ?!
LOL lousy analysis, you just blew you own article up!
The new Nikon line of DL cameras looks really nice (though I haven’t actually tried one yet). Like yourself, I have used the Canon G12 model extensively as my favorite compact. But my old G12 is long-in-the-tooth now and I am quite tired of its slow focusing and even slower frame rate. My biggest issue with the new DL models is that Nikon omitted the one range of focal lengths that could be most useful while still keeping the camera compact. I would like to see a DL28-140 version which would be the same focal range as my G12. I feel this is the most useful all-around range for a portable compact camera. The DL18-50 and DL24-85, while nice, are both too short of a range for my needs. While the DL24-500 is quite enticing I think that it, like the Sony RX10 and Panasonic FZ1000, is too large for a portable compact camera. I wouldn’t even mind if a DL28-140 was slightly slower on the long end of the zoom say something like f1.8-f4 to keep the camera body and lens fairly slim. I could also live without an EVF on a DL28-140 as they tend to drain battery life. Just give it a good quality touch LCD, preferably one that is fully articulated.
Thank you for the lovely round-up, John.
I have used Nikon’s P7800 for sometime now, alongside APS-C DSLRs and a bunch of premium compacts (1/1.7″). While P7800’s IQ appears quite close to DSLRs (to my eyes) and it’s nice to hold too!, it feels rather unresponsive – the lag between a button press and anything happening drives me nuts at times. Of late, its behaviour has become even more erratic… serious QA issues, perhaps?
Really hoping the DL line rises above these shortcomings. Given the potentially superior sensor and the option to slap a Speedlight on it, I am hoping the DL 24-500 would help me do away with the DSLR. Well, to hope is to be human! ;)
Look forward to reading the full reviews soon.
Best
So, after the announcement that the DL line has been cancelled by Nikon, what would be your go-to compact camera as a “dedicated rock climber”?
Right now it is my iphone and I just hope I don’t drop it. I tried the Sony but didn’t like it and my old Canon S110 crapped out on me on day one the last time I scaled El Cap so not too happy with it. Wish I had a better answer for you and wish Nikon kept the DLs alive. Alas, I don’t know of one I’d recommend but there are plenty of options to choose from – and I’m guessing plenty of cheap used P+S online. Good luck.
Hello, thank you very much for your reply!
The panasonic DMC TZ100 looks also interesting and seems to tick many boxes. A little bit on the expensive side though…