360Photography

Three’s company

Are compact cameras still relevant? Nikon seems to think they can be, if they’re good enough. It’s announced three premium compacts, all built around 20.8MP 1″-type BSI CMOS sensors its latest, ‘EXPEED 6A’ processor. If that sensor spec sounds familiar, it’s because the Nikon J5 uses a very similar…probably the same…one.

The firepower in that new processor results in 4K video capture capabilities and bursts up 60 fps without AF, and 20 fps with. Combine this speed with a hybrid AF system that uses 105 phase-detect and 171 contrast-detect points (the same one found in the 1-System), and you should have three seriously capable compacts.

When we sat down with Nikon reps back at CES 2016, they explained how engineers developed the three in unison, but targeted each camera’s focal length range toward a very specific customer. However, all three customers are expected to be DSLR shooters looking for a smaller, lighter alternative for everyday shooting. As such, all three can shoot RAW, offer Adobe RGB, can utilize Nikon i-TTL Speedlights, and use a menu system very similar to that found in their pro and enthusiast DSLRs.

Meet the family

The three cameras that make up Nikon’s DL line of premium 1″-type compacts include the DL24-85, DL18-50 and DL24-500. They may not have the most exciting or creative names, but at least they’re straightforward. As you might have guessed, the 24-85 offers a 24-85mm equivalent F1.8-2.8 lens and is the standard zoom compact of the bunch. Reasonably fast on the wide end, this camera has a lot of appeal as an everyday pocketable shooter.

The DL18-50 is the first 1″-type camera to have an ultra-wide lens which, in this case, is a 18-50mm equiv. It also features an impressively fast 1.8-2.8 aperture range, and sits as the DL’s wide/normal option. And on the tele end you have the DL24-500 F2.8-5.6. It isn’t as fast as the other two and certainly isn’t pocketable, but it is easily offers the most versatile focal range of the three.

Yet more choices

Style-wise, the DL24-85 and DL18-50 may seem oddly familiar. The concealingly small dial on the back looks a lot like those on the Nikon 1 series bodies, but from the front, they look almost as if Nikon’s borrowed the leftover tooling from Panasonic’s LX5. This is no bad thing – the LX5 was a really classy little enthusiast compact, but we thought it was faintly amusing, given how fiercely Nikon has protected its industrial design in the past.

We’re joking, of course, and there’s no such precedent for the DL24-500 – perhaps because its design resembles every other superzoom on the market. It’s pretty difficult to make an interesting-looking superzoom, just as it’s difficult to make an interesting looking SUV. And often inadvisable to do so.

How do they compare?

We’ve had to approximate how the available F number on each lens will decline, as you zoom in, but even with these approximated values, you can see that the DL24-85 sits between the lens range of the Sony Cyber-shot RX100 Mark III and IV, and that of Canon’s Powershot G7 X II.

The graph should also make clear just how unusual the DL18-50’s lens is. 18mm equivalent is significantly wider than any of the other 1″ sensor compacts currently on the market, yet it’s bright and able to reach a relatively practical 50mm equivalent focal length.

As usual, we’ve plotted these graphs to show both equivalent focal length and equivalent aperture.

Reaching for it

The DL24-500 joins an already impressive group of 1″ sensor superzooms, including the Sony RX10 II, Panasonic FZ1000 and Canon G3 X. These cameras are undeniably popular, especially amongst travel photographers. From its specs alone, the DL24-500 certainly seems like a competitor. Its 4K capture and slow motion video options compete directly with some of the most stand-out specs from the RX10 II (which we recently gave a Gold Award to).

All of these cameras offer considerably better image quality than conventional, small-sensor superzooms. So, although they can’t boast >80x on the little metallic stickers they wear on camera store shelves, they still offer a degree of reach that will be suitable for a huge variety of shooting situations.

And again, the factor that could set the Nikon apart from its competition is its Hybrid AF system. If the DL24-500’s AF system offers similar performance to that of 1-Series cameras (and there’s little reason to think it wouldn’t), the competition will have good reason to be concerned.

Super steady

Each of the three DL compacts offers a secret power, specific to their zoom range and unique to each. In the case of the DL24-500, its super power is Sports VR for added stability when panning at the tele end. Of course, all three cameras have Dual Detect Optical VR and historically, Nikon cameras have impressed us with their stabilization, especially the Nikon P900 superzoom. So we definitely have high expectations for the DL24-500.

Of course, what good is VR and reach if you don’t have quality glass? All three Nikkor lenses have fluorine coatings to keep away moisture and grime, and the 18-50 is the company’s first compact to have a Nano Crystal Coat, which reduces flare and ghosting.

The everyday pocket cam to beat?

The Sony RX100 series of cameras has long been viewed as the pocketable premium compacts to beat. The most recent Sony RX100 IV in particular impressed us. But the Nikon DL24-85 has us ready to reconsider the crown.

The two cameras share a whole lot of similar specs, including 4K video capabilities, optical image stabilization, fast burst rates with continuous AF, and tilting LCDs. They both offer 20MP 1″-type sensors and very similar focal range, though the Nikon does have a bit more reach.

But the two do vary in some key areas. While the Sony has a pop-up EVF, you’ll have to pony up for an optional tilting model on the DL18-50 and 24-85. Conversely, the DLs all have touchscreen OLED displays, while the RX100s use non-touch LCDs. 

But an even bigger difference can be found when looking into each camera’s AF system: the Sony uses a contrast-detection AF system, while Nikon uses a hybrid approach (combining depth-aware phase detection with high-precision contrast detection). But before you dismiss the Sony entirely, it’s worth noting that the RX100 IV really impressed with its AF capabilities during our testing. So, while the Nikon DL24-85 should  be able to outperform the Sony, we’ll just have to wait until we get one in to know for sure.

Nice and close

The DL24-85 is the only DL of the three to offer a 1:1 macro mode (its secret power). It can be accessed by turning the zoom ring all the way to the right to the S.macro position. In the macro mode, users have a 35mm equiv. field of view. And while all three cameras offer a manual focus mode, the DL24-85 also has a focus bracketing feature, which should be particularity useful for macros.

Unfortunately, the ring around the lens barrel of the DL24-85 is not customizable (same goes for the other DL’s). It can only be used for manual focusing.

Wide street shooter

The DL18-50 is the widest DL of the bunch, and while its 18-50mm focal length may not appeal to casual shooters, street photographers are sure to be enticed by its range and fast lens. Its tilting touchscreen allows for tap-to-focus and, we assume, tap-to-shoot capabilities that should suit that ‘decisive moment’ shooting style.

This camera’s focal range will also likely appeal to architecture and landscape shooters. To further tempt said group, it has a built-in perspective control feature that can be used to distort the image to correct for perspective distortion.

Unlike the other two, it doesn’t have a built-in flash – perhaps because it would be too difficult to offer such wide coverage without some clever optics and a lot more distance away from the lens.

Touch, see, shoot and share

Touchscreens can be great, especially when paired with physical control points (this way you can choose). All three DLs offer 1.04M-dot OLED touch displays. The displays on the DL24-85 and DL18-50 can tilt, while the display on the DL24-500 is fully articulating. This only adds to the DL24-500’s appeal as a video-centric all-in-one.

The DL24-500 also offers a 2.4M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder, while the other two cameras accept the the rather bulky accessory DF-E1 tilting electronic viewfinder with the same XGA resolution. 

The three DLs are also Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, allowing them to take advantage of Nikon’s ‘SnapBridge’ technology, first unveiled to the world at CES 2016 during the company’s press event announcing the D500. ‘SnapBridge’ allows a camera to stay connected to one’s smart device via low power Bluetooth connection, without the need to reconnect. It’s worth noting that while we’ve written about SnapBridge in the past and are excited by its implication, we have yet to try it. The cameras also support NFC, for quick and easy pairing with Android devices.

Where they fit on the 1″ scale

Here’s how they fit into the wider market. We don’t yet know exactly how their apertures will change as you zoom, so we’ve had to approximate them here.

The pricing is exactly as we’d expect: the DL24-85 with its fast standard zoom is a direct competitor for Sony’s RX100 III and Canon’s G7 X Mark II. It doesn’t have a viewfinder, as the Sony does, so it’s no surprise to find it’s being pitched at $ 150 lower than the RX100 III’s launch price and $ 50 below the Canon’s.

Meanwhile, the DL24-500’s long, increasingly slow lens makes it look like Nikon is targeting the same customers as the G3 X. And, guess what? The Nikon MSRP is exactly the same as the Canon’s, at $ 999.

Finally, although it shares a lot in common with the 24-85, there’s a premium to be paid for the DL18-50. With no direct rivals, and the challenges of making such a fast, wide lens, it’s no surprise that it’s to be launched for $ 849.

In summary

It’s interesting to see how these new models fit in to the market. Ever since Sony announced the RX100, manufacturers have been developing ever more variations and options around the 1″ sensor. Since most cameras take at least two years to develop, it’s still relatively early in the timeline, but with the arrival of Nikon there are now four manufacturers building large sensor compacts.

So far we’ve seen Sony focus its RX100 series on the idea of a small camera with a large sensor and a bright lens, with zoom range being the trade-off being made. Canon very much followed suit with its G7 X models. And the Nikon DL 24-85mm, with its F1.8 – 2.8 is clearly targeting the same potential buyers.

Meanwhile, Sony, Panasonic and Canon have all developed riffs on the large bodied, long zoom theme. Sony’s RX10 (both I and II) opt for constant aperture zooms, while Panasonic’s FZ1000 gives greater range that gets slower as you zoom. Nikon’s DL 24-500mm is much closer to Canon’s G3 X, in offering still more zoom by letting the aperture drop even further.

As such, the standout camera in this group is the DL 18-50. It’s fast (F1.8-2.8), ultra-wide to just-beyond-normal zoom range is unique, and offers an exciting option for wide-angle shooters looking for a pocketable camera with what should be good image quality. Whatever our reservations have been in the past about Nikon compacts, the image quality has usually been very good.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)