Nikon isn’t ruling out more retro-themed mirrorless cameras following the Nikon Z fc and Nikon Zf. That's according to Nikon’s corporate vice president and general manager of the Imaging Business Unit, Ikegami Hiroyuki.
“As long as the customer wants them [retro-themed cameras], we really want to continue to develop those kinds of cameras because it is kind of a big hit right now,” he told PetaPixel.
Well, Mr Hiroyuki, consider this my request for more of the best retro cameras from the Nikon archives. Firstly, I am a huge fan of the Nikon Df, Zf and Nikon Z fc – the latter two I reviewed for Digital Camera World and N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, respectively.
But I also consider Nikon’s analog heritage one of – if not the – greatest in the business. And the merest hint of more retro-themed Nikons to come had me instantly drawing up a shortlist in my mind’s eye of what mirrorless homages the Big N could conjure up next.
And what better time to be reminiscing about old Nikons, since the Nikon F3 has just turned 45 years old?
First of all, I think a rangefinder-style camera à la Nikon would be a license to print money. It wouldn't be the first time Nikon has revisited its rangefinder past; the Nikon S3 Year 2000 Millennium Model springs to mind, as does the Nikon 1 J5 (sure, the latter certainly isn’t a rangefinder camera, but it’s evidently inspired by them).
If Nikon went down the rangefinder route, it could opt for an interchangeable-lens design like the Fujifilm X-Pro 3 or Leica M11-P, or come out swinging with a direct competitor to the best compact cameras like the Fujifilm X100VI. Now there’s an exciting thought!
Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time Nikon has turned out a retro-themed compact. Not long ago, my colleague, Hillary K Grigonis, made the fantastic point that the retro Nikon Coolpix P7000 deserves a comeback.
When it comes to SLR designs, we know the Nikon Z fc and Zf were both heavily influenced by the king of Nikon SLR cameras, the legendary Nikon FM2.
And while the Nikon nerd in me instantly thinks of the Nikon F, Nikon FM, Nikon FE, Nikon FE2, and Nikon FM3a, these cameras all look relatively similar. As such, I’d love to see Nikon make a bold move and be the first manufacturer to turn out a retro mirrorless inspired by its later SLR models.
I’m talking an homage to the Nikon F3 or, if we’re being really bold, a late Eighties / early Nineties Nikon like the Nikon F-801 / Nikon F-801s. Maybe it's my penchant for hair metal, Wham! and Back to the Future, but I've always considered the F-801 one of the coolest-looking SLRs ever produced.
Heck, Nikon could even plump for a modern classic SLR like the Nikon F6, which was only discontinued in 2020.
But, if Nikon’s really going to lean into its heritage, I think it needs to fully commit. And that means turning out some retro-themed lenses, not just cameras.
Let’s face it, the Nikon Z fc and Zf are pretty much universally loved, but the biggest criticism, by far, has been the lack of retro-themed lenses – specifically, the complete lack of retro-themed lenses with an aperture ring. If Nikon started turning out Z-mount glass inspired by its AI, AI-S and AF eras, I’d be all in.
Do you think I've come up with some cracking retro camera ideas? Let me know the camera designs you'd like to see given a modern makeover in the comments below.
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Want more retro ramblings? I bought the only film camera I’ll ever need: the Nikon FM. And here's why the Nikon Df is the DSLR I'd buy today. Plus, Hillary reckons the Fujifilm X-Pro3 is a digital camera with a film soul.
