If NikonRumors gets this one right (and they have a high success rate of doing so), then a film SLR styled Mirrorless body could be coming to Nikon’s lineup soon.

Whether it’s Leica’s M and Q cameras, Fuji’s X series, or the Olympus OM-D and PEN collection, there’s always been something appealing about digital cameras housed in a vintage body. I don’t own cameras from either of these brands. But to me, they represent some of the most beautifully designed digital cameras made. I agree with the views of our EIC Chris when he speaks about the beauty in the design of the Olympus PEN-F (a camera that’s long overdue for an update now). For the most part today, camera brands tend to match each other in specifications such as megapixels, frames per second, high ISO values and noise handling. But where is Nikon?

Where brands like Leica, Fuji, and Olympus are clearly winning is in the styling and ergonomics departments. Porting over classic retro looks stemming from years of experienced designs in their film range has proven to be a winning formula for them. Aside from the Df, I can’t recall a time in recent years when I’ve stopped a fellow photographer holding a Nikon, Canon, or Sony camera to take a closer look at the aesthetics of what they held. It’s almost like these brands have forgotten to include a stylist in their design and R&D departments. The latest update from NikonRumors about an upcoming vintage-looking Mirrorless body from Nikon has really excited me.

What Does the Report Say?

According to the Report, “the new Nikon APS-C mirrorless camera could be retro inspired:

Nikon Df-inspired mirrorless camera with mechanical dials and articulating screen.

Very thin camera body without a handgrip that looks something like the Olympus OMD or Nikon FE10 cameras“

I personally hope that the end design turns out to be the former of the two. This is because the Nikon FE10 (and FM10) weren’t exactly their most memorable models. The production was outsourced to Cosina to keep costs low and make them more affordable to emerging markets. Almost entirely constructed out of plastic, they don’t have a premium feel to them. Patina is a lot more pleasing when it develops on metal bodies (for those of you who excessively use your cameras).

The Df, on the other hand, was well-received among Nikon users. A fully metal body that included functional metal dials, with backward compatibility up to Nikon’s first F mount lenses dating back to 1959; what’s not to like? It was pleasing to hold with a comfortable grip, and they even designed a vintage-looking edition 50mm f1.8 lens to go with it. Nikon could really nail this one if they go down this route.

Long Overdue for Nikon

When reports of the Z series of cameras began floating around some years ago, I hoped Nikon would launch this series with a film era styled body. Even if they’d kept the same Df style body and made it smaller (due to the lack of a prism), I would have bought it in a heartbeat. Nikon has a history of releasing some amazing rangefinders and SLRs over many decades. Like many others, I never stopped to think why these designs never made it to their DSLR range. When it finally did make it to the Df, what stopped them from continuing the trend?

A Mirrorless body like this is what Nikon fans like myself and countless others have been waiting years for. Lightweight, packed with the latest features, but also something that is a thing of beauty to look at. Looks matter for camera bodies because they’re the first thing we fall in love with about them. As photographers, we fight over brands and argue over megapixel counts and low light performances. But we’ll be the first to admire an appealing camera, even from a competing brand.

Vintage styling does not need to get in the way of the functionality of a cameray. I’m stumped over why Nikon didn’t release styling variants of its Z series of bodies yet. Even something as simple as a dual-tone body with an upper silver half would have been someth...