I am a professional photographer and have been for a long time. I also write books about photography. I like cameras and own many different kinds, from medium format film cameras to super zoom compacts. But I've been very interested in the whole category of mirrorless cameras for the two years. I own three different Olympus Pen cameras, including the new Pen EP3, so it was a little bit counter-intuitive for me to pick up a Nikon V1 as well. I was originally attracted to the camera because of the industrial design which (unlike just about every one else on the web) I like very much. It's clean and to the point. I like cameras with high resolution EVF's because it makes the process of shooting (and especially shooting video) seem very much like using the traditional cameras I grew up with. I cannot understand the fad of holding a camera at arm's length and trying to compose a good photograph. Just doesn't work for so many reasons.
I've shot with the Nikon in the studio (using LED light panels) and outside for the last five days. It focuses very, very quickly and with the mechanical shutter engaged it shoots at 5 fps. You can also use the electronic shutter to shoot 10, 30 or 60 fps. Amazingly fast. The EVF works very well in bright sun and in low light.
The camera is small and light and the video specs are very good as well. There is even a high speed video mode that allows you to shoot very short clips at 400 fps. When you play back at a normal 30 fps the footage becomes incredibly slow slow motion. While the video lacks a bit of finesse in the audio realm the test clips I've shot at regular 1080i and 1080p are sharp and the color is great. There is a standard socket for an external microphone and variable sensitivity settings in the menu. Just not fine tuned control over manual sound levels.
The two lenses I got are the standard kit lenses and both of them work well, provide great Vibration Reduction and seem sharp even when shot wide open. I hope they flesh out the offerings to include some high speed prime lenses as well.
The camera, when used with the electronic shutter, is 100% silent in operation.
What are the flaws? 1. You should be able to turn off the image review but you can't. That means, when shooting in single shot mode, the camera will show you a review image after each push of the shutter which slows your shot to shot time down to about 2 seconds. If you were able to turn off the review the camera is completely capable of shooting very, very quickly. In the continuous mode there's enough shutter delay to throw you off your game if you've been shooting with a $5,000 sports camera. If you are upgrading from a point and shoot, you won't notice it at all. The cure is to go electronic and set the camera for 10 fps and then shoot in bursts. No lag and you're pretty much guaranteed to catch some peak action
The menu is much less detailed but much more straightforward than the menus in the Olympus Pens which is both good and bad. The Nikon is easier to learn (especially for people coming from Nikon SLR's) but the Olympus menus give you more fine control over just about every setting.
I've had great luck with the images that come out of the camera. The jpegs are well exposed, full of good detail and the colors are right on the money. Just as good as the "famous" Olympus Jpegs. I'm waiting on Adobe to implement the new nef raw files into ACR and Lightroom so I can start shooting raw files. You can use the supplied software for now but the workflow is so much slower I just can't stand it.
I'm certain that Nikon will do well with this system because it's quite a huge step up from cameras like the Panasonic LX-5 or the Canon G12 and lets you interchange lenses. When they add a pro model and an ultra wide angle the ball will really start rolling.
For me it's the new "compact" camera. I take it with me everywhere and it takes great images without much intervention on my part. Is it as good as my Canon 5Dmk2 or Canon 1DS mk2 full frame cameras? No. The files aren't as detailed and they don't have the same sense of depth. But the iSO of the Nikon is close to my 1ds2 and that camera was $8,000 only a few short years ago.....
If you are a parent and your kids play sports like football and soccer this might be the ultimate camera for you. It's easy to use and the longer zoom lens is sharp and locks focus quickly. Coupled with a fast frame rate and you fix all the stuff that cheaper DSLR's and point and shoot superzooms tend to muff.
I just wish they had supplied the flash in the same shipment as the cameras....I want to try using it as a trigger for my studio flashes.
The mirrorless cameras represent a new direction for camera makers and I think, for users as well. The handling and image quality is more than enough for most of the stuff we want our cameras to do. And the Nikon is in the same league with the m4:3 cameras from Olympus and Panasonic.
First of all, Amazon please limit reviews to those that actually own what they are "reviewing". I consider Amazon reviews a good resource but do not like having to wade thru the worthless gripes of non-owners that better belong on camera forums.
I am a certified professional photographer and use Nikon and Leica "full frame" equipment for my commercial and portraiture work. However, for my daily walks I often want to use a good compact camera which was a Lumix LX5. I have used a few images from this camera for a gallery I sell in but find that in the large print sizes (20" or so) the small sensor just does not quite get it. So I have been looking for a better compact camera and was pleased to see the Nikon 1 system with a somewhat larger sensor. After reading some reviews I decided the weight, size, and lack of control did not make sense for me. But after reading an open minded and knowledgeable review by Rob Galbraith I changed my mind. As to the size compared to larger sensor cameras he actually compares them with lenses' on the body, unlike other reviews, and it shows that it is indeed very compact in comparison. He also compares the simplicity to Apple design, which being an Apple computer convert, caught my attention. Some reviewers confuse the simplicity of the control layout with lack of control and that is a false assumption. The black body is also a very nice, simple, elegant, design
I bought the 2 zoom lens kit from Amazon, and liked it so much I bought the 10mm lens a few days later. I was even lucky enough to find a flash.
Some initial thoughts:
Yes it much bigger than my LX5 but not too big as a larger sensor system would be for my use.
Focus is at least as fast as my Nikon D3 and fast glass, and exposure is almost always right on.
I use the camera in aperture mode, and it is very fast and easy to change aperture, and you can do it while looking thru the viewfinder. I prefer it to a dial.
The menu is very well done and I like that it stays where you last used it. For instance, if you just changed the ISO, if you want to change again, just hit the menu button and you are at the ISO line, no searching thru the whole menu again.
Preliminary thoughts on lense's the 10-30 is soft in the corners wide open, but have not tried it since the recent firmware upgrade. The 10mm is great! The 30-110 is fun such a long range in such a small lens. It seems quite sharp but not much testing yet.
Just got the flash today. More good thinking by Nikon has bounce and rotates and is light as it requires no batteries. Exposures made inside, bounce and direct, look nice and even. It of course will take down the charge on the camera battery but one of the good things about the "chunky" body is it has room for a large battery
Having the flexibility to change lens on a compact camera is super. Today I had a lens on the camera and a lens each in of the pockets of the light jacket I was wearing for my walk and the lens in the pockets were so light they were barely noticeable.
Looking forward to the adapter for my Nikkor 50 1.4 and 85 1.4
Great camera for fast, from the hip, shooting. The LCD can easily be turned off, the viewfinder is off until you bring it to your eye, so you can leave the camera power on for a fast grab shot without draining the battery
Lenses do not go on with the quality feel I get from the D3, the 10mm even feels a little rough
Glad that Nikon had the courage to start an all new sensor size it may not be for everyone but is exactly what I was looking for
That is all for now, will update this review as I learn more about the camera system.
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This camera has freed me from SLR bondage. I understand now why many pro photographers sold their high end DSLR's and bought a Leica m9 rangefinder digital. Four years in development, this camera hits a grand slam for Nikon and I believe it's a game changer.
Forget the armchair quarterbacks bemoaning the small sensor. It's good enough. Better than my d200 and about on par with my d300 without going under the microscope.
The genius of the 2.7 crop is the tiny, tack sharp lenses. Yes, they're a bit slow but that's what the higher ISO is for. This camera has a useable 3200 speed. The lenses probably have in-camera correction for various aberrations since you cannot see any chromatic aberration. none. Even wide open. They are sharp, sharp, sharp. Again, I think with the processing power available that this camera applies barrel and pincushion correction. Just my humble opinion.
You have HD video. You have 1200 fps slow motion. There are a ton of cool gadgets here. Leave your video camera at home? Well, no, if it's a high end Canon in the $3k up range. But if you've forgotten it, you won't feel disarmed. In firearms parlance, this is an excellent backup to your real weapon, and it's in a major caliber.
To fully "get" this camera, order the 10mm fixed prime. You then have a tiny, pocketable powerhouse that forces you to work on framing and composition. If you have dabbled in photography for 35 years like I have, you will understand what Nikon was going for with this camera freedom. No heavy body and gaggle of lenses in a bag. I bet you'll shoot much more, since you'll have it with you. The first rule of photography is to have a camera with you.
You can fully control this camera. It's not as easy as it should be. Going back to full auto takes too many steps. But it can be done. It's almost as if the camera is forcing you to slow down and think about what you're doing.
Build quality is amazing. I own Rolex watches not because they are accurate, but because they are amazing mechanical devices that are impeccably built and engineered. This body exudes that quality. The lenses are plastic, and so a bit of a letdown tactilely, but movement of the zoom is fluid and feels expensive. I hope someone makes a Leica M adapter for these bodies; they deserve nothing less.
Nitpicks? Lack of short depth of field. That's it so far.
Will housewives like this? Yes. But there are other cameras cheaper that will satisfy them. This is a camera for someone who already understands photography. One who owns many SLR and DSLR bodies and lenses. One who knows what a camera can do. But one who is looking for freedom. Freedom from menus and buttons. Freedom to express and grow.
Read Best Reviews of Nikon 1 V1 10.1 MP HD Digital Camera with 10-30mm VR 1 NIKKOR Lens (White) Here
When this camera was first introduced the negative comments overwhelmed the photo sites; the sensor was too small. No grip to speak of. No traditional Program, Aperture, Shutter, Manual and Video selection dial. Motion snapshot what the heck is that?!!! No internal flash. And on it went.
I purchased a Fuji Finepix X100 last year. A fine camera for someone willing to spend the time with it. But quirky for me. There were so many things I had to check before taking a picture I felt I was flying a plane and not just using a camera. And although firmware updates have improved the speed of the focusing it still is not anything to write home about.
Enter the Nikon 1 V1. I find the V1 menus well laid out and responsive. Oddly the selection dial on the back of the camera is smaller than the X100 but it is more responsive and easier to use. Want to delete a picture? Press the delete button and press it again to confirm the delete. You do not have to take your thumb off the delete button and press the OK button to confirm as you do in other cameras. It is the little things like this that only a company like Nikon, that has been dedicated to the photographer, can get right.
Startup is almost immediate. On the X100 there was a wait if you were using a slow video card. The V1 does take a few seconds to wake up if it has gone to sleep so if it is a long time between shots it is best to power down and power up again.
The built quality is simply excellent. The camera is well balanced and seeds nicely in your hand. It is not weather sealed so use with protection in variable climates. The EVF is superb. Better than the X100 but the reviewers say there are better viewfinders out there and I am sure there are but this one is pretty darn good.
Presently I use the 10mm f2.8 lens. It is great. I would have preferred a faster lens but this is the fastest of the lot right now. It also takes up the least amount of real estate on the camera. There is a mounting attachment you can buy for the camera called a FT1. It enables you to use your DSLR Nikkor lenses with the V1. It is expensive but I have tried it at the store and it is amazing. A list of compatible Nikkor lenses can be found on the Nikon website and only Nikkor S lenses will be able to take advantage of the automatic focus but it extends your camera. Also the 2.7 crop factor of the sensor means that a 50mm DSLR lens becomes a short zoom of 135mm on the V1; a 30mm DSLR lens becomes your 80mm portrait lens.
The speed of focusing is beyond any mirrorless camera out there. It is astounding. Half press of the shutter and snap you are there. No hunting. No whir as the lens tries to find the sweet spot. Pop it is there. There are always exceptions to focusing out a window, monochromatic surfaces predominating etc. But for general purposes, day-to-day you will not find a better focusing camera.
It has three shutter modes manual, electronic and electronic (hi). If you are in place where the shutter sound is distracting you can silence the camera in the electronic shutter modes. You can set the shutter for a single shot or continuous. In manual it shoots 5 frames per second and buffers after 10 to 14 shots. The electronic shutter speed is beyond silly but to get that prime shot while watching a sports event it will not let you down.
The menus and options are very extensive on this camera. For me there is nothing lacking. As with any camera I find where the features I use most frequently are and practice setting them. No matter the dial or menu configuration I can change settings quickly. For instance on the V1 scene, programmed, aperture, shutter, and manual priorities must be set via the shooting menu but leaving the menu pointer on the Exposure Mode option means I can change modes very quickly; not dial quick but almost.
In one of the forums someone was lamenting all the shortcomings (as he saw them) of the V1 and as often happens said they were going to wait for the V2 which he was sure would address these issues. A veteran replied he couldn't wait for the V2 and that he wanted to grab a V1 before another version was introduced as he was sure the V1 would become a classic. After having this camera for a while I think he is right. The camera is excellent and for many it will become a classic, if not broadly, then certainly for Nikon affectionados.
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I have high-end full-frame DSLR gear and have shot indoor sports part-time professionally. However, I've realized that most of the memorable moments of my little girls have been captured with my cell phone. This is tragic, but as they say, the best camera is the one you have with you, and I just can' t be lugging a DSLR around everywhere.
So I've been looking for a compact camera for years that would be able to acceptably capture kids in normal room light without a flash. Technology seems to have finally gotten there and I debated between this, the Canon s100, the Panasonic GX1, and the Sony NEX 5n/7.
Size:
The size of the Canon S100 was certainly much more attractive, being able to slip it into a jeans pocket. However, this can still fit in jacket or cargo pant pocket with a pancake; or easily fit with a zoom in wife's handbag or pouch on pack or stroller.
Stealth:
As soon as my kids realize I'm shooting them, their precious moment is ruined and it's, "I wanna see, I wanna see". So shooting in normal room light without a flash is key, and also the ability to shoot without a shutter sound. The S100's low light image quality without flash is arguably passable, but the Nikon's is just so much better. I'm not aware of being able to shut off the shutter sound for any of the other cameras.
Focus:
This is where the Nikon really shines with its phase-detect autofocus. This is no big deal if you're shooting landscapes or bowls of fruit, but is really a huge breakthrough that seems to be underplayed for shooting active youngsters. All the other cameras, even most DSLRs, spend too much time hunting during video, with the subject frequently going in and out of focus. The Nikon's ability to keep things in focus is remarkable, even tracking multiple faces when shooting video. The Sony was particularly bad at continuous focusing, constantly wobbling in and out (with lens noise while doing so), and often missing the moment. Capturing the moment with acceptable image quality trumps missing the moment with great image quality every time.
Sensor size:
People tend to focus on the negatives of a relatively small sensor.... the theoretical lessor low-light image quality, and the larger DOF. But there are a number of advantages. The first being the larger DOF. I appreciate nice bokeh as much as anybody, but for capturing moments, I want to be able to shoot with a fast prime, say f1.2 or f1.4 (in order to get lower ISO/higher shutter speed) and get BOTH my kids in focus, and even some surrounding area for context, especially for video. Second, longer reach from standard prime sizes. Not sure if I'll spring for the F-Mount lens adapter yet, but being able to reach a gymnast from the bleachers with an f1.4 would make a DSLR jealous. Third, smaller file sizes. Half the size of the GX1, effectively doubling the capacity of memory cards and SSDs (which aren't cheap). Also makes for twice as fast per-image transfer.
Image quality:
The Nikon's image quality was quite a bit better than what I saw from the S100. When looking at raw image samples in Aperture, I found the high-iso detail between the V1 and G3 (proxy for GX1) to be pretty close, despite the G3's larger sensor and 60% pixel advantage. That indicates a lot about the sensor technology advancements being used in the Nikon. Also, the Nikon images consistently looked great straight from the camera, whereas the Panasonic consistently needed +2/3 stop exposure compensation and a hue shift. The Sony's low light performance seemed to be about 1-2 stops better, which was its main draw for me. It was hard to say for sure because Aperture didn't support Sony's RAW format. Also, Sony's color seems a little too reddish for my taste.
Lenses:
Sony's lenses are on the large side, and pricey. At the moment, m4/3 seems to have the best lens offerings, with a well-regarded Olympus portrait prime, a 40mm f1.7 pancake for around the house. And a powered zoom that's even smaller than Nikon's yet has powered zoom and power collapse. That's compelling. However, the rumored/leaked Nikon roadmap looks pretty good with some fast primes on the way. Fast primes are really key for this Nikon, in order to get away from the high ISO indoors.
Video:
I like being able to capture full res snapshots while recording video. I don't think any of the other contenders can do that. Uses a video format I can play directly on computer and various devices without having to convert (as I would with AVCHD from the Sony). Nikon's video generally looks great. No "jello effect". The 60fps progressive is great for shooting kids and sports. Noticeably smoother action, and gives the option to do slow motion, which is nice for incorporating into slide shows. S100 and Panasonic can't do this, NEX can. Nikon can also trim videos in-camera, which is nice for freeing up card space before you get a chance to dump. Warning, though, you have to do this well before the card is full, because it takes temporary space to edit.
Flash:
Compact flash disconnects and stows easily. Allows for bouncing, even in portrait mode (unlike NEX), which gives more pleasing results than straight-on flash in dark environments. More power than any built-in flashes gives much better results, yet so much more convenient than full size speedlight. The ease of use of the flash is really nice. No extra batteries to deal with. No waiting for charge. Can leave it turned on and it shuts on/and off with the camera. Always gets the right exposure no matter the bounce position, ISO, etc. It does lack power to bounce off particularly tall ceilings, but upping the ISO helps that.
Gripes:
The V1 pretty well attains the benefits of DSLRs in a compact size, but one area that is more "compact" than DSLR is the shot-to-shot time when not doing continuous. It seems to be somewhere around 1.5 sec, and requires a little care in timing the half-shutter presses (1 to get out of the preview, and a 2nd to focus).
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I'm a serious photographer and I have all sorts of equipment from big, heavy DSLRs to medium-format film cameras. In the category of ultra-portable, fast and easy to use point and shoot cameras, I've always been a fan of the Pentax Optio line, and this one is no exception.
