Nikon Excellent detailed review of the Nikon V1 and J1

Uh oh.... Me thinks there's a new camera coming to your collection.....
What say you kind sir......?

LOL!

I've resisted the X10 so far, even though I ordered it, and then canceled the order. Resisting the GXR M Module as well so far, thanks in part that Amazon's stock ran out. Amazon does have both the J1 and V1's in stock ... tempted. :) But I might wait a little bit longer. I just bought a DLux5 as a gift to my Dad, who probably worships the red dot only second to God Himself (and Mom too). I was going to get a X1 for him, but ultimately decided that my old man will be just fine with the DLux5 (and the GH2 he already has). He'd been clamoring about borrowing the M9. But sorry Dad, no one gets to borrow it. Although I'd make an exception for you Don if and when you drop by Houston. Or next time I visit Philly!
 
Thanks Armando, just knowing that makes an old man smile. Not your dad, me.
C'mon man...a Dlux5....shame shame......

The GXR M mount is around but a little scarce. I'm still holding off, maybe 6 months or so.
Back to the Nikon. It seems to make much better images than I expected. It's getting an undeserved bad rap. My daughter is getting one soon. I think she may have more cameras then you but I can't count either.

I plan on testing hers and seeing for myself what it can do. I would think the glass should be very good coming from, you know who.
I'd like to hear what you think about it when you get it...
Don
 
I played with the J1 at a Best Buy. I was pleasantly surprised at the 60 FPS. Had a fun experience with this woman and her son. The woman was interested in a camera to take photos of the 4 year old son who is always on the move. So we had the boy move around while taking photos of him with the J1.The AF in conjunction with the high speed shutter did a fine job of getting keepers of the moving subject. The mother bought the camera on the spot. Best Buy should give me a comission!

As for the DLux 5 ... hehehe ... Dad has a DLux3. Or maybe it's a DLux2. It's the last year they used the F2.8 lens. Really thought about getting the X1 for him, but I kept reading about the super slow AF. So at the end, I figured that the DLux 5 would have to hold him over until I get the M10 and pass the M9 to him. Was looking for a M8 as well, but couldn't find a good condition one that was still somewhat affordable. Right before I bought the Dlux5, I also thought about the Nikon J1/V1 for Dad. But, it doesn't have a red dot. Plus, it would conflict with the GH2 he already has.

Look forward to seeing your tests of the Nikon 1's. It does appear that I underestimated the quality and the pro's of the camera.

Sounds like your daughter is a gear head as well. You've done well in raising her Don!
 
Rob Galbraith is highly regarded and supposedly has great integrity, however, when you read his criteria for why he thinks this camera may be for him it's difficult to ignore the way his logic falls over his feet.......

If he wants what he claims as an 'off duty' camera then all of his criteria already exist in cameras much smaller and much, much cheaper so WHY exactly does he want this camera now??......I kept asking this question while reading but could discern no answer.........
 
I played with the J1 also at BB. I was underwhelmed except for the focusing. That was the only thing going for it. Felt out of balance in my hands, and the lens felt like it should be smaller since we are talking a smaller sensor. I think if someone hasn't yet invested into a system camera, it's another option. I think if someone doesn't care about DoF and lens selection right now, I think it would suit that person just fine.
 
A camera I thought I'd never be interested in and certainly not buy based on spec sheets and first tester reviews. However, I visited B&H a week ago and left the store with a black V1, the 10mm pancake, 10-30mm kit zoom and the 30-110 zoom. The best AF street shooter I ever tried, silent, unobtrusive and FAST, and I mean really fast, it simply gets the shot. Forget about MF and therewith ZF, a frustrating experience with the N1. AF tracking is impressive. WB and metering are very accurate. IQ and DR are "good enough" for many uses, definitely better than what I have seen from small small sensor cameras (the N1 sensor is twice the size of the one in the X10) . Kirk Tuck claims that it has one stop advantage over mft. The perfect fun, action, street, social gatherings type of camera. I like the minimalistic no nonsense design, the first rate build quality and the size and heft of the V1 in the hand. It has its quirks and warts, but it's different, innovative, non-retro (haven't we seen enough of those recently?) and a lot of fun.
 
Its the M43 v APS moved down a notch

Just dont see why I'd spend the same bucks for a smaller sensor, less IQ when an M43 offers physically virtually identical size, better lens selection and better IQ ... if it was 15-20% cheaper then I'd see it as better value for money.

But so long as it has a Nikon (or Canon) name people will buy it by name alone ...
 
Different strokes for different folks as Sly and The Family Stone used to sing - and that's one reason why we have so many different cameras out there, and in here.:drinks:

retow, please post some and tell us more when you have time.
 
A camera I thought I'd never be interested in and certainly not buy based on spec sheets and first tester reviews. However, I visited B&H a week ago and left the store with a black V1, the 10mm pancake, 10-30mm kit zoom and the 30-110 zoom. The best AF street shooter I ever tried, silent, unobtrusive and FAST, and I mean really fast, it simply gets the shot. Forget about MF and therewith ZF, a frustrating experience with the N1. AF tracking is impressive. WB and metering are very accurate. IQ and DR are "good enough" for many uses, definitely better than what I have seen from small small sensor cameras (the N1 sensor is twice the size of the one in the X10) . Kirk Tuck claims that it has one stop advantage over mft. The perfect fun, action, street, social gatherings type of camera. I like the minimalistic no nonsense design, the first rate build quality and the size and heft of the V1 in the hand. It has its quirks and warts, but it's different, innovative, non-retro (haven't we seen enough of those recently?) and a lot of fun.

Thanks much for the enthusiasm. I have heard that this is the street camera to watch for. I'll get to try one shortly.
Thanks for this..... Don
 
hmm I'm among the many people that were underwhelmed when the Nikon 1 system was first announced. You guys got me seeing it in a more favorable light, but I still doubt it'll be the CSC for me... as long as they don't have a lens that goes wider than 27mm equivalent, I don't have to worry about it either :)

BBW, besides the "different strokes for different folks" being absolutely true, I love SaTFS, they're one of my 2 favorite bands of all time (y)
 
Spent another 15 minutes playing with a J1 at Best Buy tonight. Took a few photos of myself and was impressed with the sharpness and detail it rendered as viewed through the LCD. ISO 1600 (well exposed at 1/160) was actually nice. I'd say it's on par with a 12 mp m4/3 sensor. Maybe even a bit better. I like the styling of the J1 better than the V1, which does indeed look like a Tetris block! Unfortunately, there are no V1's at the retail Best Buy stores.

I can't believe I'm actually liking a Nikon ... strange feeling.
 
It's interesting to follow discussions about the N1 in other fora. In a nutshell, pros seem to like it a lot as their second, off duty system, testers reviews compare it with NEX, mft, Samsung and give it rather lukewarm ratings. Enthusiasts' commments are:"never thought I'd buy one", "I wanted to hate this camera" etc but after trying one they walk away as converts. In contrast, the X10 with half the size sensor and 20% more pixels gets raved about and pre-ordered like it was the greatest thing since sliced bred.
 
Anyone see the price of the additional grip option? 149 usd. And here I thought oly,s prices on accessories was high. I like the cameras, but can't see myself investing in another system.
 
Retow, your right. I love watching the turning of the tides.
My daughter has a Nikon being delivered today. I think she got the better one, knowing her.
She also has a Nex 7 on the way from Japan on a fighter jet. Should be in Delaware tomorrow.
I hope she loves the Nikon and hates the Nex. That gives me a new Nex. She won't let me come down this weekend cause she wants to try them out by herself.

The Nikon is a sleeper. It no doubt will take off and do very well. The AF alone will change heads. The files I saw were real nice. As good if not better then the X10. Hmmmm
Good luck all.....
 
It's interesting to follow discussions about the N1 in other fora. In a nutshell, pros seem to like it a lot as their second, off duty system, testers reviews compare it with NEX, mft, Samsung and give it rather lukewarm ratings. Enthusiasts' commments are:"never thought I'd buy one", "I wanted to hate this camera" etc but after trying one they walk away as converts. In contrast, the X10 with half the size sensor and 20% more pixels gets raved about and pre-ordered like it was the greatest thing since sliced bred.

I think the hype surrounding the X10 is caused in part by the websites/forums that you and I frequent Retow. Most of us are enthusiasts (some are semi pros and pros, although not me). There's generally an affinity by folks in these forums for classic looking cameras. Hence the perception that the X10 gets pre-ordered like crazy. Because we keep up with the latest and greatest, we know the release dates, and we do pre-order stuff. We talk about this stuff. And we sure do hype it up.

But for the weekend point and shooter and vacation snap shooters that will likely be buying the Nikon 1's ... They generally don't come here, or DPreview, or Steve Huff's site. So they are not as aware of what's coming out soon or on the horizon. Consequently, the amount of pre-orders would be limited. And the hype as well. With the exception of course, of the hype surrounding Ashton Kutcher's ads. As for me, I sure wasn't going to hype a small sensor camera (which is what I felt about the X10 originally as well).

In any event, I look forward to seeing your photos with the V1!! We need a new sub forum for the Nikon 1 system.

Please also tell us why you chose the V1 over the J1, other than the EVF, better LCD, build quality, and accessory port.
 
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