V1 First Impressions

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
I've had the Nikon 1 V1 for a couple of days with very little time to play with it. But of course, I did take a couple shots around home to try it out. So here are my first impressions.

Build quality: Nikon hit a home run here. The magnesium case just feels solid.

Design: I also have the the flash and GPS for the V1. Excellent and simple to use. My first thought was Steve Jobs would have approved.

Ergonomics: Using the camera menu system is little different than my old PEN system. Navigating the menus are just a different workflow than using the DSLR. Some of the reviews I read mentioned the desire for a PASM dial and though I wouldn't mind one, I'm used to it from the PEN. Another review mentioned accidentally hitting the dial moving between still and video - I've already done that. I can see that might be an issue.

Size: Now we're talking! Nikon received a lot of grief - some from me - for the CX format sensor. What I didn't realize is that it allows for great glass and a very small size. The 30-110mm (81-297mm equivalent) lens is about 60-70% of the size of my old PEN 40-150mm (80-300mm equivalent)!

(Left to right: Nikkor 70-300 VR, D300 with Nikkor 17-55 and SB-400, Nikkor 1 V1 with Nikkor 10-30 and SB-N5, Nikkor 30-110mm)

D300 v V1.jpg

Let's go a liitle deeper to compare the focal lengths of the lens. The Nikkor 17-55mm is equivalent to 25.5-82.5mm in FX while the 1 Nikkor 10-30mm is equivalent to 27-81mm in FX. The Nikkor 70-300mm is equivalent to 105-450mm in FX while the 1 Nikkor 30-110 is equivalent to 81-297mm in FX.

I don't care about focal lengths if the lens don't perform. I took this image below, just to see how the system did with tough and variable light. I barely brought down the highlights in LR4 and enabled auto lens correction. Very reasonable result!

EXIF: Nikon 1 V1, 1 Nikkor 10-30mm @ 30mm, Aperture Priority, f/5.6, 1/80, ISO 200

V1 Shadow Example.jpg

Next I wanted to see if how or even if there was any sort of bokeh. Not too bad and I'm sure I'll get better with some more experimentation.

EXIF: Nikon 1 V1, 1 Nikkor 30-110mm @ 93.5mm, Program Mode, f/5.3, 1/60, ISO 200

V1 Bokeh Example.jpg

The final example. I wanted to see how the focus did with color. I caught my dog against a similar color background to see how the separation and detail appeared.

EXIF: Nikon 1 V1, 1 Nikkor 30-110mm @ 110mm, Program Mode, f/5.6, 1/50, ISO 400

Charlotte.jpg

Like any new body, still a lot to learn. But I'm really enjoying that the image preview and menus feel comfortable and intuitive to a Nikon DSLR user.
 

westmill

Banned
Its a lovely little carryround camera Eduard ! No excuses for not having a camera on you anymore:D
Ive seen some impressive results from the V1. I would imagine it should be good for carrying a large amount of Doff too :D
 

Eye-level

Banned
Yes...750mm!!! Imagine that...plus it would be like just carrying around a lens no camera involved almost...lol

Eduard I can definitely see why you would hold off on the adapter because I'd be the same way.
 
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