I'm on the fence with this.

weebee

Senior Member
I'm thinking, hard, on selling my L820 to fund a Nikon 1. What is everybody's thoughts on the Nikon 1? Is this a upgrade from the L820? I'm looking at the J1.
 

STM

Senior Member
What exactly is it you find appealing about the Nikon 1? It seems like a very amateurish camera to me, somewhere between a simple point and shoot and a mid level DSLR.
 

Rick M

Senior Member
I'm thinking, hard, on selling my L820 to fund a Nikon 1. What is everybody's thoughts on the Nikon 1? Is this a upgrade from the L820? I'm looking at the J1.

The sensor in the J1 has about 4x the surface area of the L820, much highr IQ.
 

wornish

Senior Member
The N1 is cool and tiny.

If you also get the FT1 adapter you can use your existing F mount lenses to get even more reach.

There are lots of links on this forum that show the IQ that can be achieved.
 

weebee

Senior Member
What exactly is it you find appealing about the Nikon 1? It seems like a very amateurish camera to me, somewhere between a simple point and shoot and a mid level DSLR.

I like the compactness of it. And the ability to swap lenses. The pictures I've seen taken with it look very good as well.
 

Eduard

Super Mod
Staff member
Super Mod
It seems like a very amateurish camera to me, somewhere between a simple point and shoot and a mid level DSLR.

You couldn't be further from the truth if you tried. Fastest frame rate on the planet at 60 fps, incredible glass (6.7-13mm. 18.5mm and 32mm) and the ability to leverage your long lenses with an OEM adapter is far from amateurish. Does it replace a DSLR, no? As a supplement or low weight kit, the Nikon 1 rocks.
 

DraganDL

Senior Member
Don't go for CX sensor cameras, since you already have a DX camera. Simply sell your L820 if you don't feel like needing a "super zoom". Nikon jumped into the "tiny mirrorless camera game" too late, thus, in my opinion making two wrong moves: being too late, and producing the camera that is inferior to the existing ones made by competitors (PEN/Panasonic, NEX, and, later a Canon's EOS M).
If you need a "supplement" camera, go for PEN - the adapter for Nikon F lenses can be obtained at very affordable price, and you get the camera which is superior to J1/V1...
 
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Rick M

Senior Member
The problem with the other systems is they are all much larger than the J series, defeating the purpose. The Nikon 1 system is the smallest interchangeable system I'm aware of that produces excellent image quality.

This is about a 50% crop shot with a J3 and the 30-110 lens, I can easily print a decent 12x18. (that said, I would go with the J3 for cropping)


DSC_0249_9623_tonemapped.JPG
 

DraganDL

Senior Member
When you add an F-mount adapter to V1 and you mount any DX lens on it, you "defeat the purpose" just as well, size-wise. On the other hand, the picture above could have been made with any good point'nshoot as well (Olympus XZ1/2, any Canon G series etc.) so it also defeats the purpose of having an additional, yet smaller interchangeable camera with you... On another note: recently I had the opportunity to use a Canon G15 for a while (borrowed from the friend of mine) and I was astonished with how this little beast performs under low light, and how versatile it is... I bet it beats the V1 in terms of level of noise at high ISO (higher than 3200)....
This shot had been taken at ISO 6400, handheld, Canon G15, JPG straight out of camera, noise reduction set to "low":

10499861004_3355830631_b.jpg
Don't get me wrong: I am VERY fond of Nikon cameras and would not change their DSLR line for any other brand. But I am not blind either... The CX thingy is the greatest blunder made by Nikon, I'm afraid. The second one in line being P7000/7100 - the clumsy attempt to copy Canon's "G" series...
 
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crashton

Senior Member
The J1 with kit lens are showing up for $199. For that price it is not a big risk. I happen to like the Nikon 1 system & to my eye they take good quality pictures. A very nice walk about & travel system for sure. I use a Nikon V1 because I found having a viewfinder was a must for me. ;)

ISO 1600
 
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Rick M

Senior Member
When you add an F-mount adapter to V1 and you mount any DX lens on it, you "defeat the purpose" just as well, size-wise. On the other hand, the picture above could have been made with any good point'nshoot as well (Olympus XZ1/2, any Canon G series etc.) so it also defeats the purpose of having an additional, yet smaller interchangeable camera with you... On another note: recently I had the opportunity to use a Canon G15 for a while (borrowed from the friend of mine) and I was astonished with how this little beast performs under low light, and how versatile it is... I bet it beats the V1 in terms of level of noise at high ISO (higher than 3200)....
This shot had been taken at ISO 6400, handheld, Canon G15, JPG straight out of camera, noise reduction set to "low":

View attachment 70466
Don't get me wrong: I am VERY fond of Nikon cameras and would not change their DSLR line for any other brand. But I am not blind either... The CX thingy is the greatest blunder made by Nikon, I'm afraid. The second one in line being P7000/7100 - the clumsy attempt to copy Canon's "G" series...

I would not buy the adapter, as you said that would defeat my purposes. I generally shoot as low of ISO as I can get away with.

I sold my G15 about a month ago, no comparison to the J3. The tiny sensor in it and the other P&S's don't come close to the 1" sensor in the J3. RAW HDR's from the G15 were absolutely terrible. I'll agree their marketing is a blunder and they have their drawbacks, but the IQ blows away any point and shoot I've ever used including the 6 months I spent with the G15
 
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DraganDL

Senior Member
"I would not buy the adapter, as you said that would defeat my purposes"
That's exactly what I am aiming at - if you consider it to be your only camera, and would take it with you on a trip etc., it'll do the job. If you would like to take it as an "addition" or "reserve" to your DSLR gear, there are better choices than that.
 

Rick M

Senior Member
"I would not buy the adapter, as you said that would defeat my purposes"
That's exactly what I am aiming at - if you consider it to be your only camera, and would take it with you on a trip etc., it'll do the job. If you would like to take it as an "addition" or "reserve" to your DSLR gear, there are better choices than that.

For me its a compliment to my DSLR for more casual stuff. I don't like lugging the Fx DSLR to the museum, or for the kids birthday. It's my "fun" camera. I agree as a primary, no. Also the G15 is a very capable P&S, probably the best. I just felt I was not getting enough out of it for the type of stuff I like to do (HDR). At first I was very impressed with it (I have a thread in here somewhere), but over time, it did not suit my needs. I find the Fx/J3 combo to be perfect for me, it all depends what you are after.
 

rikman

Senior Member
The price of the nikon V1 is attractive. One inch sensors are sweet. I bought the Sony RX100M2 and the images are gorgeous & sharp with its Zeiss lens. But it's over twice the price of the V1. I also have the Ricoh GR aps c sensor , fast lens, tiny camera , beatiful b&w jpegs ...


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