Ana’s verdict on the Nikon 1 J1: ★★★★☆ – My verdict?: It’s not for everyone, but it has a place in my gear bag. Plus, I just like it! 😉
I guess you could say this is a real world rolling review of the latest camera to the fleet, the Nikon J1. Too many photographers are looking for the “one ring” type of camera, and sadly there will never be such a thing. There are many imaging devices out there with different capabilities for different people. The Nikon 1 comes from Japan, which has historically embraced consumer products of smaller form factors in a multitude of color choices. The western world has to realize that some electronics are still designed for the domestic market. While “Japanese” cars are a shadow of their once compact size, cool cameras such as this are still made for delicate hands and fashion sensibilities.
So, on one of my random photo hangouts, I asked a friend, a non photographer, and a girl (gasp!) to see what she thought of the new Nikon 1 J1. The best way to test a camera is to go out and use it, especially during this lovely Autumn season.
Feedback I got:
“…it’s cute and white!” “…the screen is bright and colorful.” “…it focuses quick.” “…You can take videos and pictures at the same time?!” “…it’s also available in pink?!”
Headed out of the house with 3 cameras today, some of them you can see in the photos. I neglected to charge the Nikon 1’s battery from the other day. It probably had less than 50% remaining and we shot off and on for a few hours with one bar showing. We probably got about 200 shots, some video, with the occasional previewing. The J1 uses a low capacity slim battery that actually takes a good while to charge.
For the descriptions, I’d like to focus more on the differences in sensor sizes, and how that affects the decisions of photographers and the images that come out of the cameras. (To be honest, any camera can look decent at screen resolutions ranging from 600 to 1024 pixels.)
Obligatory hand held self portrait with the J1, Ana is a much better test than shooting a brick wall. 🙂
So first, some shots of the camera. 🙂
Image from a Full Frame camera and vintage lens. APS-C sensor cameras and Micro 4/3 sensor cameras can never achieve this look (out of camera at least). Some of the advantages of the larger sensor is technical, as in the dynamic range, but also artistic, as in the hazy periphery of a lens and its out of focus rendering ability.
Image from a Full Frame camera and vintage lens.
Image from a Full Frame camera and vintage lens.
Image from a Full Frame camera and vintage lens.
Image from a Full Frame camera and vintage lens.
Image from a Full Frame camera and vintage lens.
Image from a Full Frame camera and vintage lens.
This image is from an APS-C sensor camera and pretty nice lens.
This image is from the Nikon 1. Under decent lighting conditions, the results from this camera I would say are as good as a D40 (and even D200) from a few years back. What is limiting right now is mainly the f/3.5 to 5.6 kit lens.
J1: Cropped and edited with Snapseed
J1: Edited with Snapseed
J1: Edited with Snapseed
J1: Edited with Snapseed
Out of camera J1 image, using the pop up flash for fill. The mini flash is really only good at close distances, and the trade off for the silent electronic shutter is you are maxed out at 1/60 for ambient light with the flash.
The sensor is really limited right now by the kit lens’ f/3.5-5.6 maximum aperture. Even Micro 4/3 cameras look pedestrian with kit lenses, but when large aperture lenses are adapted on them, the images look very good like proper film photos. The Nikon F adapter should allow for that in the future.
Converting to black and white and adding more noise can result in a decent image.
Image from an APS-C sensor camera, and off camera wireless speedlight
Image from an APS-C sensor camera
Image from a Full Frame sensor camera and vintage lens. FF cameras and large aperture lenses have no problem with ambient low light situations.
J1: Obviously struggles in low light due to the lens, but helped by the fact it does have VR. When viewing images as 600 pixel images though, any noise becomes minimal.
Some people actually like photos with huge depth of field and details that you can see all over the composition. The Nikon J1’s sensor would be good for those applications. This is just another tool to help us capture our days here, it’s still more about the person than the camera’s specs.
Being a digital photographer is different these days. Very rarely does one try to impress people with the image that shows up on the back LCD. Almost all cameras produce files that are in turn going to be fed into some type of editing software. Even grandma shutterbugs using their phones to capture the moment, take the other couple of steps to tweak the image. That being said, the Nikon J1 actually has a nice screen that makes images look vibrant. Here are some out of camera images that I put through Capture NX2 (for some minor contrast, saturation, and USM adjustments).
(Mostly) Out of Camera Samples:
Nikon J1 Vivid Mode Auto WB
Nikon J1 Vivid Mode Auto WB Matrix Metering
Nikon J1 Vivid Mode Auto WB
Nikon J1 Vivid Mode | These lenses still need filters to help with the haziness and contrast, but here’s a view of Lake Russell from Chenocetah Mountain
Nikon J1 Vivid Mode Cloudy WB | Parking lot of Mount Yonah
Nikon J1 -1.3 Exp Compensation | View of Mount Yonah from Richard Russell Scenic Highway, Rainclouds and cold weather didn’t make for a pretty sunset
Nikon J1 Auto WB Vivid Mode | Instead of pumpkins, here are some persimmons I’ve been eating a lot of this season
Nikon J1 Vivid Mode | Took several shots before I was happy with what the metering gave me.
Nikon J1 Vivid Mode Cloudy WB | The color settings are definitely from the same Nikon family
Nikon J1 (Lighting assistance from a windshield heat reflector!). Converted from the RAW in Capture NX2, but this is pretty much how it looked out of camera.
Nikon J1 and a Manual Focus 25mm f/1.8 C Mount Lens, taking a still image when the video was rolling (Notice the swirly bokeh!)
Nikon J1 and Manual Focus 25mm f/1.8 C Mount Lens, taking a still image when the video was rolling
Nikon J1 and a Manual Focus 25mm f/1.8 C Mount Lens, taking a still image when the video was rolling
Nikon J1 and the 85mm f/1.4D via mechanical adapters, Manual Focus and Exp
Nikon J1 and the 85mm f/1.4D via mechanical adapters, Manual Focus and Exp. On my old Coolpix I used to shoot long strings in burst mode and then make mini movies with those images. One of the advantages of an electronic shutter.
Nikon J1 and the 85mm f/1.4D via mechanical adapters, Manual Focus and Exp
Nikon J1 and the 85mm f/1.4D via mechanical adapters, Manual Focus and Exp
Nikon J1 and the 85mm f/1.4D via mechanical adapters, Manual Focus and Exp
Related Links:
Kirk Tuck’s take on the Nikon V1
Nikon 1. Counterintuitive. Crazy. And a whole lot of fun.
Another one of my unique combos: Nikon J1 + $15 Adapter + $15 Lens
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(Like all my tools I’ll continue to use them on my random adventures, to see more photos taken with the J1, click on the tag below)
