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The Nikon 1 J1 is really a stylish compact system camera with a 10-megapixel “CX” format sensor plus the all-new Nikon 1 lens mount. Boasting continuous shooting speeds of up to 60 frames per second at full resolution, Full HD video capture, an ultra-fast hybrid auto-focus system, Smart Photo Selector as well as a unique Motion Snapshot Mode, the portable Nikon J1 also provides more conventional shooting modes like Programmed Auto, Aperture and Shutter Priority, and also Metered Manual. Also fully briefed is really a built-in pop-up flash which has a guide amount of 5, a 3 inch rear display plus an electronic shutter. Coming in at $649.95 / 549.99 with a 10-30mm contact, $699.95 / 599.99 which has a 10mm pancake lens, or $799.95 / 699.99 inside a double-lens kit with the 10-30mm and 30-110mm zoom lenses, the Nikon 1 J1 is scheduled to take sale later this month.

The Nikon 1 J1 is mainly made from aluminium with magnesium alloy reinforced parts which is therefore heavier than what you know already based on its size alone, weighing in at 234g with the body only. Additionally, it feels higher quality as opposed to official product shots maybe have you believe. With an essentially grip-less design, the Nikon J1 is very much a two-handed affair that will require one to secure the camera’s weight inside the left hand, clutching the lens, and make use of your right hand for balance and operating the controls. This is a good thing since it forces you to be aware of holding the digital camera properly, which inturn goes further towards avoiding shake-induced blur within your photos.

The camera’s clean, minimalist front plate is covered with the all-new Nikon 1 lens mount. As opposed to being a scaled-down version in the good old F mount, it’s a fresh design that delivers 100% electronic communication between attached lens as well as the camera body, from endless weeks of frustration contacts. Just like for the manufacturer’s F-mount SLR cameras, there exists a white dot for straightforward lens alignment, eventhough it has moved from the 2 o’clock position (when viewed front on) to the peak with the mount. The lenses themselves have a short silver ridge around the lens barrel, which has to be in alignment with said dot for one to be able to attach the lens towards the camera. Even though this may require a little bit of adjusting to, it really makes changing lenses quicker and much easier.

Without lens attached, you will see the sensor sitting directly behind the plane with the bayonet mount. Such as mount itself, the sensor is brand-new. Measuring 13.2×8.8mm this “CX” format imaging chip has twice the surface of the largest imagers employed in compact and bridge cameras much like the Fujifilm X10 and S100FS, but only most the area of an standard Four Thirds sensor. In linear terms, a Four Thirds chip carries a 1.36x longer diagonal than the Nikon CX imager. Given that Four Thirds includes a 2x focal length multiplier, the CX “crop factor” computes to about 2.72, meaning that a 10mm lens has approximately the identical angle of view as a 27.2mm lens with an FX or 35mm film camera. The Nikon 1 Nikkor 10-30mm standard zoom is thus the same as a 27.2-81.6mm (or, practically speaking, 28-80mm) FX lens when it comes to its angle-of-view range.

All of those other Nikon J1’s faceplate is nearly empty, featuring the lens release, a receiver for your optional ML-L3 infrared handheld control, two narrow slits for that microphone either sides on the lens, along with an AF assist/self-timer lamp. There isn’t any grip in any way on the front on the Nikon 1 J1.

The two main strategies to powering on the Nikon 1 J1. You may use the on/off button sitting near the shutter release or, if you have a collapsible-barrel contact attached, just press the unlocking button within the lens barrel and turn the zoom ring to unlock the lens, an action that causes you to change on automatically. It is deemed an ingenious solution that you need to unlock the lens for shooting anyway. Start-up takes just over another - not write home about but still decent and entirely adequate.

You can frame your shots while using rear screen - there’s no electronic viewfinder as around the V1 model, a key distinction between both. The LCD screen is a three-inch, 460,000-dot display that features wide viewing angles, great definition and accurate colours only so-so visibility in strong daylight. We missed the EVF with the J1 alongside the V1, either in bright sunlit conditions or while using the 30-110mm telezoom lens as holding the digital camera approximately eye-level helped to stabilise the lens avoiding trembling camera.

The control layout is rather peculiar. The Nikon 1 J1 includes a small, rear-mounted mode dial that lacks most of the shooting modes which can be usually seen on similar dials - especially P, A, S and M - even though it has enough room to fit them. These modes can be purchased for the J1 however, you ought to dive into your rather long-winded and never entirely logical menu to find them. The J1’s mode dial merely has four settings, Photo, Video, Motion Snapshot and Smart Photo Selector. The four-way controller also has four functions mapped onto its Up, Right, Down and Left buttons; including AE/AF-Lock, exposure compensation, flash mode and self-timer, respectively. Of course this isn’t a bad selection of functions, the fact that there isn’t a ISO button will doubtlessly cause a great deal of photographers considering purchasing the Nikon J1 being unhappy.

You will find there’s button about the rear labelled “F” but alas, this isn’t a programmable function button. In Photo mode, it means that you can quickly choose between the continuous shooting modes, during Video mode it enables you to toggle between regular and slow-motion recording. The two main more valuable controls around the back with the camera, including a scroll wheel around the four-way pad and a rocker switch marked with a loupe icon. The scroll wheel is utilized to create the shutter speed in Manual and Shutter Priority modes (after you have found them inside the menu, which is), even though the rocker switch controls the aperture. The reason it’s a loupe icon alongside it’s until this control is used to focus while on an image to check on for critical focus in Playback mode. Lastly, you will discover four small buttons around the navigation pad, flush contrary to the rear panel on the camera, including Display Mode, Playback, Menu and Delete.

Just what exactly are the type shooting modes within the mode dial exactly about? The Photo or Still Image mode, marked using a green camera icon, is where you would want to be more often than not. While using mode dial set to the present position, you’ll be able to pick your desired exposure mode in the menu. The Nikon J1’s Scene Auto Selector is a great automatic mode in which the camera analyses the scene in front of its lens and picks what it really thinks will be the right mode for any particular one scene. Also you can make a choice on the conventional PASM modes, which present you with full menu access plus the chance to manually set the aperture, shutter speed, or both (Program AE Shift can be purchased in P mode). ISO and white balance can be manually selected, but only from the menu, as already mentioned.

Naturally there’s AWB and auto ISO at the same time, while using latter coming in three flavours (Auto 100-400, 100-800 or 100-3200) helping you to specify how high you wish you to search in the event the light gets low. It’s also possible to choose from three AF Area modes, including Auto Area, where the camera takes power over just what it focusses on (it’s not an excellent mode to get since your default because the camera obviously can’t read your brain and may give attention to something different than your actual subject); Single Point, where you can pick among 135 AF points by first hitting OK after which moving the active AF point around the frame using the four-way pad; and Subject Tracking, that you pick your subject, press OK and let the camera to follow that subject since it moves around, so long as this doesn’t happen leave the frame naturally.

The Nikon 1 J1 has a intriguing hybrid auto-focus system that combines contrast- and phase-difference detection in a similar fashion since the Fujifilm F300EXR did. This will give the Nikon 1 J1 to focus extremely quickly in good light, even using a moving subject. The business claims the Nikon 1 system cameras include the fastest-focusing machines on the planet, and also this matches our experience - as long as there’s enough light. When light levels drop, the digital camera switches to contrast-detect AF which, though faster than you are on most cameras, isn’t you’d like additional method. It really is you that decides which AF method to use - anyone doesn’t have affect on this.

Usually, the J1 will often only head for contrast detection when light levels are low. In good light, we had arrived able to take sharp photos of fast-moving subjects. The Nikon J1 certainly does not disappoint here. Manual focusing is additionally possible, even though the Nikon 1 lenses will not have focus rings. If you need to focus manually, you first of all ought to hit the AF button, choose MF, press OK and after that make use of the scroll wheel to focus. To work with you with this particular, the Nikon J1 magnifies the central part of the image and displays a rudimentary focus scale over the right side in the frame - but those are the only focusing aids you get. There is not any peaking function available as on some rival models.

The J1 comes with a electronic shutter (the V1 even offers an analog shutter). It’s absolutely silent (the main focus confirmation beep might be disabled from the menu) and allows the use of shutter speeds as fast as 1/16,000th of a second and, together with the Electronic Hi setting selected, permits you to shoot full-resolution stills at 60 frames per second. Note however that although this is a major achievement, it’s restricted to a buffer that can only hold 12 raw files. Additionally, the utilization of this mode precludes AF tracking - you should lower the frame rate to 10fps if you would like that -, as well as the viewfinder goes blank even though the pictures are increasingly being taken. One application you can think about where shooting full-resolution stills at 60fps could really be convenient is AE bracketing for HDR imaging. When it reaches this rate, a series of 5 bracketed shots may very well be drawn in lower than 0.1 second, rendering small movements that may otherwise pose alignment problems - like leaves being blown from the wind - a non-issue. Alas, the Nikon J1 won’t offer this sort of feature - in truth it won’t offer autoexposure bracketing by any means.

Selling it to film mode, the Nikon 1 J1 has some pleasant surprises here. First and foremost, the digital camera might be set to shoot Full HD footage, and also you even arrive at select 1080p @ 30fps or 1080i @ 60fps, determined by whether you’d like to assist progressive or interlaced video. If you do not need Full HD, additionally, there is 720p @ 60fps, that is really smooth nevertheless counts as hd. Secondly, you get full manual treatments for exposure in video mode. It is really an option; you won’t have to shoot in M mode however, you can in the event that’s the thing you need. Thirdly, you will get fast, continuous AF in video mode, and it works well, specifically in good light. Movies are compressed while using H.264 codec and stored as MOV files. You’ll find separate shutter release buttons for stills and video, and because of this - plus the massive processing power of the Nikon J1 - you can take multiple full-resolution stills even when recording HD video. This works vice versa too - you can capture a show clip even when the mode dial is within the Still Image position, merely by pressing the red movie shutter release. We’ve learned that in cases like this you will usually record the playback quality at 720p/60fps.

Not only is it competent at shooting regular movies in HD quality, the Nikon 1 J1 could also shoot video at 400fps for slow-motion playback. The resolution is less and the aspect ratio is undoubtedly an ultra-widescreen 2.67:1, though the quality is adequate for YouTube, Vimeo and so forth. These videos are played back at 30fps, and that is a lot more than 13x slower versus the capture speed of 400fps, allowing you to get creative and show the world numerous interesting phenomena which happen too rapidly to see or watch instantly. The Nikon J1 goes further through providing a 1200fps video mode, even so the resolution and overall quality is simply too poor with the to become genuinely useful.

The third icon within the mode dial symbolizes Smart Photo Selector. This feature allows the digital camera to capture at least 20 photos for a single press from the shutter release, including some that had been taken before fully depressing the button. You analyses the average person pictures within the series and discards 15 ones, keeping just the five who’s thinks are best regarding sharpness and composition. This feature may be genuinely useful when photographing fast action and fleeting moments.

Finally, there exists a so-called Motion Snapshot mode where the camera records a shorter high-definition movie - whose buffering starts at a half-press in the shutter release, so again includes events that had happened before the button was fully depressed - and as well takes a still photograph. The film and also the still image are residing in separate files however the camera can combine them in to a single slow-motion clip with background music. It’s fun but we can’t really envision people by using this shooting mode frequently. (In the event you look at the video on a computer, it will play back at normal speed, without sound, which means you mode is very only interesting in case you observe the clip in-camera or hook the camera around an HDTV with an HDMI cable.)

The Nikon J1 stores photos and videos on SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards, and props up the fastest UHS-I speed class. Your camera runs on a reduced EN-EL20 battery to the V1 government, and it is consequently able to produce even less shots on a single charge, managing around 230, though it helps to create the camera body scaled-down. The camera’s tripod socket is manufactured out of metal and it is positioned in line while using lens’ optical axis. This also signifies that changing batteries or cards isn’t feasible while the J1 is installed on a tripod, because hinges of the battery/card compartment door are too near to the tripod mount.

So, how did we like while using the Nikon 1 J1? On one side, we liked it a lot. In good light, its auto-focus system is indeed faster than essentially anything we’ve used so far, having the capacity to track and lock concentrate on numerous truly fast-moving subjects, and yielding a lot of sharp images in situations where our keeper rates have not been very high. Additionally, its high-speed continuous shooting modes have allowed us to capture interesting moments that we’d have surely missed if we had used a slower camera. The built-in pop-up flash proved more useful that its modest guide number might suggest, with the clever design minimising red-eye.

In contrast, the Nikon J1 have their own share of frustrating idiosyncrasies you start with the user interface that can make you dive into your menu to access functions as easy as exposure mode, ISO speeds and white balance. While Nikon obviously cannot add extra buttons to your finished product, they could a minimum of have the “F” button customisable by way of a firmware update. Also, as there is a devoted button for exposure compensation - the industry great thing - Some be capable of activate a live histogram, community . could have made exposure compensation additional useful and to utilize. Again, this may likely to end up fixed in firmware.

We also missed the V1’s smooth, high-resolution electronic viewfinder, particularly in bright light or with all the telephoto lens which doesn’t lend itself well to being held out at arms length. The J1 merely has a glass dust shield as it’s defense against unwanted debris, instead of the more proactive sensor cleaning unit that this V1 offers, along with the smaller battery implies that you’ll need to buy a supplementary anyone to get to the day’s heavy shooting. The lack of an accessory port signifies that almost no Nikon 1 accessories are works with the J1, such as external flash and GPS unit.

One more thing we wouldn’t like could be that the camera would always show the image just taken for some seconds onscreen, and now we would not try to turn this instant postview function completely off (although you can at least cancel it with a half-press of the shutter release). Finally, whilst the camera is mostly fast and responsive, the digital camera takes excessively long to wake from sleep mode in the event it is idle for a time, causing numerous missed shots.

All things considered, the Nikon 1 J1 is a smaller than average and compact, high-performance system camera they enjoy its your government can use several tweaks to the interface to improve suit the needs of serious amateurs. The intended marketplace of casual users will require to it for its sheer speed, built-in flash, compact size plus the fun features it gives you. Let us now discover how the Nikon 1 J1 fared inside image quality department.