Nikon V1 Review
Micro, mirrorless cameras are upon us, with sales for the pioneers — Olympus and Panasonic — soaring as people welcome the small, clever, interchangeable lens models with open arms.
Nikon and Canon have dragged their feet on this evolution with the former only now recognising the market demand with a pair of models that bear all the hallmarks of the sector: small, easy to use, with an eye-level LCD finder, a rear screen and a range of interchangeable lenses.
The Nikon 1 range of CX format cameras includes the upper level V1 and a lesser model — the Nikon J1.
I missed the Sydney launch, thanks to a messed up press invite and a nonchalant publicity arm. However, a few weeks later, I managed to snatch the upper model, the Nikon V1, for this review.
The review camera was all white, with two lenses supplied — mostly white again: f3.5/10-30mm and f3.8/30-110mm. Both were VR (Vibration Reduction lenses); there are two other lenses available. It’s worth noting that each lens has an external button to ‘pop out’ the lens for shooting: this makes the camera much smaller when carried.
Besides the white body, there’s also pink, red, silver and black. Takes all kinds! … and indicates how wide Nikon’s market aim appears to be. There are also many features that, frankly, have ‘happy family consumer’ appeal that may turn off some pros looking for a backup camera. Read on and you’ll see what I mean!
The 10.1 megapixel CMOS can capture a maximum still image size is 3872×2592 pixels, leading to a final print size of 33x22cm.
MPEG4 Movie shooting up to 1920×1080 pixels is available. AF and exposure are constantly adjusted as the camera moves and zooms. If you shoot a still while in movie recording, the latter stops.
Nikon V1 Features
The camera sure looks smart, sits well in the hand. Some will miss the traditional speed grip at the right edge but there is a raised security bar at the front and a rear non-slip patch that may help you feel safer.
Top deck: power on/off, shutter button and red movie record button.
Rear: my old bugbear — controls that are hard to read in dim light. Design-wise, I like the white styling of the front but figure it could have been carried around to the rear so that the controls could be set in black type on white buttons. Maybe it’s just me.
A tiny mode dial — and I mean tiny! At 12mm diameter! — carries four options:
- Motion Snapshot. Each time you fire the shutter a still image and about a second of movie is shot. On replay the movie is slowed to around 2.5 seconds, followed by the still. This forms a movie/still vignette; to this, one of four phrases of background music can be added automatically. How cute!
- Smart Photo Selector. Each time you hit the shutter the camera automatically shoots a burst of shots. The camera indicates the best shot as well as four other ‘likelies’.
- Still image mode. Possibly better described as Program AE, where the camera sets aperture and shutter speed.
- Movie mode. Three options: 1902×1080/60i and 1920×1080/30p and 1280×720/60p.
Note: you must dig into the viewfinder menu to select aperture or shutter priority … no external control. Thankfully, the viewfinder menu is simple, easy to navigate and operate.
Aside from the mode wheel there is a Feature button that gives access to three different shutter types: Mechanical, Electronic and Electronic (Hi). One benefit of either electronic shutter is quieter operation plus a top speed of 1/16,000 second.
Added to this, you can shoot at 5 fps with the mechanical shutter plus 30 or 60fps with the Electronic (Hi) option.
The Electronic (Hi) also delivers movie frame rates of 400 to 1200 fps at reduced sizes (640×480 and 320×120) in five second bursts.
The Feature button also offers choices of music background for Motion Snapshot shooting.
A novelty is an enlargement control that, in replay, zooms in to 10x for close inspection of replayed images.
Then there’s a rocker dial that offers the menu button, exposure compensation, AF options and self timer. The control layout is quite radical and you’ll take some time to get used to it. I did!
There’s no inbuilt flash unit but an optional unit can be attached to the accessory outlet on the left upper surface. This port also accepts a GPS unit.
Startup
About a second after power up I caught the first shot, then each follow-up came in as fast as I could hit the button.
Nikon V1 ISO Tests
Terrific, noise free quality up to ISO 1600; at ISO 3200 a bit more noise ands slight definition loss but not to an extreme.
Nikon V1 Verdict
Quality: above average.
Why you’d buy the V1: it’s a Nikon!; you want a very small system camera; adaptor for Nikon F lenses.
Why you wouldn’t: you may find the ‘clever’ options a bit off-putting.
Frankly, I found the layout of the camera a bit challenging. Call me a ‘stick-in-the-mud’ but I was quite happy the way things were. But then, I would enjoy a camera able to shoot at 1/16,000 second.
A downer is the small CMOS: it’s equivalent to a 16mm diagonal sensor and little larger than some fixed lens compact sensors; the sensor’s 2.7x 35 SLR lens factor means any F1 lenses clipped onto it will suffer a major magnification: a 50mm then becomes a 135mm!
Nikon V1 Specifications
Image Sensor: 10.1 million effective pixels.
Metering: Matrix, centre-weighted and spot.
Lens Mount: Nikon 1 mount.
Exposure Modes: Program AE, shutter and aperture priority, manual.
Effective Sensor Size: 13.2×8.8mm CMOS.
35 SLR Lens Factor: 2.7x.
Shutter Speed (stills): 30 to 1/4000 sec (mechanical) or 1/16,000 sec (electronic) plus Bulb and Time (with optional remote).
Flash sync: 1/250 sec (mechanical shutter) or 1/250 sec (electronic).
Continuous Shooting: 5 fps as well as 10, 30 or 60 fps using the Electronic (Hi) shutter
Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.
Image Sizes (pixels): Stills: 3872×2592 to 1936×1296.
Movies: 1920×1080/60i and 30p; 1280×720, 640×240, 320×120
Viewfinder: 12mm (1,440,00 million pixels); 7.6cm LCD screen (921,000 pixels).
File Formats: JPEG, NEF (RAW), JPEG+NEF, MPEG4.
Colour Space: sRGB, Adobe RGB.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 6400xxxx.
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMI mini, accessories.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery, DC input.
Dimensions: 113x76x43.5 WHDmm.
Weight: 383 g (battery and card).
Price: Get a price on the Nikon V1 in different configurations including:
19 Responses to “Nikon V1 Review” - Add Yours
November 17th, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Hmm. I believe I’ve seen a lady with a pink cannon one. Very interesting little thing. Guess it can’t really be called an SLR huh?
November 18th, 2011 at 12:20 am
I think the pink one is the J1, the entry model
November 18th, 2011 at 4:22 am
@average joe – this isn’t a SLR because it doesn’t have a mirror.
November 18th, 2011 at 6:47 am
Why wouldn’t you use the electronic shutter all the time? Why have a mechanical shutter as well?
November 18th, 2011 at 7:24 am
If the samples shown here are indicative of the photo quality of this camera then I should say it seems to have terrific image quality therefor seems to compete quite well with the fuji X100 which is also an over achiever .
November 18th, 2011 at 7:25 am
If the samples shown here are indicative of the photo quality of this camera then I should say it seems to have terrific image quality therefor seems to compete quite well with the fuji X100 which is also an over achiever .
November 18th, 2011 at 9:30 am
Waiting for Canon to make one. I wouldn’t mind having a mirrorless for a backup camera.
November 18th, 2011 at 9:55 am
This looks like the first mirrorless camera thats actually going to change the game. All other brands tried but this nikon looks good. I like the viewfinders style alot.
November 18th, 2011 at 10:40 am
Wow, extremely good in ISO performance… well, if it is a cheaper kind of camera, then it will be excellent choice for me..
November 19th, 2011 at 1:00 am
The sensor size argument may just be the new “more megapixils means better cameras” misunderstanding. just got a V1 as my carry everywhere camera. My other camera is a D90. Autofocus and exposure on the V1 are as good or better than the D90, and IQ is just flat amazing. It’s what the manufacturer does with the megapixils that matters, and Nikon has obviously done some magic with this one. (And yes, I too had dismissed it on basis of sensor size initially too.)
November 19th, 2011 at 5:07 am
No built-in flash at all? Every P& S as well as every DSLR has that. I know they are not that great, but I like having the option.
November 19th, 2011 at 5:29 pm
to photomiser:
there are 2 versions, the v1 has no flash but the j1 does but the j1 does not have manual viewfinder. Not all slrs have flash either. Most pro level slr’s do not have flash think d3. d90′s d5000′s and 7000′s are not pro level slrs.
Now for the argument about sensor size… in this case its both a pro and a con. Normally everyone assumes it will have crap iso sensitivity and tons of noise due to smaller sensor than m4/3, nikon has shown this isnt the case. But we want a bigger sensor not just for noise reduction but also for image separation and depth of field. To get the same depth of field, often mistaken for bokeh or background blur (which is a diffrent thing) in a aps size senor you would have to use a 1.8 lens to get the same depth of field as a 2.8 equivalent lens on an FX sensor. THIS to me is the major downside to having a smaller sensor, i don’t really care for more mega pixels in a small camera like this, hell i’d take 6mp. Now the pro is that with a smaller sensor we can now have smaller optics, think sony nex, small camera but large sensor means dumb idea as the optics are gonna be huge (18-55) and you might as well carry a small dslr. With the nikon system we have smaller optics so it can maintain a smaller form factor. Pentax q is the extreme example of this. smaller sensor just means crappy depth of field, nothing more. With iso capabilites what they are today light sensitivity is no longer a huge concern.
November 19th, 2011 at 5:43 pm
While I’m not a big fan of mirrorless cameras in general I tried this one out at my local camera shop tonight while waiting for my order to be processed (500mm lens – yay!) and came away surprised and impressed. It’s very fast, very light, and has a truly spectacular electronic viewfinder. It’s also the first one I’ve tried that used a full size DSLR battery rather than the typical 250 shot p&s battery. If the price comes down a bit (I wasn’t $1K impressed) I might consider this as a pocket/backup camera.
November 20th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
Lomography,
What is it exactly about this camera that you credit it as a game changer? The inferior sensor?, the noisy photos at anything above 800?, the high price?, the pink version? Interested in knowing why you think this.
November 20th, 2011 at 11:15 pm
I’d much rather carry around an NEX-5n with all of its “awkwardness” and “not very pocketable” design than this overpriced toy piece of crap. At least the NEX-5n gives the photographer the ability to take professional quality photos. Isn’t that why we take photographs anyway or is it simply to have an accessory which looks like something from Hello Kitty?
November 22nd, 2011 at 12:32 am
almost reminds me of the Sony NEX Series.
November 22nd, 2011 at 8:38 pm
vweeks, howso? To me, they are 2 very and completely different bodies in almost every way possible.
November 23rd, 2011 at 5:48 pm
I think this would make a good street photography cam with the 10mm f2.8 prime.. Light and performs adequately well in low light and in a handy compact size!
My only gripe is that my Nikkor lenses can’t be mounted directly onto the camera directly without an adapter.
February 6th, 2012 at 3:13 am
The thing that puts me off the J1 & V1 personally is the sensor size – it strikes me as a step backwards compared to say Sony who’ve managed to squeeze an APS-C size sensor in their NEX cameras.
It’s also interesting that Canon seem to be ignoring the compacy system sector and seem to focusing on improving the quality of their fixed-lens compacts, like the G1 X that has a large(ish) sensor.
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