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

The Nikon 1 J1 is mainly created from aluminium with magnesium alloy reinforced parts and is therefore heavier than you would think determined by its size alone, weighing 234g for that body only. Furthermore, it feels higher quality compared to official product shots maybe have you believe. Having an essentially grip-less design, the Nikon J1 is extremely much a two-handed affair that requires one to support the camera’s weight from the left-hand, clutching the lens, and make use of your right hand for balance and operating the controls. This is actually the good thing mainly because it can make you focus on holding the digital camera properly, which experts claim goes a considerable ways towards avoiding shake-induced blur inside your photos.

The camera’s clean, minimalist front plate is dominated by the all-new Nikon 1 lens mount. As an alternative to as a scaled-down version on the traditional F mount, it’s actually a fresh design that gives 100% electronic communication between the attached lens along with the camera body, from several contacts. Much like about the manufacturer’s F-mount SLR cameras, there is a white dot for convenient lens alignment, eventhough it has moved from the 2 o’clock position (when viewed front on) to the top of the mount. The lenses themselves feature a short silver ridge for the lens barrel, which has to be in alignment with said dot to ensure that you be capable of attach the lens on the camera. Although this might require a certain amount of acclamating yourself with, it genuinely makes changing lenses quicker and easier.

Without any lens attached, you can view the sensor sitting directly behind the plane on the bayonet mount. Such as the mount itself, the sensor is completely new. Measuring 13.2×8.8mm this “CX” format imaging chip has double the amount surface of the most popular imagers employed in compact and bridge cameras such as Fujifilm X10 and S100FS, only most the vicinity of a standard Four Thirds sensor. In linear terms, a Four Thirds chip features a 1.36x longer diagonal than the Nikon CX imager. Considering the fact that Four Thirds features a 2x focal length multiplier, the CX “crop factor” calculates to around 2.72, which means a 10mm lens has approximately a similar angle of view to be a 27.2mm lens with an FX or 35mm film camera. The Nikon 1 Nikkor 10-30mm standard zoom is thus equal to a 27.2-81.6mm (or, practically speaking, 28-80mm) FX lens with regard to its angle-of-view range.

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 with the microphone either sides of the lens, and an AF assist/self-timer lamp. There is no grip in any respect on the front of the Nikon 1 J1.

There’s two options for powering around the Nikon 1 V1. You can either makes use of the on/off button sitting near the shutter release or, when you have a collapsible-barrel the len’s attached, just press the unlocking button within the lens barrel and turn the zoom ring to unlock the lens, an action that creates the digital camera to change on automatically. It is an ingenious solution since you need to unlock the lens for shooting anyway. Start-up takes just over an additional - nothing to write home about but nonetheless decent and entirely adequate.

You may frame your shots using the rear screen - there’s no electronic viewfinder as within the V1 model, an integral distinction between the 2 main. The LCD screen is a three-inch, 460,000-dot display that boasts wide viewing angles, great definition and accurate colours but only so-so visibility in strong daylight. We missed the EVF when using the J1 alongside the V1, in both bright sunlit conditions or with the 30-110mm telezoom lens as holding you up to eye-level helped to stabilise the lens and get away from trembling camera.

The control layout is quite peculiar. The Nikon 1 J1 includes a small, rear-mounted mode dial that lacks a lot of the shooting modes which are usually entirely on similar dials - such as P, A, S and M - eventhough it has enough room to support them. These modes can be purchased on the J1 nevertheless, you ought to dive in to the rather long-winded instead of entirely logical menu to discover them. The J1’s mode dial has only four settings, Photo, Video, Motion Snapshot and Smart Photo Selector. The four-way controller also offers four functions mapped onto its Up, Right, Down and Left buttons; including AE/AF-Lock, exposure compensation, flash mode and self-timer, respectively. Even though this is not a bad collection of functions, the fact there is absolutely no ISO button will doubtlessly result in a large amount of photographers considering acquiring the Nikon J1 being unhappy.

There is a button on the rear labelled “F” but alas, this is simply not a programmable function button. In Photo mode, it allows you to quickly make a choice from the continuous shooting modes, when it is in Video mode it allows you to toggle between regular and slow-motion recording. There’s two more valuable controls around the back of the camera, together with a scroll wheel about the four-way pad as well as a rocker switch marked which has a loupe icon. The scroll wheel can be used to create the shutter speed in Manual and Shutter Priority modes (after you have found them inside menu, that may be), whilst the rocker switch controls the aperture. The key reason why it offers a loupe icon beside it can be this control is needed to zoom in with an image to check for critical focus in Playback mode. Finally, you’ll find four small buttons round the navigation pad, flush up against the rear panel with the camera, including Display Mode, Playback, Menu and Delete.

So what on earth are those shooting modes on the mode dial information on? The Photo or Still Image mode, marked that has a green camera icon, is to may wish to be usually. While using mode dial set to this position, you can pick your required exposure mode through the menu. The Nikon J1’s Scene Auto Selector is a smart automatic mode the location where the camera analyses the scene looking at its lens and picks just what it thinks is the right mode for that specific scene. You may also find out on the conventional PASM modes, which supply you with full menu access along with the capability to manually set the aperture, shutter speed, or both (Program AE Shift comes in P mode). ISO and white balance can also be manually selected, only on the menu, as mentioned previously.

Naturally there’s AWB and auto ISO likewise, with all the latter being released in three flavours (Auto 100-400, 100-800 or 100-3200) permitting you to specify how high you would like the camera to look if the light gets low. You may also select three AF Area modes, including Auto Area, the place that the camera takes management of exactly what focusses on (this isn’t a fantastic mode to have as your default as being the camera obviously can’t read your thoughts and will consentrate on something else than your actual subject); Single Point, where you can select one among 135 AF points by first hitting OK and after that moving the active AF point around the frame utilizing the four-way pad; and Subject Tracking, that you pick your subject, press OK and enable the digital camera to trace that subject since it moves around, given that it won’t leave the frame naturally.

The Nikon 1 J1 posseses an intriguing hybrid auto-focus system that mixes contrast- and phase-difference detection in a similar way because the Fujifilm F300EXR did. This gives the Nikon 1 J1 to target extremely quickly in good light, even using a moving subject. This company claims the Nikon 1 system cameras would be the fastest-focusing machines on this planet, and this also matches our experience - providing there’s enough light. When light levels drop, your camera switches to contrast-detect AF which, though faster than you are on most cameras, isn’t nearly as soon as another method. It is you that decides which AF technique to use - anyone doesn’t have any affect on this.

Generally speaking, the J1 will most likely only turn to contrast detection when light levels are low. In good light, we were able to take sharp photos of fast-moving subjects. The Nikon J1 certainly doesn’t disappoint here. Manual focusing is also possible, even though the Nikon 1 lenses do not have focus rings. If you wish to focus manually, you first of all must hit the AF button, choose MF, press OK and then make use of the scroll wheel to modify focus. To assist you using this, the Nikon J1 magnifies the central section of the image and displays a rudimentary focus scale on the right side of the frame - but those are definitely the only focusing helps you get. There isn’t any peaking function available as on some rival models.

The J1 has an electronic shutter (the V1 has an analog shutter). It is absolutely silent (the main objective confirmation beep can be disabled from the menu) and allows using shutter speeds as soon as 1/16,000th of an second and, using the Electronic Hi setting selected, permits you to shoot full-resolution stills at 60 fps. Note however that although that is a major achievement, it’s on a a buffer that could only hold 12 raw files. Additionally, the utilization of this mode precludes AF tracking - you have to lower the frame rate to 10fps if you would like that -, and also the viewfinder goes blank even though the pictures will be taken. Single thing that it application we can easily think of where shooting full-resolution stills at 60fps could really come in handy is AE bracketing for HDR imaging. When it reaches this rate, a number of 5 bracketed shots might be drawn in lower than 0.1 second, rendering small movements which could otherwise pose alignment problems - like leaves being blown in the wind - a non-issue. Alas, the Nikon J1 won’t offer this kind of feature - the truth is no offer autoexposure bracketing in any way.

Selling it to the recording mode, the Nikon 1 J1 has some pleasant surprises here. First and foremost, the digital camera could be set to shoot Full HD footage, and you also even get to choose from 1080p @ 30fps or 1080i @ 60fps, dependant upon whether you prefer to work together with progressive or interlaced video. If you do not need Full HD, there is also 720p @ 60fps, that is really smooth whilst still being counts as high definition. Secondly, you will get full manual control of exposure in video mode. It is an option; you don’t need to shoot in M mode however you can in the event that’s things you need. Thirdly, you will get fast, continuous AF in video mode, and it works well, particularly in good light. Movies are compressed using the H.264 codec and stored as MOV files. You can find separate shutter release buttons for stills and video, and because of this - and also the massive processing power of the Nikon J1 - it is possible to take multiple full-resolution stills even while recording HD video. This works in reversed order too - you may capture a motion picture clip even when the mode dial is in the Still Image position, by just pressing the red movie shutter release. We’ve learned that in such a case the digital camera will forever record the playback quality at 720p/60fps.

In addition to being effective at shooting regular movies in HD quality, the Nikon 1 J1 may also shoot video at 400fps for slow-motion playback. The resolution is gloomier and the aspect ratio is an ultra-widescreen 2.67:1, though the quality is adequate for YouTube, Vimeo and stuff like that. These videos are played back at 30fps, that is over 13x slower compared to the capture speed of 400fps, allowing you to get creative and prove to the world several interesting phenomena that happen prematurely to see instantly. The Nikon J1 goes a step forward by offering a 1200fps video mode, even so the resolution and overall quality is simply too poor for your to get genuinely useful.

The next icon for the mode dial symbolizes Smart Photo Selector. This feature allows the digital camera to capture at the very least 20 photos at a single press on the shutter release, including some that have been taken before fully depressing the button. Your camera analyses the individual pictures in the series and discards 15 of which, keeping the five who’s thinks would be better when it comes to sharpness and composition. This feature could be genuinely useful when photographing fast action and fleeting moments.

Finally, there is a so-called Motion Snapshot mode when the camera records a short high-definition movie - whose buffering starts at a half-press from the shutter release, so again includes events which had happened prior to button was fully depressed - and in addition needs a still photograph. The movie plus the still image are stored in separate files but the camera can combine them to a single slow-motion clip with music. It’s fun but we can not really envision people using this shooting mode regularly. (When you see the video using a computer, it is going to play back at normal speed, without sound, which means this mode is really only interesting in case you observe the clip in-camera or hook your camera as much as an HDTV by using 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. The digital camera is run on a compact EN-EL20 battery to the V1 big brother, which is consequently able to produce much less shots using one charge, managing around 230, even though it does help to create you body smaller sized. The camera’s tripod socket is constructed of metal and is positioned in line while using lens’ optical axis. This too implies that changing batteries or cards isn’t likely while the J1 is attached with a tripod, as being the hinges of the battery/card compartment door are way too near the tripod mount.

So, how did we love to utilizing the Nikon 1 J1? Similarly, we liked it lots. In good light, its auto-focus method is indeed faster than essentially anything we’ve used thus far, the ability to track and lock focus on a range of truly fast-moving subjects, and yielding many sharp images in situations where our keeper rates never been high. Additionally, its high-speed continuous shooting modes have allowed us to capture interesting moments that we’d have surely missed whenever we had used a slower camera. The built-in pop-up flash proved more useful that it is modest guide number might suggest, with the clever design minimising red-eye.

However, the Nikon J1 have their share of frustrating idiosyncrasies beginning from anyone interface that pushes you to dive in the menu to access functions as common as exposure mode, ISO speeds and white balance. While Nikon obviously cannot add extra buttons with a finished product, they might at least increase the risk for “F” button customisable with a firmware update. Also, nevertheless there is a dedicated button for exposure compensation - which is a great thing - I didn’t try to activate an active histogram, although it would’ve made exposure compensation far more useful and easy make use of. Again, this could probably be fixed in firmware.

We also missed the V1’s smooth, high-resolution electronic viewfinder, particularly in bright light or when using the telephoto lens which doesn’t lend itself well to being held out at arms length. The J1 merely has a glass dust shield because it is defense against unwanted debris, as opposed to the more proactive sensor cleaning unit which the V1 offers, plus the smaller battery implies that you’ll want to buy a supplementary you to definitely get to the day’s heavy shooting. The lack of an accessory port implies that almost none of the Nikon 1 accessories are appropriate for the J1, such as the external flash and GPS unit.

Something more important we wouldn’t like was that the camera would always show the photo just taken for a few seconds onscreen, so we failed to be capable of turn this instant postview function completely off (even if you can at least cancel it by way of a half-press on the shutter release). Finally, as the camera is often fast and responsive, the digital camera takes far too long to wake up from sleep mode gets hotter has been idle for a short time, leading to many missed shots.

With that said, the Nikon 1 J1 can be a small , compact, high-performance system camera that they like its government can use some tweaks to the gui to higher suit the requirements of serious amateurs. The intended marketplace of casual users will cherish it for its sheer speed, built-in flash, lightweight and also the fun features it includes. Why don’t we now find out how the Nikon 1 J1 fared inside image quality department.