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Archive 2013 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?

  
 
millsart
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


I know Nikon gear, as far as DSLR's go, has its own forum and all, but curious if any of the alt shooters here have gotten the rather popular as of late, Nikon System 1 cameras, specifically the V1 ?

I picked one up about a week ago, and have to say for about $250 w/ lens, its pretty impressive for the money. I got it mainly for the FT-1 adapter which lets you mount F mount glass, and have full AF, including AF-C now, plus VR, so with the 2.7x crop my 200-400 f4 becomes a 540-1080mm equiv f4 VR lens which is pretty cool. Your of course just getting 400mm f4 DoF but that isn't half bad. I think its going to be a great tool for getting some unique coverage of sports like baseball this coming season since I can shoot from the outfield TV locations and still frame batters at home plate. Not going to replace my D3s for most work purposes but could add some extra versatility, not to mention the 30 and 60 fps modes, and also the totally silent shutter, so I'll be trying it on the golf course as well.That 60 fps frame rate also is for RAW files btw (holy buffer Batman)

That all said, I rather liked shooting with this little ultra fast focusing brick of a camera, so I picked up the 18.5mm f1.8 lens today, which is a 50mm equiv. It weights just 72 grams on my scale. Hardly heavier than just the lens cap from my RX1 which is crazy. Quite sharp too and wide open it has a pretty pleasant rendering. BTW, you can pretty much always shoot wide open due to the 1/16,000th max shutter speed. Also ordered with my 18.5mm the little 6.7-13mm f3.5-5.6 VR zoom. Little pocket sized 18-35mm equiv that looks quite sharp across the entire frame, takes a 52mm filter and great VR system all for $500.

This little camera focuses pretty much on par with my D3s too, which is what really makes it unique, and not just in single shot mode, but it can also track focus with a PDAF system, plus has a face detect AF that just works amazing well. You simply do not miss focus with this camera. If you think an olympus OM-D is impressive in terms of AF, you need to try one of these.

Nikon just came out with a 32mm f1.2 that is a little pricier but looks pretty impressive as well, giving an 85mm eqiuv FoV and a DoF about on par with a Olympus 45mm f1.8, but with the extra light grabbing ability of f1.2 and fast tracking AF, so I might need to pick up one of those at some point.

The EVF is simply fantastic as well. Its not that big or high rez, but the refresh rate must be off the charts because there is zero lag, tearing etc. You know your looking at an EVF but it feels like an OVF due to no lag.

Top it off with it taking the same battery, EL-EN15 as the Nikon D800, so you can share batteries, not that you probably will need more than one as I've had this thing a week now and still havent' charged the battery once.

Haven't bought an adapter yet but I read (via SH) that C-mount 16mm glass works pretty well on these guys and should give some rather unique looks. Not sure if they make other adapters or not, but could be fun with something like my Rokkor X's.

All and all, I think at the current pricing these little camera's are a must buy. Its just fun to shoot and makes a great social camera. I love my RX1 and that smokes the v1 in terms of IQ, but if you want to get shots of your kids playing in the yard, or just having basically zero OOF shots, its money well spent. Add the 18.5mm for a 50mm equiv, and your good to go. fast 50mm equiv lens, lightening fast AF, and a built in EVF, what more could you ask for.

I was really skeptical about picking one of these up, but the blow out pricing was so good that I figured it was going to be worth it just for my sports work, but I didn't really think I'd enjoy shooting with the thing but its becoming a choice camera for going on walks and such.

I've got the Ricoh GR and the RX1, plus my pocket RX100 and the Sigma DP2m so no shortage of camera's that are also as if not more pocketable, and all with much better sensors, but even with some of the latest and greatest toys on the market, this 2+ year old outdated that they are practically giving away is seeing some real use.

If they could put the Sony RX100's sensor into a Nikon v3, and keep the same awesome PDAF system, that could be something really cool.





Jul 31, 2013 at 06:55 PM
darrellc
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


I bought a few of the V1 w/ 10-30 kits at $299. One was gifted to a family looking for replacement for their too-big (for them) D70 w/ kit lens that could keep up with their kids and deliver better IQ than their iPhones. They absolutely love it, and ended up buying the 18.5 which they use most of the time.

My wife uses one on the rare occasions she takes photos. There are many cameras to choose from (I've got RX100, RX1, OM-D, D800) but she only uses the V1.

I think it is a great solution for non photographers looking for a better solution than iPhones or compact P&S. The metering and AF are great, there are no complicated manual controls or programmable buttons to baffle non photographers, etc. The AF tracking makes for a perfect run-and-gun casual video camera.

I like a lot of things about it, but just find the IQ lacking, particularly in low light. Of course for web display and normal print sizes, I'm sure it is just fine, but there's just no pleasure zooming in on my MacBook Pro retina screen compared to my other cameras.

Agree, if it had the RX100 sensor, different story...

What I really like about the camera is that it means mirrorless cams with dSLR level AF tracking are doable. I'd sell my D800 in a second when someone delivers a larger sensor mirrorless interchangeable camera with similar AF tracking capabilities.



Jul 31, 2013 at 07:25 PM
Sagar
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


I have jumped from m4/3 to full N1 setup and so far I am very happy. I have V2, 10-30, 30-110, 18.5 and 32mm. while it does not look smaller in specs and picture I am finding its much smaller, lighter and simpler kit than m43. And not so far behind m4/3 in terms of image quality except probably for dynamic range.

While V2 is much less customizable, it has bought simplicity and fun back in my picture taking process. I think its probably an idea setup for street and candid photography. As a project, I plan to use this as my ONLY camera and system till end of the year...



Jul 31, 2013 at 08:45 PM
cputeq
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


I know you didn't ask for negatives, but I rented a whole kit from LR and absolutely hated it...there was just zero grip to the V1 body and it felt like it was going to always fall out of my hand.

I mean, it was like holding a metal bar of soap and I was constantly afraid I was going to drop it.



Jul 31, 2013 at 10:49 PM
millsart
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


cputeq wrote:
I know you didn't ask for negatives, but I rented a whole kit from LR and absolutely hated it...there was just zero grip to the V1 body and it felt like it was going to always fall out of my hand.

I mean, it was like holding a metal bar of soap and I was constantly afraid I was going to drop it.


After the Sigma Merrill's and the Sony RX1 I'm pretty used to lack of grips

Looks like there is a $34 Fotodiox add on grip for it, or Richard Franiac's had a pretty nice looking add on one as well, for about the same price. Not sure which way I'll go. Need to order one for my DP2m while I'm thinking of it

http://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Mirrorless-Battery-Replacing-GR-N1000/dp/B0095OP1VK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375329120&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+v1+grip

and

http://kleptography.com/rf/#camera_nikon1v1



Jul 31, 2013 at 10:53 PM
bdickers
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


I have recently acquired a 1AW1 and after getting used to the menu system, I like it.
Nice to have a camera you can have outside rain or shine and not be concerned about it.
Image quality is quite good for a small sensor, the 11-27mm and the 30-110mm lenses are compact and seem to be quite good.



Jul 07, 2014 at 11:07 PM
penghai
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


I got a V2 kit recently and am really happy with it. The AF is far better than my EM5 and GX7, even with the FT-1.

I tested FT-1 and found the 2.7 factor puts a high demand on the glass. I just can not get critical focus with FT-1 and my 70-300 (FX). Found I need to use the 300 f4 instead. But that defeats the benefit for this small camera. I think native lenses will do better. I'm still deciding whether to get the CX 70-300. I can imagine that will be really fun. But its small sensor and ISO capability really make me concerned.



Jul 07, 2014 at 11:22 PM
snapsy
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


Has anyone with a 1 system tried an A6000? I wonder how the AF compares, for both single-shot and continuous.


Jul 07, 2014 at 11:33 PM
killersnowman
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


The only nikon 1 i would consider is the AW1. Specialized and good at it


Jul 07, 2014 at 11:38 PM
douglasf13
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


My dad had an aging super zoom that I wanted to replace, and he requires a viewfinder, so I actually just bought him a refurbished V1 with two zoom lenses for very little money, and it's great for him. The IQ is still much better than what he had, and the AF works well for him.


Jul 07, 2014 at 11:47 PM
timpdx
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


I have the J1, got it for 279 with 2 lenses. Very fast af, quite good iq. Bought it and now used it twice for hiking (plus other stuff like a dodger game and parties) Love the size and weight. At that price I cannot complain at all!


Jul 08, 2014 at 12:26 AM
Alex Phan
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


i was looking at the v3 for the crazy 20fps. BH still out of stock on the special kit. Anyone has the v3 with the 1 NIKKOR VR 70-300mm? If it can track and shot as it said, i can leave the D4s and 600VR at home.


Jul 08, 2014 at 12:39 AM
cyra
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


Bubble wrote:
Anyone has the v3 with the 1 NIKKOR VR 70-300mm? If it can track and shot as it said, i can leave the D4s and 600VR at home.


I'd be interested in that combo too.
I have a v1 and use it with a Leica 105-280 Elmarit for wildlife filming with pretty good results, as long as the light is decent and objects aren't to far away.
My only complaint is, that foto and video buttons are to close, so that you sometimes mix them up, and that the mode setting often is turned by coincidence, and I end up filming with foto setting which gives me a format of 480x320 pixel I believe, which is ennoying.

Obviously the results are better with a larger sensor. But the advantage of this setting is the incredible far reach with longer lenses. A D800 and a Nikon 600 will always have an edge over it, but it is a light and care free package. And the price of a v1 is just superb.

I think it is an underrated system.



Jul 08, 2014 at 06:15 AM
Bobu
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Anyone jump onto the Nikon system 1 band wagon ?


I use the Nikon 1 AW1 both for family snapshots and underwater images and I really like it.

Boris



Jul 08, 2014 at 12:14 PM





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