Nikon 1 J1 Review

10mm pancake lens featured here

Nikon has not overpopulated their proprietary CMOS sensor which is found here by adding a lot of pixels in but rather have just employed a pixel count of 10MP. Like the V1, the Nikon J1 uses a CX format sensor measuring at 13.2 x 8.8mm which is a lot smaller than the Nikon DX format sensor which measures at 23.6 x 15.7mm. Though the sensor size is larger than those found on standard compact cameras and the Pentax Q series, it is smaller in comparison to the micro four thirds system cameras and the APS-C size found on the Sony and Samsung range of mirrorless cameras. The advantage Nikon has over here is that by using a 10MP sensor, they are not cramming the lens and hence the chances of image noise is sufficiently reduced. In the Nikon 1 range of cameras, Nikon uses a hybrid AF system which makes use of both the phase detection and the contrast detection system. By using a combination of both, one can expect their shots to be autofocus quicker as well as be accurate. The maximum resolution which the camera can capture images is 3872 x 2592 pixels, making it more than enough for those wanting to step up from a standard compact camera to a more advanced model.

Nikon has not maintained its consistency in respect to the interface amongst their range of cameras. There are noticeable differences between the DSLR cameras, the standard compact options and the Nikon 1 range of cameras. Nikon, on their part have made the interface of the camera very simple to use and even if a person is using this camera for the first time it will be able to understand it within a matter of minutes. There is no real learning curve that comes with the camera but just a matter of playing around with it. However, a thing we did not like was that it did not feature a dedicated mode dial for modes like program auto, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual mode. One will need to go in the menu every time they wish to switch between these options. This is a bit of a cumbersome process. However, this camera has been basically designed for casual photographers looking to shoot images mainly with the auto mode as well as sometimes making use of the semi manual modes.

Slim profile of the camera

The camera features only an electronic shutter as compared to the mechanical and electronic shutter found on the Nikon 1 V1. So by featuring this sort of shutter, one can expect fast continuous shooting. When it comes to video recording, the camera shoots full HD 1080i videos at 60fps, full HD 1080p videos at 30fps and HD 720p clips at 60fps. A neat feature in the camera is that it records video in slow motion and these videos are recorded at a resolution of 640 x 240 at 400fps.

Another interesting  feature found here is the motion snapshot - one can capture a one second video and while reviewing the small video clip shot in this mode, a tone starts playing and it ends with a still image of the subject captured. Scene Selector Auto is another gimmick feature of this camera that can be put to good use. While in this mode, the camera can capture multiple images through continuous shooting and then it chooses the top five best images and saves them. This can come in handy during portraits, group photos and virtually any type of photography. If one own an older NIKKOR F mount lens and would like to attach it with this body, then they could make an aftermarket purchase of a FT1 lens adapter.