Review Nikon 1 J1

The Nikon 1 J1 camera and several lenses for it were provided by Oneschuk Vadim for review.

Review Nikon 1 J1

Review of the Nikon 1 J1. It looks like Nikon J1 without a lens (body)

The Nikon 1 J1 is one of six (2013) 'Nikon 1' interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras. The Nikon 1 J1 has a 'Nikon 1' mount and, for the first time since 1960, Nikon has released a range of non 'Nikon F' mount cameras. On sale you can find both Nikon 1 J1 Body (a camera without a lens) and Nikon 1 J1 kit (a camera with one or more lenses). The Nikon 1 J1 has a simple menu that anyone can understand. Shooting with a camera in automatic mode is very, very easy. But for professional use, the Nikon J1 is no good.

Nikon 1 J1 fixed lens 10mm 1: 2.8 1 Nikkor

Nikon 1 J1 with fixed lens 10mm 1: 2.8 1 Nikkor. The camera can be of different colors.

Lenses

Fix Lenses:

  1. Nikon 1 NIKKOR 10mm f / 2.8 (black and silver)
  2. Nikon 1 NIKKOR AW 10mm f / 2.8 (only black)
  3. Nikon 1 NIKKOR 18.5mm f / 1.8 (black, silver, white)
  4. Nikon 1 NIKKOR 32mm f / 1.2 (black, silver)

Zoom lenses

  1. Nikon 1 NIKKOR VR 6.7-13mm f / 3.5-5.6 (black and silver)
  2. Nikon 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f / 3.5-5.6 (8 color options)
  3. Nikon 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f / 3.5-5.6 PD-ZOOM (6 color options)
  4. Nikon 1 NIKKOR VR 10-100mm f / 4-5.6 (5 color options)
  5. Nikon 1 NIKKOR VR 10-100mm f / 4.5-5.6 PD-ZOOM (only black)
  6. Nikon 1 NIKKOR 11-27.5mm f / 3.5-5.6 (6 color options)
  7. Nikon 1 NIKKOR AW 11-27.5mm f / 3.5-5.6 (black, silver, white)
  8. Nikon 1 NIKKOR VR 30-110mm f / 3.8-5.6 (8 color options)
  9. Nikon 1 NIKKOR VR 70-300mm f / 4.5-5.6 N (only black)

For myself, I would take a bunch of universal lens Nikon 1 NIKKOR VR 10-100mm f / 4.5-5.6 PD-ZOOM and portrait lens Nikon 1 NIKKOR 32mm f / 1.2, however, such a set will be quite expensive :). It's very funny that Nikon released Nikon 1 NIKKOR 32mm f / 1.2but still not updated to the autofocus version of the old Nikon 50mm 1: 1.2 AI-S.

Example photo on the camera and lens Jupiter-8

Example photo on the camera and lens Jupiter-8

There is a special list of Nikon FX, DX lenses that you can easily use on your Nikon 1 J1 camera using the FT1 adapter. More details about this issue can be found in the section on Nikon CX Lenses.

Nikon 1 J1 has a very short working length, which allows you to use many manual lenses from rangefinder cameras. But here's the trouble - Nikon 1 J1 the possibility of measurement is reduced exposure with old uncoupled optics. You can shoot with manual lenses only in 'M' mode. Modes P, A, S, M must be selected in the camera menu 'Exposure mode'.

Cat on Nikon 1 J1

Cat on Nikon 1 J1

Matrix

Nikon 1 J1 is a tiny system camera with crop factor 2.7X. This means that matrix size Nikon 1 J1 7,3 times smallerthan any film (135th film) or any full-format camera. Matrix size plays a huge role in the construction of the image. Nikon 1 J1 sensor with a nail - 13.2 x 8.8 mm... On such a small (in physical size) matrix, 10.0 megapixels were placed. Most likely, marketing played here, because anything less than 10 MP, nowadays already causes a malicious grin. In this way, the camera can take pictures of 3,872 x 2,592 pixels (exactly 10 pixels). 036 MP - this is quite enough for amateur tasks, for example, with 224 MP you can print A10 images without any problems. In order not to bother about the number of pixels, I advise you to look at the article ' Battle of Megapixels '.

Sample photo on Nikon 1 J1

Sample photo on Nikon 1 J1 for fast fix

By the way, 3 more cameras of the Nikon 1 series use the same CMOS sensor - this is Nikon 1 J2Nikon 1 S1Nikon 1 V1. Nikon 1 J1 can use ISO from 100 to 3.200 and expand to a value of 6.400 (ISO HI 1). The camera has three auto ISO modes:

  1. A3200 - Uses ISO 100-3200 range
  2. A800 - Uses ISO 100-800 range
  3. A400 - Uses ISO 100-400 range

True, automatic ISO selects not the most successful excerptsmost likely focusing on the focal length of the lens (Golden Rule) So, the camera often gave me a shutter speed of 1/30 s, while I could take a picture of stationary objects without problems, but people were already blurry for 1/30 of a second.

The lower the ISO level, the less noise you can get in photos. Nikon J1 is comparable in noise level to old SLR cameras Nikon D40, D70s (noise starting from ISO 200). A miracle did not happen, and at ISO 3200 I get a good image, but the noise reduction function removes image detail. Here original shot at ISO 3200, in the photo due to the noise reduction algorithm, the cat's face became similar to Vrubel paintings. But in any case, the picture from the Nikon 1 J1 looks decent.

Sample photo on Nikon 1 J1 at high ISO

Sample photo on Nikon 1 J1 at high ISO. The cat is playing.

Nikon 1 J1, unlike mirrorless cameras Sony Nex and many others, does not have a mechanical shutter. During shooting, there is no excess noise from the movement of the shutter shutters. Also, the iris control mechanism is built into the Nikon 1 lenses themselves and is very quiet. Focusing with Nikon 1 lenses is also very, very quiet.

Cat on Nikon 1 J1

Cat on Nikon 1 J1

Very important points in the Nikon 1 J1 camera:

  • the camera can use an ultra-fast shutter speed equal to 1 / 16,000 seconds. Among Nikon SLR cameras, only Nikon D1x, D1h, D1.
  • the camera has neither optical nor electronic viewfinder. You can only zoom in using the camera display. A camera display 3-inch, TFT LCD type at 460.000 points.
  • the camera has a built-in flash that shoots (rises) upward when you press the corresponding button. By the way, the flash works pretty well.
  • There is also an auxiliary focus auto focus light, which lights up in green.
  • remotely control the camera using a cheap remote control ML-L3.
  • the camera has a USB output and mini type C HDMI.
  • camera supports memory cards SD, SDHC, SDXC (and UHS-I).
  • The battery is powerful enough, I had about 500 photos per charge.
  • the camera has a sleep mode, the time after which the camera goes into this mode is configured.
  • the camera has features that enhance the picture: Active D-lightning, noise reduction at high ISO and slow shutter speeds.
  • the camera can be connected to an outlet using an EP-5C cable. For the camera, there is even a special GR-N2000 handle for a comfortable grip (not to be confused with the booster).
  • the camera has an interesting 'Motion Snapshot' mode, during which a short video is recorded at a high frame rate per second and a photo is taken in parallel.
Flowers on Nikon 1 J1

Flowers on Nikon 1 J1

Camera performance

Nikon 1 J1 weighs a little less than 300 grams, a camera with a small lens can even be placed in a jacket pocket. The camera body is made of aluminum alloy.

Sample photo on Nikon 1 J1

Sample photo on Nikon 1 J1

And now the fun part is this baby can take off photo at a speed of 60 (sixty) frames per second! This is an outrageous indicator. At what you can shoot 60 fps with any parameters, even RAW + JPEG. However, a serious drawback of such super-fast shooting is the very small frame buffer. The processor is responsible for image processing EXPEED 3, the same as Nikon D800, D7100.

Photo at Nikon 1 J1

Photo at Nikon 1 J1

Buffer:

  • 12 frames in the shooting mode 'Continuous -> Electronic (BC)' with a frequency of 30 or 60 fps, moreover, with any quality settings, the buffer is always exactly 12 frames. This means that only 60/1 of a second can be shot at 5fps. At 10 fps, the buffer becomes 13 frames.
  • 17 frames in JPEG, L, Fine. With this function ADL, noise reduction at high ISO, noise reduction at long exposure, auto ISO - off.
  • 23 frames in JPEG, L, Fine mode, if you also switch to M mode in addition.
  • 83 frame in JPEG, S, Basic mode and all disabled functions
  • 14 frames in JPEG, L, Fine mode or in RAW mode or in RAW + JPEG mode with all additional functions enabled

Frame buffer turned out to be quite capacious, it's a pity you can't put 83 frames at 60 fps. In other modes, the camera can shoot at speeds up to 5 fps. And in the 'Electronic (BC)' mode, you can set 10 or 30, or 60 c.s. RAW files have 12-bit color depth and weigh an average of 10 MB. JPEG L Fine weighs an average of 5 MB.

Nikon 1 J1 with super zoom

Nikon 1 J1 with super zoom

Focusing

Focusing on the Nikon 1 J1 is fast, several modes are available. You can select one focus point and know exactly where the camera focuses. In manual focus mode, you can enlarge any area of ​​the image, but only the increase is not available when working with manual optics.

Nikon 1 J1 uses a hybrid focus method. Focusing in video mode is also fast, so the Nikon 1 J1 outperforms its mirror counterparts, where there is a serious problem with focusing speed. Typically, SLR cameras for video use contrast focusing, which is why focusing is very, very slow, even on very expensive cameras.

Nikon 1 J1 rear view

Nikon 1 J1 rear view

Video

A very strong point of the Nikon 1 J1 is the video. The camera can take Full HD at 60 frames per second... MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920 × 1080, AAC 48000Hz stereo 128Kbps codec in MOV container. You can also shoot at 1920 × 1080 30p or 1280 × 720 60p.

And the camera has two slow motion modes:

  •     640 x 240 400 frames per second
  •     320 x 120 1.200 frames per second

Just think - 1200 frames per second, while you can make really interesting videos. The movie itself is played at standard 30 frames per second, and it turns out 40-fold slowdown. The camera also has stereo microphone to record video. In aperture priority mode, aperture changes are available during movie shooting. In M mode, you can control and shutter speed and diaphragm, such a complete control of these two parameters is only in the very expensive CZK Nikon D4, D800,D800E.

pink Nikon J1 camera, you know for whom

pink Nikon 1 J1 camera, you know for whom

Lenses

I used two native lenses - 1 Nikkor 10mm 1: 2.8 RF Aspherical и 1 Nikkor 10-30mm 1: 3.5-5.6 VR IF Aspherical... The lenses are very small, compact, with internal focusing. Focusing itself is fast. The lenses do not have a diaphragm control ring, focusing ring, focusing distance scale, depth of field scale, they have nothing at all :). The lens aperture is controlled by a mechanism built into the lens itself. The number of aperture blades in lenses is 7 pieces. In the removed position, the lens aperture is completely closed. The MDF lenses are 20cm and use a tiny 40.5mm filter. You can buy a lens hood for the lenses.

1 Nikkor 10-30mm 1: 3.5-5.6 VR - stock lens with stabilization. Has an interesting zoom latch. In the inactive position, the lens trunk is hidden. You need to zoom manually, like with any lens from a SLR camera. The zoom button can automatically turn on the camera. The lens has a metal mount. Weighs 1 Nikkor 10-30mm 1: 3.5-5.6 VR 115 g. Minimum aperture is f / 16. The lens can catch glare in backlighting.

Optical design of the 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f / 3.5-5.6 lens

Optical design of the 1 NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f / 3.5-5.6 lens

You can look at the real prices for 1 Nikkor 10-30mm 1: 3.5-5.6 VR lens in popular online stores at the following links:

Prices for modern lenses for the Nikon 1 system can be found here.

1 Nikkor 10mm 1: 2.8 RF Aspherical - fast wide-angle lens. Weighs 77 grams. Instead of a focus ring, it has a 'snag'. The minimum aperture is F / 11. The mount is metal.

Optical design of the 1 NIKKOR 10mm f / 2.8 lens

Optical design of the 1 NIKKOR 10mm f / 2.8 lens

You can look at the real prices for the 1 NIKKOR 10mm f / 2.8 lens in popular online stores at the following links:

Prices for modern lenses for the Nikon 1 system can be found here.

There are no serious comments on image quality for lenses. I do not plan a detailed review of these lenses, since there is practically nothing to view. Examples of photographs on lenses:

Photo parameters: on-camera JPEG L Fine without processing. All shot in Picture Control mode SD and VI. Used white balance: 'Auto', 'Shadow', 'Direct Sunlight' and 'Cloudy Sky'. Photos have been resized to 2048px by 1363px Q = 85% (about 3MP). More photos from Nikon 1 J1 can be found in Jupiter-8 2/50 review.

Photo on camera

Photo on camera

Personal experience

I was extremely uncomfortable using the Nikon 1 J1. This primarily refers to the fact that the lenses do not have a manual focus ring. For any change in the settings you need to climb and poke around in the menu. But for camera enthusiasts such a camera is of great interest.

Another weird stuff I found in the camera:

  • The battery cover does not snap into place.
  • camera and lenses are made in China - oh, this Nikon :).
  • There are 4 modes in total on the shooting mode dial. What's the rest of the 75% wheel for? It was possible to take out the modes P, A, S, M, or 'landscape', 'night portrait', etc.
  • I still don't understand how the Smart Photo Selector works.
  • Who needs Motion Snapshot?
  • the camera does not have a very interesting HDR function for fans.
  • there is no possibility to create panoramas, a trifle, but unpleasant.
  • on the official website indicated that camera performance is 600 megapixels per second. But the camera can’t even take 1 second at a speed of 60 fps to get the claimed number of 600 MP / s. In fact, the camera takes 12/60 = 0,2, that is 1/5 of a second :)

If I had before me the choice of buying a camera with interchangeable lenses, then I would look towards the Sony Nex cameras. Well, if the Sony Nex is quite expensive, then instead of the Nikon J1 I would take a simple but more bulky SLR camera Nikon D3100 with a whale lens. Of course, this is just my experience and my desires.

Photo at Nikon 1 J1

Photo at Nikon 1 J1

Camera prices

You can look at the real prices for the Nikon 1 J1 camera in popular online stores at the following links:

Prices for modern Nikon 1 cameras can be viewed here.

The exact list of system mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses Nikon 1:


Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment.

How to configure?

People who buy such a camera usually want vibrant, vibrant, and sharp photos. To get them without unnecessary troubles, I advise you to configure the camera like this:

  • Mode exposure - Auth. plot selection
  • Image quality - Fine
  • Image size - L
  • Shooting Mode - Continuous
  • Measurement exposure - Matrix
  • White balance - Auto, or any other
  • ISO sensitivity - A3200
  • Picture Control - VI, enter this mode and set sharpness to '9'.
  • Active D-lighting - On
  • Reduce. noise / duration exp. - On
  • Reduce. noise / high Chuv ISO - On
Photo at Nikon J1

Photo at Nikon J1

Conclusions:

Nikon 1 J1 is one of the simplest cameras in the Nikon 1 line. The camera is very small and powerful: here you can shoot 60 photos in one second, and Full HD 60i (with slow motion), and a large frame buffer, and many other pleasant things. Such a camera is suitable for those who do not want to mess with large DSLRs, but want to get a fairly high-quality image and video.

In 2018, all Nikon 1 cameras were added to the archived products section of Nikon official websites.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.

Add a comment:

 

 

Comments: 232, on the topic: Review of Nikon 1 J1

  • Sergos

    much cheaper than the m10 mark2 .. it implements autofocus bracketing, the anti-aliasing filter is removed and there is an excellent matrix stabilizer in 3 axes - you just have to choose a lens

  • Sergos

    this is about the question of macro photography

  • Hamlet

    Hello. Guys, there is this camera with a Nikkor 10-30mm objectoscope. So the micro gear on the diaphragm motor burst at the lens. I read that if you can't fix the diaphragm (in any lenses), you can leave it constantly open. But one thing is not clear: with fixes it is clear (the focal point does not change), but with zooms, how will things be? What will happen at the far end? Indeed, with a working diaphragm, it closes at 5.6 at the far end ...

    • Michael

      Similar. The aperture will “change” when the focal length is changed. At 30mm it will be 5.6, at 10mm it will be 3.5.

    • Novel

      It doesn't close. The pupil-to-focal length ratio (which increases) changes and the relative aperture changes accordingly. On complex optical schemes, when the focal length is changed, the aperture can be physically covered in order to ensure constant OO, for example, but this is clearly not the case here.

    • Alex

      This lens has a free warranty repair from Nikon service centers, regardless of the limitation period (if it was not opened by yourself). There was a technological defect, which they officially recognized and repaired for free. A couple of years ago, I repaired my lens this way. Maybe this is still relevant for someone

  • Vershal Mikhail

    Good time. Already participated in the publication of materials here (https://radojuva.com/2016/10/lomo-p-5-f-100-f2/) and would like to add something about Nikon 1 (J1 / J2) cameras from personal experience.

    The main advantage of these cameras is their price in the secondary market. A lot of them. They are being sold. They sell because the cameras are really weak if you don't know how to use them. It is interesting to note that optics for Nikon 1 still cost decent money (on EBAY), however, the holders of these cameras, when selling kits on the secondary, usually do not know this and sell quite expensive Nikon 1 optics along with the carcass " into the load."

    With all the known shortcomings, these cameras are great for:
    1. Video shooting - all Nikon 1 cameras have excellent autofocus at the Canon Dual Pixel level and even better (depending on native optics).
    2. Macro shots - Due to a decent degree of crop using insert rings on the bayonet side or optical lenses in the filter thread, you can get wonderful results in the macro genre.
    3. Shooting time-lapses. The cameras do not have a mechanical shutter, i.e. there is simply nothing to wear out in them. The cameras have an accessory for powering them from the network (power bank). With a long shooting interval, the cameras fall asleep and wake up at the right time, thereby saving energy.

    And now about the jamb, which not everyone knows about.
    If you try to shoot on Nikon 1 with lenses that have an optical stabilizer (the letters VR in the name) at a shutter speed of more than 1 second, you will get an inverted image with terrible artifacts. Whatever you do, everything will remain so. As far as I understand, VR lenses with optical stabilization illuminate the matrix from the inside with some kind of stray light - don't ask, I don't understand how it works, but the fact remains. With VR optics on Nikon 1, you won't be able to shoot anything with shutter speeds longer than 1 second, and with lenses without stabilization, you can shoot freely at any shutter speed.

    • Michael

      Judging by your comment, you are a good specialist in these cameras. Please help me please, the fact is that in one of the videos about Nikon 1j1, I heard a statement that the F (mode) button can be programmed as you wish. So I want to ask if this is true or not, and if so, how to do it or where to find out about it. Thank you in advance for your efforts Regards Michael.

      • B. R. P.

        Instruction.

      • Viktre

        You can not “program” it for other actions laid down by the manufacturer. Yes, you yourself would understand this if you looked into the instructions, or at least in the menu, which is just like two pennies))

        As for the video, this happens, unfortunately, not so rarely when a reviewer “overviews” a thing without even getting to know it properly, and then thinks out something and passes it off as the truth))

        • Artem

          I hit it with Soviet optics with an adapter, it’s not great, but there’s a twist

    • Viktre

      Vershal Mikhail: “And now about the jamb, which not everyone knows about.
      If you try to shoot on Nikon 1 with lenses that have an optical stabilizer (the letters VR in the name) at a shutter speed of more than 1 second, you will get an inverted image with terrible artifacts. No matter what you do, it will stay that way.”

      And indeed, not everyone knows about this, because this is most likely a jamb of your copy. Personally, I did not notice anything like this with 30-110vr.

  • Bazooka Joe

    who used the 10mm 2,8 prime? How does it compare to the whale 10-30 by 10mm with a 3,5 hole? Is the difference noticeable at all? does the background blur?

    • Rodion

      >>”10 mm 2,8″
      >>”is the background blurry?”

      xD

    • Viktre

      Blurs if you shoot point-blank)
      As well as 10-30 :D

    • B. R. P.

      It's probably blurry in the trash) You try a simple mathematical operation: divide your aperture by the crop factor.

      • Rodion

        Blurring depends more on the size of the pupil, so divide the focal length by the aperture ratio.

  • Nikon J2 11-27.5

    Why can I see the result in “real time” by turning the aperture and shutter speed in the “video” mode, but not in the “creative P/A/M/S” mode? Visually, everything is unchanged and the result is visible only after releasing the shutter, even in my PowerShot 210 point-and-shoot camera in A/M/S modes, I can see the result even before I take a picture...

    • B. R. P.

      There are no Nikon representatives present here)))

      • Nikon J2 11-27.5

        What does this have to do with it? Question for those who own similar equipment: is this a common problem or just mine (bought used).

        • B. R. P.

          ))) They don’t shoot like that here.

          • Nikon J2 11-27.5

            But what difference does it make on Nikon1 or not, maybe it’s Nikon’s feature in general, to be a stub, and it’s on some crop or FF, because on a Canon point-and-shoot I even have such a function... Think bigger, it’s free)

            • B. R. P.

              I'm just choking on your scale! Have mercy!

    • Rodion

      You should have a button on your camera or lens to close the aperture and preview the result in photo mode.

      • Nikon J2 11-27.5

        Mmm, there are no such buttons, and I don’t understand why they exist, I turn the aperture, I see how it physically closes on the lens, but on the screen the picture remains unchanged, although less light passes through the gap, and the display always looks like “as the eyes see” "

        In general, at random I found two options to bypass this madness (maybe someone needs it):
        1) In the “video” mode, adjust the exposure of the frame and take a photo in it, using the shutter button, without touching the video recording button.
        2) In the “video” mode, adjust the exposure of the frame, and then switch the wheel to the “creative” mode (the settings are saved), but this is a hassle, clicking back and forth, so I’ll probably get by with the first option, unless there are other explanations why in manual mode always the view “as if from the eyes”...

        • Rodion

          If so, then there is usually a setting along the lines of “show the image taking into account user settings.”

          • Nikon J2 11-27.5

            It’s probably something like this in fancy cameras, there’s a scant menu, I’ve already climbed through everything, it’s strange but ok, at least I found a crutch solution for myself)

            • Human

              It may also be called something like that, “immediately display the specified exposure” or something like that. Nikon was not there, but on Sony and Canon with similar settings turned off, after some confusion I still found the right item

        • Rodion

          It’s also not clear whether your car’s ISO is set or whether a specific number is set.

          • Nikon J2 11-27.5

            All hands to the minimum 100-200, the edge 400, let the automatic machine remain in the green “auto” mode)

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