Because of all the whining I've received because I DARED... to logically assess and compare this camera to other cameras not actually having used it, I spent yesterday shooting/comparing a 1j1 to my Lumix TS3 and Nikon D5100.I spent a couple hours here writing a very detailed comparison between these 3 cameras and then Firefox crashed on me and I lost everything so now my review will be MUCH more brief and my edits to the previous Lumix ZS7 and D5100 sections will be minimal if at all.
This review is being written by a very active photographer that has been shooting professional film and digital photo gear for almost 30 years with extensive experience with PNS and Nikon DSLRs who has spent a serious day with the Nikon 1 camera and has reviewed the photos at 100% resolution on a calibrated 27" computer monitor. I absolutely appreciate the size and convenience that PNS cameras offer and currently own 6 PNS cameras. I am definitely NOT some snooty pro that shuns anything non-DSLR. I love my PNS cameras and am intimately familiar with them and came to own them after thorough comparison and experience. To give you an idea, I love and regularly use my Lumix ZS7, TS2 and TS3 but I got rid of a Ganon G12 almost as soon as I bought it because it was slow as hell and had really bad menus. I am not some beginner with stars in my eyes or schmuck that doesn't know cameras or what he is talking about.
In short, the Nikon 1 image quality was BARELY better than the $250 Lumix TS3, which happens to be shockproof to 2m and waterproof to 12m, has GPS, altimeter, compass and barometer. The Nikon 1's image quality was nowhere near as good as the D5100's. Not even near a Nikon D90's. ISO 400 is already noisy on the Nikon 1, particularly its RAW files.
The Nikon 1's COMPLETE lack of Scene Modes makes it unattractive to beginners and its terrible ergonomics, bad choice for button functions, NO customizable Fn button and HORRIBLE menu-driven system make it REALLY REALLY REALLY unappealing to photographers who make settings changes regularly or even shot-to-shot the way I do.
To clarify about Scene Modes; Nikon claims to have 5 Scene Modes in this camera: Portrait, Landscape, Night Portrait, Close-up, Auto. However, you CANNOT access any specific one. You MUST select Auto Scene Mode in which the CAMERA chooses one of those Scene Modes based on what's in front of it. So, the only actual exposure modes on the camera are P, A, S, M and Auto Scene. I generally shoot in A mode and play with exposure compensation. This isn't a horribly bad way to shoot on this camera but it is pretty bad. You toggle a little switch at the top right rear to adjust aperture and click then spin a dial for exposure compensation. Spinning the dial is horrible. It is a wasted feature that will cause way more errors than speed things up. Don't do it. Click the rocker up and down instead. Shooting P on this camera is really the way to go. OH YEAH! It can't even bracket exposures!!! NO BRACKETING, Nikon??? WTF??? Geez, even sub-$100 cameras can bracket, I think...
The only people I can see buying this camera as a main or only camera for taking pictures (I'm not assessing video performance as I don't shoot video nor do I care about it) and being happy with it are those who will make few if any changes from default, leave those settings alone, and then just shoot in either P or Auto Scene EXACTLY as a PNS shooter would. The TS3 and all Lumixes and pretty much all other PNS cameras in existence have better ergonomics and menus. I'm not kidding. I am dead serious. I did play around with one of the Nikon 1's direct competitors, the Sony NEX-5n and, though stylish and with a nice grip and very good full APS-C sensor, had THE WORST ergonomics and most TRULY retarded menu system I have ever encountered in ANY camera, making it utterly unusable to me. They wasted the touch screen and they really shouldn't have let a baboon write the camera's software.
And now, what the Nikon 1 series boasts about the most. The drastic claim made by Nikon that the 1 series focuses faster than ANY camera they have made seems pretty much like straight-up BS to me. Yes, it focuses fast. A little bit faster than my TS3 and I honestly couldn't tell any difference between it and my D5100 with standard 18-55mm lens. Yes, that's quite fast. But the Nikon 1's autofocus would probably get smoked vs. a D5100 with a pro lens or even a 35mm or 50mm f/1.8. It was pretty common to experience focus hunting on rather standard non-challenging subjects with the Nikon 1. It's a good and fast autofocus system. Particularly vs. PNS cameras that cost 1/3 as much or even less. If it truly is the fastest Nikon has ever put out, then I suspect Nikon has a LOT of cameras out there that focus 99% as fast because I could not detect any speed advantage over even my D5100 with cheapy standard lens and I KNOW the D3 focuses faster... I bet my FILM F6 and even F5 focus faster.
The Nikon 1's focus tracking was less impressive. It is definitely good. I can't deny that. But when claims like "best" are made, well... It was pretty much identical to the TS3's and D5100's. For the most part, it stays pretty well locked onto the subject but it's far from uncommon for the tracking to get tricked and to jump onto something else. It was no better than the TS3 or D5100 in this respect. It's good but not outstanding at all. In my opinion there is a LOT of room for improvement in all focus tracking systems.
Where the 1j1 truly excelled was in its monitor. Just reviewing photos, I couldn't even tell it from the D5100's monitor that had twice as many dots and it was a lot nicer than the TS3's. However, when framing a shot, its refresh rate is so high that moving the camera around results in NO choppiness or lag at all! It's like you're looking through a window, not a camera monitor! TRULY amazing. I have not seen ANY camera that can Live View as fluidly as the Nikon 1.
I did feel a little ripped off about the Nikon 1 10-30mm lens. It looks nice and compact in all the promo photos. It is NOT USABLE in that state. It is collapsed and locked for storage/transportation. It must be unlocked to take a picture and that telescopes the lens about an inch. Locking/unlocking the lens is not difficult but it's a pain and if you lock the lens, you WILL miss shots. If you leave the lens locked to save space, you should shoot a PNS instead. If you leave the lens unlocked, you might as well shoot a real camera.
Everything about the camera was plasticky. The lens felt about the same as the DX 18-55mm. That candy apple red 1j1 is FREAKING GORGEOUS though! I LOVED looking at it! I want to buy one just for the color. If I could have Nikon paint my DSLRs that color, they'd all be on a plane tomorrow!
In essence, all my preliminary assertions were pretty much spot on except that I actually initially gave the Nikon 1 MORE credit than it deserved. It truly is borderline unusable in the way that the NEX-5n IS unusable for seasoned photographers though both systems are probably fine for rich snapshooters that are perfectly happy pointing the camera in a general direction and letting the camera make all the decisions, providing generally acceptable results. If that's you, no problem, you'll like the Nikon 1 as it takes nice pictures. If not, the 1j1, and even more so the 1v1, is a camera that seriously doesn't make any sense to own by anybody other than a camera collector or someone who wants a toy or is fashion-conscious about their camera gear. It takes good-quality photos and looks cool but is plasticky, cheapy and has AWFUL ergonomics and menus. The 1j1 with 10-30mm lens is worth about $300-350. Not double that. There are a LOT of better cameras for less money. The 1v1 with no built-in flash isn't even worth owning regardless of price. It's not worth it to carry around or mount a bulky external flash to a camera that takes this caliber of photo. Its images are LITERALLY BARELY better than the TS3's at 100% resolution on a 27" monitor. I will bet you any amount you won't be able to tell ANY difference vs. the TS3 in prints up to 16x20 and maybe even larger. Lol at 4x6! At 4x6 the TS3 is way overkill already. The Nikon 1 series is literally in a lower league than the D5100. Seriously like college vs. NFL respectively. No contest in any way except that the Nikon 1's Live View is superior and shutter release in Live View on the D5100 is not as immediate. If you're like me and only use Live View on a DSLR for stationary objects while critically focusing, this Nikon 1 "advantage" is moot anyway, but it is neat.
JUST like my title states, Nikon 1 is NOT small, it is NOT inexpensive and it ABSOLUTELY IS NOT GREAT! Even less great than my initial impression. Nikon blew it. They need to put the D5100/D7000's sensor in a mirrorless that takes F-mount lenses and has D7000 (or at least D5100) controls and menus. THEN, I'm positive I'll buy one. Especially if it comes in that candy apple red! I'd take 2, just because! :O Now THAT thing would be an HDR MONSTER!
If you MUST buy a Nikon 1, get a 1j1, NOT a 1v1. If you're cool, get the red one. ;) If you are a Hello Kitty fan, get the pink one. If you're an Apple fan, get the white one. If you're snooty and/or boring and drive a snooty boring silver Mercedes, get the silver one. And if you're an experienced photographer who insists on "professional black," then, well, don't buy a Nikon 1 at all because you'll hate it! :D
END EDIT.
ORIGINAL REVIEW FOLLOWS...
My early conclusion with this new Nikon offering was that Nikon was looking to prey on wealthy suckers loyal to the Nikon brand who wanted something small and light and of quality... Even though it wasn't actually small or light and has plastic lens mounts just like cheapo DSLR kit lenses.
And for those of you who don't know, that cheapy plasticky Nikon kit 18-55 VR is a REALLY sharp and colorful lens with truly exceptional macro capability. It is a fantastic lens, is very light and relatively compact. A shortcoming is that the front element rotates.
What the 1V1 has is bragging rights to being expensive and at the top of one of Nikon's lines as opposed to being inexpensive and near the bottom of one of Nikon's lines as the D5100 is.
The breakdown vs. my own personal light gear:
NIKON 1v1 vs. LUMIX ZS7:
ZS7 was $235ish on Amazon when I got it, 1v1 with 2 zooms is $999 on Amazon after recent $150 price drop. SB-N5 flash costs $200. 1v1 costs $964 more (5.1x as expensive).
PRICE WIN: ZS7.
ZS7 weighs 218 grams and is a true pocket-sized camera, 1v1 weighs 409 grams with 10-30mm and 584 grams with both zooms and needs to be carried with a strap and a bag is needed for extra lens and 654 grams with both lenses and flash. 1v1 weighs 436 grams more (3x as heavy).
WEIGHT/BULK WIN: ZS7.
ZS7 has built-in Leica f/3.3-4.9 25-300mm equivalent range and minimum aperture of f/6.3 1v1 has plastic-mount Nikkor f/3.5-5.6 27-297mm equivalent range (carrying 2 lenses) with minimum aperture of f/16. Both cameras have tiny sensors so there will be substantial depth of field even wide open.
OPTICS WIN: If wide-open aperture is more important, ZS7 wins. If minimum aperture is more important, 1v1 wins.
ZS7 has a built-in GN 17.4ft flash, 1v1 has external $200 70g GN 27.9ft. flash.
FLASH WIN: If POWER is your concern and price, weight and bulk don't matter, 1v1 wins. If ZERO PRICE, SIZE AND WEIGHT INCREASE is your concern and power isn't, ZS7 wins.
ZS7 has good quick autofocus/focus-tracking. It is not infallible and sometimes gets tricked. 1v1's autofocus/focus-tracking is being greatly touted in the way DSLRs are. I'll accept at face value that it is superior to the ZS7.
AUTOFOCUS/TRACKING WIN: 1v1.
ZS7 has a 12.1MP 6.12mm x 4.51mm sensor and records JPG only. 1v1 has a 10.1MP 13.2mm x 8.8mm sensor and can record in RAW. 1v1's sensor is 4.2x as large as ZS7's.
IMAGE QUALITY WIN: 1v1. (Granted, I've never used the 1v1 but I will readily accept that its image quality is superior.)
SUMMARY: 1v1 is 5x as expensive, 3x as heavy, way more bulky (not a pocket camera), has a more powerful flash and better image quality and autofocus. ZS7 is 1/5 as expensive, 1/3 as heavy, is a legitimate pocket camera, has basic flash and very good JPG-only image quality.
NIKON 1v1 VS. NIKON D5100:
D5100 with 18-55mm VR, 55-300mm VR, Nikon camera bag and instructional videos cost $1008 at Costco including tax, 1v1 with 2 zooms is $999 and SB-N5 flash costs $200 on Amazon, $1199 in total. 1v1 costs $191 more (19% more).
PRICE WIN: D5100.
D5100 with 18-55mm lens weighs 796.3 grams with battery and AN-4Y strap (I weighed mine and it's substantially lower than Nikon's stats). Long lens weighs 580g, 1376.3g total. (To accurately match the 1v1's zoom range, Nikkor 55-200mm VR weighs 335g, 1131.3g total) 1v1 weighs 493g with 10-30mm and flash (and strap). Long lens weighs 175g, 668g total. D5100 with 18-55mm is 303.3 grams (0.62x) heavier than 1v1 with 10-30mm and flash. With flash mounted, the 1v1 is an awkward bulky shape.
WEIGHT WIN: 1v1.
BULK WIN: D5100.
D5100 has VR Nikkor f/3.5-5.6 27-450mm equivalent range in 2 zooms and the entire Nikkor 35mm, FX and DX lens catalog to select from. 1v1 has VR Nikkor f/3.5-5.6 27-297mm equivalent range in 2 zooms and a 10mm f/2.8 1-series fixed pancake lens to choose.
OPTICS WIN: The D5100 and Nikon 1 standard 27-82mm equivalent zoom lenses are both optically very good and both quite cheapy and plasticky and likely to eventually break if exposed to typical photographers' situations. Images are of equal quality. If you factor in expandability, D5100 wins by a light year!
The D5100's Live View autofocus/focus tracking is very fast and quite accurate. The 1v1 is also very fast and quite accurate.
AUTOFOCUS/TRACKING WIN: Tie. Nikon 1 autofocus is hyped way beyond reason. It's on par with DSLRs and that's about it. Same with tracking.
D5100 has built-in flash with Guide Number 43ft and standard Nikon hot shoe that can take any post-F3 Nikon-compatible flash. 1v1 has external 70g $200 SB-N5 flash with Guide Number 27.9ft.
FLASH WIN: D5100.
D5100 has a 16.2MP 23.6mm x 15.6mm sensor. The same sensor as the D7000 and produces very exceptional images. 1v1 has a 10.1MP 13.2mm x 8.8mm sensor. The D5100's sensor is 3.17x as large and widely regarded as the best APS-C sensor.
IMAGE QUALITY WIN: D5100.
SUMMARY: 1V1 costs $191 (19%) MORE and the body + standard zoom + flash weighs 303.3g (10.7oz. or 38.1%) less but is MORE bulky (with flash). It only has 2 lenses outside of the 2 standard zooms to choose from. The 10mm f/2.8 pancake lens is the same minimum focal length (!) as and only 2/3-stop (!) faster than the standard zoom. The other lens being a $750 slow f/4.5-5.6 10-100mm zoom that covers just short of the same range as the 2 standard zooms together. It costs about the same as and covers not quite the same equivalent range as the outstanding and revered Nikkor DX 18-200mm VR... but is 2/3-stop SLOWER wide open and not quite as long! The 1v1 ONLY has a $200 weaker-than-DSLR-pop-up GN 28ft awkwardly bulky flash as a lighting option! And Nikon didn't even have the sense to mount it on top of the finder (SLR-style) to get a little more height for organic red-eye reduction.
The D5100 costs $191 (16%) LESS, weighs 303.3g (10.7oz. or 61%) more, is SMALLER (vs. 1v1 with flash), has DSLR controls and is better at everything (photo, not video), has a full swivel/tilt screen, very extensive catalog of lenses and flashes to choose from and superior image quality.
I don't really know why anyone would buy a 1v1 over a D5100. Or even a D3100, for that matter. Somebody's going to have to explain this to me because a D5100 with 18-55mm is small and light already. The only thing I see that's intriguing about the 1v1 is the 10/30/60fps Electronic Hi continuous shooting mode. I think it would be cool for sports. Um, how often will this mode get used by someone buying a 1v1? Ever?
CONCLUSION: I personally think Nikon royally screwed up with the 1v1 (not necessarily Nikon 1/CX format) and it will go down as a total WTF failure in their history. The 1j1 is smaller, and less expensive than a small DSLR and not much bigger/heavier than a PNS but the 1v1 with flash is bulky and WAY overpriced. The 1j1 with both standard zooms and built-in flash for $746.95 here at Amazon is interesting... Potential there. I would rather have the 1j1 with those 2 lenses than the 1v1 with those lenses AND flash, at whatever price. I just don't want the 1v1 at any price. The 1v1 killed itself with no internal flash, period. If I'm gonna carry or mount an external flash out of NECESSITY, it won't be for/on a tiny sensor camera. Lol, aside from the 1v1 and top-end DSLRs, I cannot think of a digital camera that doesn't have a built-in flash... The 1j1 is a better camera and it's WAY cheaper ($764.95 vs. $1199 for 1v1, 2 zooms & flash) as you don't need to buy and mount a bulky external flash.
And what about vs. the Nikon P7100? P7100 comes with built-in 28-200mm equivalent lens, built-in flash, can take REAL Nikon Speedlights with GNs WAY above 27.9 and/or less expensive than $200, shoots RAW, has great image quality, is built tough, is almost a pocket camera, has a tilt screen and is less than half as costly...
But I'm sure there will be those who love the 1v1 and I'm happy for everyone who finds something they love. :)
Review by 7 "7Steven"
