The Dragon Departs
I have intentionally ignored all reviews of the Nikon V1 so that I could give an unbiased opinion of this camera. Of course, I rented it from Lens Rentals. It arrived on Friday, January 20th, 2012. It came with;
1 – Nikon V1 body (crop factor 2.7)
1 – Nikkor 10 – 30 mm zoom (27mm – 81mm 35mm equiv)
1 – Battery
1 – Charger
0 – SD card
All photos, for the next 6 days, will be taken with this camera. I plan to put it through its paces.
The first thing that I noticed about the camera is the size. It fits into my palm easily. The body, by itself weighs in around 294 grams. Pretty lightweight. Add the lens, which adds another 113 g, and you have a total weight equivalent to the Canon G12. By the time you add the battery, it weighs just a tad more.
Fly by wire.
Another thing that I noticed, is that this camera is almost completely, fly-by-wire. That is, there are few mechanical controls on the outside of the camera save for 3 buttons on the top: On/Off, shutter release, and video camera record button.
On the back you’ll find the mode selector, having 4 modes: Movie, Still pictures, Smart still pictures, and …. Also, there are a few other buttons alloying you to change Auto focus mode, lock exposure and focus, show the menu, delete a photos, and change what information shows on the rear display.
Any changes to mode, Aperture, Shutter, Program, or Manual, have to be done through the menus. Fortunately, the menus are only one level deep and everything is easy to find. The first thing that I did was turn off the sound and the AF assist light. The menus are very intuitive and familiar, so it was easy to do.
Shutters:
The camera has a choice of 3 shutter modes: Mechanical, Electronic, and Electronic (hi), offering shutter speeds up to 60 fps. However, switching to the ‘hi’ mode puts the camera automatically into auto mode and it cannot be changed. You have to let the camera make all of the decisions.
Format:
The format is 3:2 in standard camera mode and 16:9 in movie mode. There is no option to change this.
Auto ISO:
The camera can be shot from 100 – 6400 ISO. Auto ISO can be grouped. There are a few ranges to selected from 100-400, 100-800, and 100-1600; however, you may select your own range, giving a bottom and a top number that the camera may operate within.
Viewfinder:
I’m actually starting to get used to looking at the back of cameras, but still like a viewfinder. When I looked through the viewfinder of the VI, I felt right at home. Glass! Nice. Then I noticed something, there was electronic info around the edges and on the screen there was a focus reticle. Huh? Nope. Not glass, and Electronic Viewfinder, or EVF. Wow! It is impressive. Very clear and looks almost like glass.
Nikon borrowed a trick from “The Mind of Minolta”, too. The EVF only comes on when you put your eye to the viewfinder and the LCD on the back of the camera turns off. My Minolta DiMage A1 had this handy feature. I used it a lot. I rarely looked at the monitor on the back of the camera.
After experimenting with white balance, I can see that the viewfinder shows what your exposure will look like, as well. It’s a very nice display. In panning quickly from side to side, I can see that it has a very slight lag if you pan quickly, but it’s nothing that would stop me from using the camera.
Yesterday, I shot 1500+ shots with this camera. I was excited to try out the electronic shutter to see how it worked. In a word, it works very well. It’s amazing to see a camera peel of 30 frames per second; however, it would tend to ‘freeze’ periodically when, I suspect, the buffer filled up. So, as a not-so-serious sports camera, it would work well. It’d be great for doing any kind of well-lit sports; however, with the kit lens, the 10 – 30 mm, f/3.5 – f/5.6, it is a little slow for inside work. I had to adjust my expectations and instead of getting crisp still shots, I had to accept some motion, or in some case, use the motion and low shutter speeds to my advantage by panning and following the action or allowing it to flow, such as the lead photograph: The Dragon Departs.
As mentioned, the sensor is very small and it is crammed with 12 million pixels, so anything above about 200 starts to get noisy; however, for the sake of argument, all of the photos here were taken at ISO 3200. I didn’t try 6400 yet. I’ll save that for night shots and get back to you on it. You can even see the noise in this photo of Matt (upside down) and Mike. It is noticeable, BUT, it beats the heck out of missing the shot.
Certainly, the V1 is no replacement for the D300, and I most certainly missed my D300 during this event, but I’m glad that I had the V1 with me. I wouldn’t have been able to get these shots with the M9, or if I did, they would be few and far between. The S90 would have had much luck either, I don’t think. Again, hit and miss, but with a choice between 10, 30, or 60 fps, I was assured to get some keepers.
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Good summary, Paul. Funny how we concern ourselves with noise at ISO 3200 until we remember that it’s (don’t know how to do italics) ISO 3200! You’ve got a pretty high bar for comparison but I’m looking forward to more thoughts.
Tom, you make a couple of good points here. Personally, I’m not all that concerned with the digital noise, many folks are. I brought it up just because it was, shall we say, noticeable even at web-sized pictures. I’d much rather be able to get the shot than to have smooth photos of missed shots.
It is amazing to think that in years gone by, I wouldn’t have even been able to take these shots because there wasn’t film speed sufficient to do the job. I might have gotten a few, but the rolls, for the most part, might have contained some awfully thin images with the need to push film to ISO 3200.
Secondly, this is not a direct comparison to the D300. The D300 is a far superior camera, even though it is 3 years older. I was contrasting what I was used to, to that which was new, the V1. I still have 4 more days with the camera, but I can see, already, that this would be a camera worth having, if you wanted to have a great all all around camera that could do family shots, vacation shots, sports, etc. It fits the bill and has a great EVF, to boot!
You’re exactly right, Paul. “Yes, there is noise at ISO 3200 but I was shooting in the DARK!”
My comment about the high bar was meant only that, because you are used to seeing very good image quality from the cameras you use, it may need to be a little “extra good” for you to be happy with it.
I like the idea of your real world/real user testing and look forward to the next installment!
Now that, my friend, is a very good point. You’re right. Had I been using, say only a Canon S90, then picked this up, I would have probably been gushing about it! However, having a much larger sensor and great photos up to, and including, ISO 3200 … yeah, my expectations are … somewhat higher.
I much prefer to read real world applications than to see charts and graphs. I get nothing from them.
I find that first image amazing! Strange how I seem to be migrating in thoughts to simplifying our cameras. Fewer controls keeps me from hitting the wrong button or switch and allows more focus on photography. Knowing the Nikon 1 has fewer buttons is appealing to me.
And by the way, I find this is a true photojournalists comment “I’d much rather be able to get the shot than to have smooth photos of missed shots.”
LOL! Monte, in my mind, it’s all about bringing home the shot, baby!
So far, outside of Popular Photography, most reviews I’ve seen of the V1 have been very positive, with the exception of certain aspects (manual control, gimmicky features, etc). People have been surprised by the overall image quality. What I’d like to hear is a reasonable assessment of enlarging capabilities – if I’m shooting at ISO 100, how big can I print before image degradation sets in? My guess is it might be pushing it to do a 16X20, since it’s only 10MP…
I looked at a J1 the other day – was really impressed by the LCD panel – much sharper than what they were a few years ago.
Looking forward to seeing some more images from this deceptive little camera….
Thanks,
John
John, that’s a very good question. Of course, the size of the enlargement could depend on the subject matter because of details, dark areas, etc. Also, what lens you’re using, did you use a tripod, etc. I’m going to have to put this baby on a tripod and head into the woods, or something and see how it handles.
When I had my Nikon D40, it was not unusual for me to print 12 x 18 and be absolutely stunned and pleased at the results. Unfortunately, I don’t have any more 13 x 19 paper on hand, but I don’t doubt that this camera could perform well up to 16 x 20, perhaps more, depending on viewing distance and what your idea of ‘acceptable’ might be. Thanks for the idea!
Very interesting write up, Paul. I’m looking forward to seeing how the V1 performs during the time you have it and your impression of it. I saw the J1 in the store yesterday and it’s very appealing.
Ops. I have to admit, that I completely missed that camera… But after looking through the web in order to get an idea on its size, I’m not sure that it would cater for me. Too big (especially with those zooms) for a real carry on, too limited for more serious stuff. But I frankly admit, that I don’t do sports photography at all.
Nope, that baby doesn’t really sing to me, I have to admit. But that also goes for obvious competitors (NEX’es, etc.). I guess, that’s just me.
Paul, if you ever review the Fuji X-Pro1, I’m going to drop dead (green with envy). Wish we had a service like Lens Rentals around this side of the planet.
I didn’t see that it had many limitations, other than sensor size. It is in the ‘between’ area. Certainly, you cannot put it into your pocket, but it is would be very easy to carry around, say on vacation. No problem at all, there.
Well, when the Fuji X-Pro-1 comes out, and LensRentals.com gets one, I’ll make sure to review it watch for the green glow across the horizon!
Maybe you should start such a business! Sounds like an untapped market, Thomas!