Time to by a Nikon 1? For what use?

donaldejose

I see three things happening. 1. Nikon is admitting Nikon 1 sales have tanked (see main blog today) and 2. You can get a refurbished Nikon 1 V1 with 10-30mm lens for under $300. http://nikonrumors.com/page/3/ and 3. Nikon is saying it will produce a DSLR smaller than the D3200 (see blog today). I thought the $300 price was quite attractive and looked into purchasing one for lightness and ease of carry for family snapshots. But the sensor size ultimately turned me off. I didn't like the sample photos I found on line when compared to DX. In bright sun my Smasung Galaxy S4 (or an iPhone 5) is surprisingly adequate. It seems to me there is no good reason to purchase any camera with a sensor smaller than the DX size senor. If I want lower weight I could use the new smaller DSLR Nikon will soon produce. If I want a mirrorless body I think Nikon will soon produce a mirrorless with a DX size sensor. Until then I can keep using my D5100 for lightness and family snapshots. Has anyone here come to a different conclusion about buying a Nikon 1? If so, what are your reasons? Perhaps I am wrong but as for now I have passed on the Nikon 1 system and will continue to pass on it even though I expect the prices to keep falling due to lack of demand. If I could pick up a used one for about $150 I could get it just to play around with it for interest but my feeling still is that I don't want to shoot anything of any value to me on a sensor smaller than DX with the exception of using my cell phone if that is all I have on me at the time. To me compacts are dead and Nikon1 is dead. Am I wrong?

JJ_SO

Partly you are wrong. And right at the same time, it's only a question of time, when your statement will become true.
Actually, I'm on a cycling trip in Russia and I miss my G11 every day a bit. So many scenes where a small compact with swivel screen would draw less attention than a guy with a backpack and a fat DSLR in his hand. Small sensors are for most occasions enough, if the lens is okay and the cam responsive enough.

I can't do this shots with a phone.

Nuke

The discount price on the V1 is great and I'd buy one, short of one thing. I'd have to also buy the FT-1 mount adapter. My problem is the adapter is as expensive as the camera.

I think it would be pretty good fun to mount a 200-400mm or any long lens on the little puppy and see how it goes. With good light and no needed cropping, it can take some pretty decent pictures.

Symphotic

The adapter is what makes the V1 a great bit of gear. The V1 is immensely more useful and flexible than a camera phone, but it was marketed to the camera phone shooter perhaps.

The Nikon 1 is a problem for Nikon in that although it is really very useful for someone like me, I can't find too many other people in the world who find the need I have. I have two zoom lenses, neither of which I ever use, but I keep a 55 mm Micro-Nikkor manual lens on all the time and use it daily in the lab to create instructional documents. Although I could have uses a DSLR, the combination of the 55 mm lens, with extension tubes sometimes, and the small imager is perfect for this kind of work. I can swap to the 10 mm pancake in seconds for general shooting.

I just used this kit to document a procedure I developed for how to repair and tweak fiber optic connectors for an HD video camera that is separated from the monitor by over 1 km of fiber optic conductor.

But I don't know anyone else who has found the V1 as useful as I have, and I do not make a market for a mass market camera, and I am not buying more bodies or more lenses, so even with me (the original V1 fanboy) this was a dead end product.

Nikon missed the boat when they didn't revive the S3 product with a full frame digital imager.

Ironheart

For $300 a pink one would make a great Christmas gift for my niece.

JJ_SO

On the main blog there was an article describing how Nikon sees the target users. Ladies. Because it's not as heavy as DSLR. And they're blaming EU and US because they made less money with Nikon 1 than Japan. I must say, I admire EU and US ladies for not to listen to dumb, free of new perspective marketing of a Japanese camera manufacturer now I understand better why the 1 didn't fit into my hands, it's simply made for smaller ones. Question remains, why they didn't communicate that?

Maybe they should think about their PR materials as well because in the flyers I've seen, it were only geeky men using it.
But if they think in those old-fashioned, old man steering a big company ways, it's only a shame they are not punished harder by the market. Alright, thinking along this alley could lead to LEGO camera colors like Pentax, which is cool and free of practical use except you're in a Pentax-only photo club.

Symphotic

Maybe they should think about their PR materials as well because in the flyers I've seen, it were only geeky men using it....

You say that like it's a bad thing. A lot of us have been certifiable geeks since we were picked to operate the AV equipment in high school!
The V1 does appeal to everything geeky about me.

JJ_SO

It's only a bad thing for the marketing guys who were aiming at female photographers. As if ladies could not ride heavy bikes, cars... I mean look at Annie Leibovitz, hardly shaped as body-builder but does she use featherweight cams for professional work?

All I wanted to say was Nikon's managing department missed the goal by far and they deserve bad sale numbers. The 1 series is only a shrunk D-SLR without mirror. I admit, for your purposes @Symphotic it might be great but for me a waste of money.

Symphotic

Funny thing: I just came from an event today with lots of upscale Japanese parents with their children. It seemed that other than small dslrs such as the 7100, the J1 seemed to be the camera of choice for both moms and dads.

The pros were using Canons.

TaoTeJared

I think it is apparent something will happen to the 1 series and I think it will die a slow death maybe with one more release to finish existing projects but that may be it. After seeing the news release, I just don't see it's future with those sales numbers. Investors are not happy, and they don't care if the system "really isn't that bad" or not - they care about sales.

That all said, if you are looking just for a kit system to use for the next couple of years and don't mind if it goes by the wayside, it really isn't a bad system and is fun to use. I wouldn't pay full price yet and see what the prices do in a month or two.

donaldejose

Good article today by Thom Hogan on the Nikon 1. He points out some unique features I had not thought about (60 fps at 14mp) which we should consider before we dismiss the camera.

http://www.sansmirror.com/newsviews/the-nikon-1-head-scratcher.html

NSXTypeR

I think it is apparent something will happen to the 1 series and I think it will die a slow death maybe with one more release to finish existing projects but that may be it. After seeing the news release, I just don't see it's future with those sales numbers. Investors are not happy, and they don't care if the system "really isn't that bad" or not - they care about sales.

That all said, if you are looking just for a kit system to use for the next couple of years and don't mind if it goes by the wayside, it really isn't a bad system and is fun to use. I wouldn't pay full price yet and see what the prices do in a month or two.

If you think the Nikon 1 was a dud, take a look at the Canon EOS M.

I hope Nikon follows through with this or at least tries to implement the technology on DSLRs. It'd be a shame to see it go.

Symphotic

One thing I didn't mention before is the high speed video. (1200 fps!) When analyzing a product malfunction, we can take a high speed video and play back in slow motion to see what is really going on. Getting this capability for so little money is another reason why I am quite pleased with each of the three V1s we have around the lab here.

TriShooter

As an aside the EOS M with its new firmware takes excellent pictures. I generally keep my 85mm F1.4 ED AIS Version on it, and the kit 22-55mm.

I have three Nikon V1 cameras, and 2 FT1 adapters. These cameras take very good pictures, sometimes even amazing pictures for a sensor this small. I agree with the comment that this camera is extremely attractive to geeks that enjoy the reach it gives us, and the portability it gives with its small lenses for candid, and opportunity pictures.

The V1 takes very good pictures, Take a look at my goose shot in the System 1 section, it is sharp as tack on the my 300mm, 400mm, and 500mm Nikon lenses.

The System, may, or may not fade. Nikon has spent a lot of time and effort making lenses for it that make it a super little camera. If Nikon stops making the System it will not bother me as much their not updating the D300.The V1s are little jewels.

I bought the wide-angle lens in the article below, and love it. I will not letting go my Nikon V1s go any time soon. It is a great travel, and walk about camera. I like both the Nikon 1, and the EOS M cameras better than my NEX cameras which I will be selling off soon. Take a look at the variety of subjects on Steve Huff;s site wherein he also refers to some of the new lenses for the V1. Nikon is selling a lot of expensive, and very fine lenses now for the V1.

Steve Huff's Link: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/tag/nikon-1-system/

Even better to me is Steve Huff's review and pictures of the System 1's new 32mm F1.2 (86mm@35mm format,) and how he feels about his sytem: http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2013/07/22/the-nikon-1-system-nikkor-32-1-2-lens-review/

tektrader

I just bought the twin lens kit for my wife. She told me very emphatically. SHE DIDNT WANT AN SLR.

She has tiny hands and the V1 suits her perfectly. The price is a winner at $469 for the kit.

TaoTeJared

If you think the Nikon 1 was a dud, take a look at the Canon EOS M.

I hope Nikon follows through with this or at least tries to implement the technology on DSLRs. It'd be a shame to see it go.

Canon Eos M - that has been a dud! lol Kind of like a giving a begging kid jalapeno jelly beans and saying - "well, you wanted some candy."

There are good things about all the systems and no one has said they can't produce good images. Part of selling anything is understanding your customers needs and desires and marketing to them while delivering on what they want. With what others have delivered, these systems just fell short in one way or another.

ghadiardja

I just bought the twin lens kit for my wife. She told me very emphatically. SHE DIDNT WANT AN SLR.

She has tiny hands and the V1 suits her perfectly. The price is a winner at $469 for the kit.

This sums it up for me. We are expecting our first baby soon and wifey wants a camera with decent image quality without the intimidating controls of a DSLR. Got a V1 + 10-30 kit used (1-month old) for $220 which is an incredible bargain. The AF (and extra range with the FT1 + F-mount lenses) is great for sports shooting and I've used the 400 fps video mode for tennis coaching. The ability to take still images while simultaneously shooting full HD video has also been great for events such as graduation ceremony, birthdays, etc. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised at how much fun I get shooting the V1. I might have to get another one when the baby arrives

I think where Nikon failed (and continues to fail) with the 1 system is highlighting its strengths and what they can be used for to the mass market. I dismissed the 1 system when it came out and it wasn't until I did my own research that I realised it fills in gaps that my DSLR cannot do.