Playing with the Nikon 1

heartyfisher

I recently got the Nikon 1 V1 and have been shooting with it. Its a fun little kit.. but out of the box it kind of blow the highlights quite a bit.. had to figure out how to tweek it! I brought down the Vivid and reduced the exposure to -0.7.. and now its nice!

Any other suggestions regarding the setup and care of a V1?

Oh I just updated the Firmware as well to 1.30.

Juergen

If I am using my wife's J2, I shoot RAW and Manual. So, no special set-up.

Jürgen

heartyfisher

I picked up a mint V1 + 10-30 ($320 AUD = 290 USD) just to
see how it goes (I thought if i didn't like it I could sell it).. and
I am very pleased with it.

Now just waiting for the V3(expected within the next 6months).
And I will be building a system around that. Thanks to this V1 I
have totally lost interest in the D400. even my old 18-200 kit
lense has had a new lease of life as the CX sensor uses the
much sharper middle area of the lense. CA is much lower too.
Have a look at the charts the centre areas are great!

For a cost of the FT1 adapter I get a 48-540mm FOV lense !
Mind blowing ! I am even considering replacing the 18-200
with the 18-300 which is sharper and has a slightly larger
sweet spot. that will get me a 48-810 FOV. Totally speechless
with that awesome prospect !

Some photos with my 18-200 Kit lense on the V1

NSXTypeR

Wow, Hearty, you got some great results!

JakesGT

That third shot. I like it

macsavageg4

Picked up a J1 for really cheap today with the 10-30mm. I will say it does have really fast AF. I am spoiled with my D7000 and D800 for IQ though. For what it is though it is a decent little camera. At this point I am thinking it is a nice and tiny camera I can keep with the D800 or I may actually mess with it for some messing around video work.

heartyfisher

Wow, Hearty, you got some great results!

Yeah its really a nice combo overall though I did get an image that seem much less sharp than the bird above at the long end not sure why.. at the moment I think maybe its the distance to subject or maybe missed focus.. need more testing. http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2865/10324566616_2017423000_o.jpg

Still its fun having that range !

heartyfisher

That third shot. I like it

Thanks ! quite happy with it :-) .. my mom likes it ;-)

NSXTypeR

Wow, Hearty, you got some great results!

Yeah its really a nice combo overall though I did get an image that seem much less sharp than the bird above at the long end not sure why.. at the moment I think maybe its the distance to subject or maybe missed focus.. need more testing. http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2865/10324566616_2017423000_o.jpg

Still its fun having that range !

How is AF performance? I know that only the central AF point works but is it comparable to a DSLR's speed? I'm asking because you have a D7000 too, right?

That third shot. I like it

Thanks ! quite happy with it :-) .. my mom likes it ;-)

Haha, I know the feeling- my mom likes my bug shots too sometimes. She encourages me to enter them into contests... but I'm too lazy to do paperwork sometimes.

heartyfisher

The AF is faster than the D7000 !!! but the D7000 multipoints still beats it bec of the smart object tracking.
But you get used to that and go back to tracking it your self :-). With a nikon1 native lens the V1 is fast ! So much so that when I switch between my N1V1 and D7K i notice the more slugish af. But I am getting used to that too.. so meh.

heartyfisher

Been playing a bit more with my N1V1 .. noticed some weaknesses in the way bright/blown lights bleeds. Love the reach though.. this image of a sleeping Koala near the summit of "Hanging Rock" taken with the 18-140. notice how weird the branches looks (left of the Koala).



However if you keep the picture within the Dynamic range its really nice..

adamz

I would say, that the main tweak which is a must is a Richard Franiec grip. With it, V1 works like a charm. As for the results, below some of my shots taken with this cam (some with FT1 + N70-200/2.8).

snakebunk

@adamz: Nice! I really like the gorilla and how the background is a little bit grainy while the gorilla is super sharp.

@heartyfisher: I also get those weird branches when shooting into the light. Kind of interesting I think.

What would you say are the drawbacks of the 1 series compared to bigger sensor cameras?

TaoTeJared

Can anyone inform me of what the real difference between the V1/2 and an AW1/J3 other than the shutter mechanism and flash sync? I'm really trying to figure out what to take on vacation to the B. Virgin Islands. I have played with the V2 so I am well aware of the physical features. I'm more interested in functionality.

I like the V2 (if I were to get one that would be it with the 32mm & 10-100) but with beach, sand, ocean, snorkeling the AW1 is a no brainer choice between the two - I think. Honestly I'm really not a water/surf person at all and I don't see much time spent snorkeling or anything like that. I guess I can't see a use for it after the trip. If the AW1/J3 isn't all that different than the V2 than I would feel better getting the AW1. If not, then I'll go for a WP compact.

[Deleted User]

It is catching. Bought a V1 yesterday very, very cheap and now hunting for a FT1 adapter.
Then let's see how the 70-300mm VR works. I always wanted a 810mm lens . but 540mm f/2.8 is not bad to.

paulr

TaeTeJared This link may help

http://snapsort.com/compare/Nikon-1-AW1-vs-Nikon-1-V2

I personally would take the V2/10-100PD Lens and use a GoPro Hero3+ for the Heroic Photography
I own both and I have tried and tested both cameras. The GoPro concept of photography with the new model 3+ makes you want throw all your other cameras away.

adamz

TTJ - the main difference between V1 and V2 is a little bit more Mpx on the second one, better grip and a little bit more noise. the huge benefit of V1 is the fact that it takes D800/D7100 batteries. both of the V's have EVF which is not an option for AW/J3.

as for using go pro… well, I would say yes and no. why not: battery life, no RAW files, bulkier to operate, needs additional LCD to frame the picture (forget about using wifi and your iPhone). why yes: it's much more durable, I've hauled my go pro through many different places and I'm more than happy with it, produces reasonably good jpg's.

GoPro Hero Black + some PP in Viveza and PS

PB_PM

Looks like a painting, not a picture...

Juergen

We had a clear night, so I played a bit with on my veranda.

Nikon 1 J 2, AF-S 600,
f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO 800

Parke1953

Juergen I like that.

henrik1963

What Parke1953 said - good shot

heartyfisher

man that extra range sure opens up some options with my 18-200 ...i am addicted ! i think i am going to upgrade that 18-200 to the 18-300 !!!


more from this combination (V1 18-200) here.

heartyfisher

You know what I noticed? The last element of all my Dx lenses can fit into the mouth of the nikon1 lens mount. You know what that means ? It means that nikon already has every thing needed to create a mirrorless DX system.
1) Mount : The nikon 1 mount
2) sensor : the CoolpixA sensor.

Ade

@heartyfisher

Don't forget about the flange focal distance. DX lenses (like FX lenses) are designed to have 46.5mm of flange distance, which is not ideal for a mirrorless design.

[Deleted User]

Got a very, very cheap Nikon 1 V1 and a cheap FT1. put the 70-200 f/2.8 VR II on it and got next result.



OK, I need good light, a tripod and lots of exercise. I did not get this result on 200mm with my 18-200 VR I, but good quality lenses are everything. It is difficult to shoot with 200mm (540mm) not on a tripod for me.

I also need PP for every shot, otherwise the photo's are useless for me, but the information is there.

Well I stick to my D600 and crop, but sometimes I will have fun with this one. Thank you for this topic Hearty.

[Deleted User]

Any ideas, how to shoot the Moon? I only get a very white blob in the viewer and there is no way to see the Moon sharp. Clear sky, manual f/8 - 1/200 - ISO 100. The V1 cannot focus on the Moon.