Nikon 1, which series to buy?

swamesp

I was using D7000 for last few years and currently do not have any of my DSKR kit. I'm looking to buy these Nikon 1s given that some of them go at lower price. I never cared about looking at the specs as I presumed, i'd never need one of these. Now here I'm... Any help is very much appreciated.

These are things that I'm looking at for the camera:
- Reasonably good at low light
- to go at 300mm DX reach
- do not need weather sealed
- good macro ability
- any 1.8 or 2.8 lenses?

I do not have any of my DX lenses with me. Have to buy all Nikon 1 lenses. What are the suggestions here?

Thanks!

heartyfisher

LOL get a D3300 ...

if you still want to go with the nikon 1 then the 10-100 lense is what you want.

I have a nikon1 and Low light is not one of the benefits of the nikon1 system. Having said that .. the nikon 1 has many benefits. size of course but I love it for the amazing reach I can get with the cheap DX Kit lenses. My fav is the old 18-200. and I am considering getting the new 18-300.

As to which series .. well tell us more re what you want from the nikon 1.. the AW1 is really good for underwater but i dont know if thats what you want .. or maybe its perfect for you..

swamesp

LOL get a D3300 ...

...but I love it for the amazing reach I can get with the cheap DX Kit lenses. My fav is the old 18-200. and I am considering getting the new 18-300.

I saw your photos on the other thread, loved them. That's one of the reason to look into N1 series. Do you have any samples at low light on N1s?

heartyfisher

ISO 3200 For web 800x600 display its not totally horrid but i have a D610 now so any low light shooting and i reach for the D610. let me dig around and see what i can find...

NSXTypeR

Do you have a budget in mind? If you want something that handles most like a DSLR and won't break the bank I'd go for a V2- has a built in viewfinder and the PASM mode dial.

That's the problem with the 1 series- Nikon has so much old stuff in stock it becomes very confusing for us. Think about the people who know even less about cameras. It makes buying anything difficult. Same thing with DSLRs. The D90, D7000 and D7100 are still being sold together in some places.

ISO 3200 For web 800x600 display its not totally horrid but i have a D610 now so any low light shooting and i reach for the D610. let me dig around and see what i can find...

Didn't know you got a D610 too! Nice purchase!

Ironheart

The V series is the most "pro", the V2 has some good deals on packages, and you may find some discounts as the V3 becomes more available.

The J series has less manual controls than the S, but it's all in there if you dig through. Comes in more colors and packages.

The S series is entry level and has the fewest manual controls. It's also the smallest, lightest and cheapest.

The 10mm (28mm equiv) f/2.8 is a pretty good prime, the 18.8 (50mm equiv) f/1.8 is better and both are reasonable cost, $250 and $190 respectively. The 32mm (85mm equiv) f/1.2 has been called the jewel of the 1 series, and it better be at $900

The zooms are well covered, the 10-100 being the best all 'rounder.

Nuke

I was using D7000 for last few years and currently do not have any of my DSKR kit. I'm looking to buy these Nikon 1s given that some of them go at lower price. I never cared about looking at the specs as I presumed, i'd never need one of these. Now here I'm... Any help is very much appreciated.

These are things that I'm looking at for the camera:
- Reasonably good at low light
- to go at 300mm DX reach
- do not need weather sealed
- good macro ability
- any 1.8 or 2.8 lenses?

I do not have any of my DX lenses with me. Have to buy all Nikon 1 lenses. What are the suggestions here?

Thanks!

- Reasonably good at low light - Nikon 1s are not high ISO cameras. They do great at base ISO or close to base.
- to go at 300mm DX reach - No problem for any Nikon 1. Any lens greater then 100mm will give you close to that angle of view. The new 70-300 will give you more.
- do not need weather sealed - both cameras will give you that except the Nikon 1 AW1 under water camera.
- good macro ability - I prefer my Nikon 1 V2 for this because of the greater DOF at equivalent focal lengths. There are no native N1 lenses that do macro. I use my f-mount macro lenses.
- any 1.8 or 2.8 lenses? - The speeds are there in the short Nikon 1 primes but not if your looking for a 300mm equiv reach lens.

You want a lot and you won't get it with either camera. I speak as a D800 and a N1 V2 owner.

Ironheart

There is a close-up filter that will screw to the front of most of the 1 lenses, the N1-CL1. for that matter any 40.5mm screw-on accessory will work.

heartyfisher

Do you have a budget in mind? If you want something that handles most like a DSLR and won't break the bank I'd go for a V2- has a built in viewfinder and the PASM mode dial.

That's the problem with the 1 series- Nikon has so much old stuff in stock it becomes very confusing for us. Think about the people who know even less about cameras. It makes buying anything difficult. Same thing with DSLRs. The D90, D7000 and D7100 are still being sold together in some places.

ISO 3200 For web 800x600 display its not totally horrid but i have a D610 now so any low light shooting and i reach for the D610. let me dig around and see what i can find...

Didn't know you got a D610 too! Nice purchase!

I am one of those waiting for a D400. well I was but the D610 is more camera than what I am capable of. I have a D7000 and that was a step down from my S5pro (d200 clone) in terms of handling. some say the D610 is just a FX D7000, but I don't find it to be the case. I am considering selling the D7000. BTW I still use my DX glass with the D610. works great ! esp the superzooms I dont really lose any thing using it on the D610 bec the resolution of the lenses on the D610 is practically as good as using it on the D7000. Its not worth getting the 28-300 FX superzoom bec the resolution of that lense is worse than the DX superzooms which results in images of similar IQ.

The D610 seems to be perceived as "second rate" on this forum, but gosh, its one super kit !

adamz

my wife has a V1 that I got her last year... and that I use quite often. if you are into this camera than please forget the two cheap zooms from first generation as they simply doesn't deliver. I bought her the 18.5mm prime and this lens is stunning for it's price. it's my way to go travel setup. I would like to add the 32 prime as well but I'm still waiting to see a price drop on it

Ironheart

I agree with your assessment on the early zooms. The primes are great on this platform, and I will buy the 32mm once I get my feet wet with the new V3. I have also been impressed with the new power zooms, at least in the store when I messed around with them. I'm also looking forward to playing with the new 70-300

adamz

some snaps from the V1+18.5mm

paulr

Things I like about The Nikon V3

I bought the basic camera and then added the grip first and found this totally changed the feel of the camera, down side is you have to remove it to recharge the battery. Always been used to a viewfinder, this was the second item I bought; Now it began to feel and be able to use as a proper camera.
The Exposure compensation is a great asset due to been able to see this live while adjusting the compensation. Ideal for shooting running water to get the slowest shutter speed.
Moveable rear screen is great when you want uncongenial viewpoints.
Lightness my what a difference to some of the professional bodies I use.
20FPS at full autofocus, beats my D4
I tend to use just one lens the 10-100PD lens, Not a fan of changing lenses on location.
Having owned the V1 , V2 I do think Nikon have improved this little camera. I am sure no doubt further improvements could be made, however the V3 is getting there .
Once you get used to the size of the camera and somewhat delicate handling, its a camera that constantly gives the user some pleasant surprises, so much that my D4 has become a work camera only.

dcanning

What are the opinions about the Nikon One AW1? Is it worth it.

funtagraph

@paulr You're still happy with the 1 V3? Do you also have the FT-1 and adpated some "normal" lenses?

Currently there's a cashback offer going on and I'm thinking about the 1 V3 set (with finder and grip and lens) + FT-1

1 AW 1 would be nice as kind of an alweather cam, but finder and tilting touch screen have some importance to me.

manhattanboy

@paulr You're still happy with the 1 V3? Do you also have the FT-1 and adpated some "normal" lenses?

Currently there's a cashback offer going on and I'm thinking about the 1 V3 set (with finder and grip and lens) + FT-1

1 AW 1 would be nice as kind of an alweather cam, but finder and tilting touch screen have some importance to me.

The sensor is noisier IMHO...almost approaching a P&S with smearing being evident at 100%. I guess it makes sense as ultimately the pixels are getting too tiny for their own good, but this is a change versus the original Nikon 1 series camera where 100% crops were okay just lacked in DR. I would almost argue that they should reduce the MP size and concentrate on DR and noise preferentially, but I am probably in a minority here given that there is a MP push with the 5DS, etc. going on right now.

funtagraph

@manhattanboy thanks for your answer, it's in line with DxO test comparison between V1, V2 and V3. Being V1 the best with 54 points, V2 51 and V3 52, squeezing 18 MP onto the tiny sensor was probably not the best of all ideas. I need to reconsider and do a bit more picture research.

paulr

Having owned all three, the V3 comes out top due to the fine tuning of getting it better by time. Down side is they are all not good in low light and unless you can use the other special characters of the Nikon 1, there are better cameras on the market, I have sold all my Nikon 1 equipment. I bought I tried and for me and what I needed, they did not come up to the mark.

funtagraph

Wow, @paulr, thanks a lot for your reply. I thought about using it for fast series, but that means "some lowlight capability should be available". Well, just saved a grand.

Ironheart

While the V3 is no master of darkness, I find with the f/1.8 and f/2.8 lenses it's just fine. If you need high ISO, you can always process the raw image with DxO PRIME; it is more than FINE. Also, the autofocus works in near absolute darkness. I can't find an official rating like the f/8 for the D800, but I can shoot airplanes at night with the 70-300 and get a lock first time, every time. Try that with your DSLR :P

@paulr, what camera did you buy to replace it, and which better cameras are you referring to?

Here's a sample image from Nikon:

paulr

Iron heart, Sold all my Nikon 1 gear on Ebay and managed to get £1450, so bought a D810 to go with my D4 so i had the benefits of both ranges. I must admit I found the Nikon 1 series camera a little too small for me , but thats a just personal thing.

donaldejose

Just for a fun experiment I recently picked up a V2 when they were on sale for $350 (still may be some places) and a FT-1 adapter on e-bay for $160 and then mounted my existing f4 70-200 zoom. Here is a hand held shot taken at 1/500 second, f4.5, effective 380mm and ISO 200. Seems sharp enough to me. The Nikon 1 sensor is not going to be good for low light or for large prints but it sure does make a small and light birding rig.