DIGITAL X

Online arm of DIGITALX magazine, the source for news and trends in technology business, gadgets, the Web, government policies, mobile, and social media. Published in Lagos, Nigeria.

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December 2nd, 3:53pm 0 comments

A Nikon the world has never seen

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It has taken a while – a little over three years to be precise – but Nikon has, at long last, joined the compact system camera (CSC) market with the launch of the Nikon 1 system.
Nikon USA calls it, "A Nikon the world has never seen"...and it happens to be very, very small.

The Nikon 1 J1 is a stylish compact system camera featuring a 10-megapixel “CX” format sensor and the all-new Nikon 1 lens mount. Boasting continuous shooting speeds of up to 60 frames per second at full resolution, Full HD video capture, an ultra-fast hybrid auto-focus system, Smart Photo Selector and a unique Motion Snapshot Mode, the portable Nikon J1 also offers more conventional shooting modes like Programmed Auto, Aperture and Shutter Priority, as well as Metered Manual. Also on board is a built-in pop-up flash with a guide number of 5, a 3 inch rear display and an electronic shutter.

There are two models in the range at present; the consumer-targeted J1 and the more photography enthusiast-orientated V1.
Given the £250-odd price gap between the two models, the differences between them are actually rather less pronounced than you might expect. The J1 doesn’t get the 1.4million-dot EVF of the V1, but does sport its own built-in flash (the V1 requires the optional Nikon SB-N5 flash unit to be attached to its proprietary hotshoe).
Inside, however, both cameras are both very similar, although the V1 does distinguish itself on account of offering a mechanical shutter that provides a bit more flexibility than the J1’s electronic-only shutter, along with a faster maximum flash sync speed of 1/250sec as opposed to the J1’s maximum 1/60sec.

The Nikon 1 J1 is a great point and shoot system camera providing ease of use, image quality in a compact body and as with the V1, it represents a bold and brave step by Nikon into the compact, mirrorless system camera market.

The camera does what it is designed to do very well but might not be a camera for everyone giving the cost as compared to semi-professional cameras.

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