- Messages
- 1,621
- Name
- Dan
- Edit My Images
- Yes
Well, I know there are two of us on here.... Any more...? Bueller?..... Bueller?....
OK, well I'll kick off. This is a superb and underrated camera. Forums can be cruel places sometimes, and woe betide anyone who dares go beneath APS-C sensor size. Well, Nikon did and in doing so created a jekyll and hyde sensor. On the one hand, it is just 10MP so pixel pitch is pretty decent. Unlike the Fuji X10 or the G12, this is a sensor twice the size. Remember this comes with under half the pixels of the latest compacts available; and as a result the dynamic range and ISO capabilities are very good and a world away from compact cameras. Likewise, with a little work there is plenty of opportunity for depth of field to be SLR-like. On the other hand, it is a smaller sensor than even micro 4/3rds, but the overall box size is comparable. Its a 'tweener.
sunday best by danbroad1000, on Flickr
The 2.7 crop is a major blessing for telephoto users, and a curse for wide angle shooters. Nothing wider than 28mm at the moment. If you look at the 70-300 equivalent, though, its about the same size as the 50mm f/1.8G; tiny, riny lenses with a really very good reputation already.
However, it tightens the angle of view right up for longer lenses; a 300mm becomes an 810mm f/4 and even a 50mm f/1.4 becomes a fantastic 135mm/1.4. I promise there's very little depth of field available with such a fast telephoto prime, even on smaller sensors such as this! For some folks considering long fast primes, it might be a cheaper option to go with a V1 or J1 as an alternative. Having seen the results with a 300/4, I would personally use a V1+300/4 combo rather than spring for a 600/4, spending an extra £4000 in the process! You get the ability of PDAF at full speed, too, although be aware it's centre point only, and AF-S rather than AF-C.
Cat's Eye by danbroad1000, on Flickr
The real headline of the V1 for me, though, is the speed. I love compact cameras but hate the feeling or swimming through treacle that you get with their operation. This is a compact camera, but one with the best pixel pitch out there. And - here's the nitty gritty of it all - it's fast. PDAF in decent light, a buffer of 1GB that will shoot 30 RAW files at 10 fps before it fills, and a mechanical shutter that has no appreciable lag. That shutter is far quieter than the other CSC's around, though (ex G1, Nex5 owner) and far, far quieter than any SLR (even my D80, and certainly quieter than the machine gun that was the D700). It means unobtrusive shooting in quiet places.
grains by danbroad1000, on Flickr
If you want to shoot SLR speed, but like compacts because you don't get odd looks, here's the answer. If you want to shoot super telephoto but dont want to remortgage the house, or put up with the manual focus legacy lens options you have with micro 4/3rds, here's the answer.
Anyone else here?
OK, well I'll kick off. This is a superb and underrated camera. Forums can be cruel places sometimes, and woe betide anyone who dares go beneath APS-C sensor size. Well, Nikon did and in doing so created a jekyll and hyde sensor. On the one hand, it is just 10MP so pixel pitch is pretty decent. Unlike the Fuji X10 or the G12, this is a sensor twice the size. Remember this comes with under half the pixels of the latest compacts available; and as a result the dynamic range and ISO capabilities are very good and a world away from compact cameras. Likewise, with a little work there is plenty of opportunity for depth of field to be SLR-like. On the other hand, it is a smaller sensor than even micro 4/3rds, but the overall box size is comparable. Its a 'tweener.
sunday best by danbroad1000, on Flickr
The 2.7 crop is a major blessing for telephoto users, and a curse for wide angle shooters. Nothing wider than 28mm at the moment. If you look at the 70-300 equivalent, though, its about the same size as the 50mm f/1.8G; tiny, riny lenses with a really very good reputation already.
However, it tightens the angle of view right up for longer lenses; a 300mm becomes an 810mm f/4 and even a 50mm f/1.4 becomes a fantastic 135mm/1.4. I promise there's very little depth of field available with such a fast telephoto prime, even on smaller sensors such as this! For some folks considering long fast primes, it might be a cheaper option to go with a V1 or J1 as an alternative. Having seen the results with a 300/4, I would personally use a V1+300/4 combo rather than spring for a 600/4, spending an extra £4000 in the process! You get the ability of PDAF at full speed, too, although be aware it's centre point only, and AF-S rather than AF-C.
Cat's Eye by danbroad1000, on Flickr
The real headline of the V1 for me, though, is the speed. I love compact cameras but hate the feeling or swimming through treacle that you get with their operation. This is a compact camera, but one with the best pixel pitch out there. And - here's the nitty gritty of it all - it's fast. PDAF in decent light, a buffer of 1GB that will shoot 30 RAW files at 10 fps before it fills, and a mechanical shutter that has no appreciable lag. That shutter is far quieter than the other CSC's around, though (ex G1, Nex5 owner) and far, far quieter than any SLR (even my D80, and certainly quieter than the machine gun that was the D700). It means unobtrusive shooting in quiet places.
grains by danbroad1000, on Flickr
If you want to shoot SLR speed, but like compacts because you don't get odd looks, here's the answer. If you want to shoot super telephoto but dont want to remortgage the house, or put up with the manual focus legacy lens options you have with micro 4/3rds, here's the answer.
Anyone else here?
Last edited: