The Nikon 1 system - an open thread

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piper

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richard
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I am just posting some reapair info which may or may not be of interest to any Nikon 1 users here. This comes from DPreview and it has helped many of us to keep our system ( mostly lenses going ). Shame if the info disappears.

I have used Nikon 1 since about 2016 firstly to get better reach with Nikon FX lenses ( via the FT1 adapter ) since about 2016.

Some time later, I realised that it is a very good and tiny ILC system that can cover a range from about 18mm to 810mm EFL in native lenses - longer with FX lenses.
Only in compactness ( particularly at the longer end ) and some cross compatibility with Nikon DX/FX does it beat m43 ( which I also use a lot ) and anyone who has used it will know of its capabilities and it limitations.

Although Nikon produced very robust bodies - they did make a pigs ear of their lenses.

The issue is that most of them can suffer from a "stuck aperture" which is caused by embrittlement of the small nylon iris gear. This seems to happen particularly if the lenses are left unused for some time.

Firstly, the lenses that seem most robust:

10-30 PD ( ie 27-81 EFL )
6.7-13 ( ie 18-35 EFL ) - this is the equal of the Olympus 9-18 which I also have
70-300 CX VR ( ie 189-810 EFL ) - this is the extremely compact - liked by Thom Hogan but as a "sunny 16 " lens but AI NR have shifted that limited capabilility a lot. It can suffer ribbon cable problems but is repairable

The ones that suffer from the stuck aperture are:

10-30 non PD - although Nikon had a recall on these but NOT for this issue - lenses ex this recall seem OK ?? - I have a couple.
30-110
10-100 non PD
32/1.2 ( less so )

The primes in the sytem are the 18.5/1.8 and the 10/2.8 which seem less liable to failure

We found that a guy in Taiwan can fix these: he replaces the naff nylon pinion with a metal one and our experience is that this works.

I have had 2x 10-100 repaired ( and a ribbon cable uprated in one CX 70-300 ). To the best of my knowledge, he has repaired a few dozen lenses of members of that forum.

I have a lot of Nikon 1 stuff now - used almost every day to "grab and go" while my Z6 and DSLRs are somewhat negelected.

The repair shop is at MYDC.com.tw. E=email repair@mydc.com.tw. The guy is Mr Huang

Richard Dutton AKA "Piper"
 
i have the 10-30 and 30-110 and haven’t used them in about 6 years. Will definitely be checking these tomorrow as I plan to take them on holiday in a months time - thanks for the info!
 
I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a Nikon 1 camera for everyday carry/friends and family/street shooting. I’ve rather liked some of the black and white conversions that make the noise more acceptable.
 
I've had a Nikon 1 V2 and most of the lenses since about 2015... not needed any repairs yet, but doesn't get a lot of use. MYDC.com.tw doesn't resolve...

Edit: but shop.mydc.com.tw does resolve...
 
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Maybe have a look, while it is still there, on the Nikon 1 talk subforum of dpreview. Look out "misterodd aka boxman" - he has made great use of monochrome on a V1 - if you haven't seen them already.

I just sometimes use deepprime on DXO Photolab 6 to deal with some of the noise issues on N1, m43 and even APS-C. I know its all smoke and mirrors - not the real image but one can get some believable results - and not as artificial looking as on a phone.

Not too bothered about noise myself - years of film photography and yes I know it is different but some sensors like that on the V1 and on a D500 seem to go light on colour noise which is the most annoying for me.

cheers

richard
 
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piper said:
Maybe have a look, while it is still there, on the Nikon 1 talk subforum of dpreview. Look out "misterodd aka boxman" - he has made great use of monochrome on a V1 - if you haven't seen them already.
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Thank you for the tip, I hadn’t seen his pictures before, very inspiring.
piper said:
Not too bothered about noise myself - years of film photography and yes I know it is different but some sensors like that on the V1 and on a D500 seem to go light on colour noise which is the most annoying for me.
Click to expand...

On re-reading my post I realise I expressed myself rather poorly, I’m actually hoping to incorporate the noise in my artistic expression (artistic might be a strong word, though…)
 
piper said:
Maybe have a look, while it is still there, on the Nikon 1 talk subforum of dpreview. Look out "misterodd aka boxman" - he has made great use of monochrome on a V1 - if you haven't seen them already.

I just sometimes use deepprime on DXO Photolab 6 to deal with some of the noise issues on N1, m43 and even APS-C. I know its all smoke and mirrors - not the real image but one can get some believable results - and not as artificial looking as on a phone.

Not too bothered about noise myself - years of film photography and yes I know it is different but some sensors like that on the V1 and on a D500 seem to go light on colour noise which is the most annoying for me.

cheers

richard
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Richard,

Don't be alarmed! I hope this doesn't come as too much of a surprise, but I've followed you here. And this is my first post.
I'm flattered by the attention you've given me. In time though you might just realize that I'm just another run-of-the-mill snapper. LOL
And, of course, many thanks for introducing me to this site. I like the layout and relative simplicity.
 
Box Man said:
Richard,

Don't be alarmed! I hope this doesn't come as too much of a surprise, but I've followed you here. And this is my first post.
I'm flattered by the attention you've given me. In time though you might just realize that I'm just another run-of-the-mill snapper. LOL
And, of course, many thanks for introducing me to this site. I like the layout and relative simplicity.
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Great to see you here - well here, there and everywhere. I agree about your comments on this forum - I like it a lot.
 
piper said:
Great to see you here - well here, there and everywhere. I agree about your comments on this forum - I like it a lot.
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Glad you are alive and well. Looking forward to seeing some of your stuff, with an N1 or not doesn't matter that much. :police:
 
gramps said:
Nice ... well spotted :)
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Thanks, gramps! Happy to know that someone out there thinks my images are decent enough.
By the way, are you really an older, wiser man as your username might indicate or is gramps just a name, one among many, that you happen to choose? :ty:
 
Box Man said:
Thanks, gramps! Happy to know that someone out there thinks my images are decent enough.
By the way, are you really an older, wiser man as your username might indicate or is gramps just a name, one among many, that you happen to choose? :ty:
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Older, yes … wiser, I can only hope so. :)
 
gramps said:
Older, yes … wiser, I can only hope so. :)
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Well then gramps, it's my pleasure and privilege to run into an elder gentleman with refined tastes and a down-to-earth modesty, to boot. I can only hope that I'll be half as wise as you, sir, when I join the club.
 
Nikon 1 with 300mm Nikon f4 VR

Blue eye Damsel

TZ_Nikon1_Dragon.jpg
 
Shooting Nikon 1 gear and posting the finished goods is increasingly becoming a lonely affair.

Oh, well, I suppose there are worse fates out there. LOL
 
Don't be deterred - I'm thinking of ploughing a lonely furrow with a Pentax Q camera...
 
AMcUK said:
Great shots - interesting colours and textures.
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Thanks for dropping by and leaving a nice comment! Much appreciated.
I looked at some of your Olympus photos. You know how to make the best use of your camera system. A lot of great images!
 
Box Man said:
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a nice comment! Much appreciated.
I looked at some of your Olympus photos. You know how to make the best use of your camera system. A lot of great images!
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That's very nice of you to say.

You might want to check out Micro Four Nerds on YouTube - she has a thing for thing for tiny cameras, including the Pentax Q. but so far not the Nikon 1.
I nearly got the Pentax Q system as my first mirrorless system but went with the Olympus E-PL5 back in 2013 which lead me down the Micro 4/3rds route.

i was a bit surprised at the eBay prices of both those tiny camera systems - I guess there's a little cult following!
 
AMcUK said:
That's very nice of you to say.

You might want to check out Micro Four Nerds on YouTube - she has a thing for thing for tiny cameras, including the Pentax Q. but so far not the Nikon 1.
I nearly got the Pentax Q system as my first mirrorless system but went with the Olympus E-PL5 back in 2013 which lead me down the Micro 4/3rds route.

i was a bit surprised at the eBay prices of both those tiny camera systems - I guess there's a little cult following!
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You started the game in 2013. Wow! So did I. I had the orginal Sony RX100, but ended up giving it to my brother. At the time I also bought into the Nikon 1 system, which I have spent a bundle on over the years. Among all my N1 gear it's crazy to fathom that I have bought 8 V1 cameras. I also seriously considered the Panasonic GM5 and Olympus Pen F, as well as the Pentax Qs, especially the original back when they were first released. I regret still that I didn't buy at least one of these cool cameras.

I checked out your link, thanks! The lady is right about the cutest camera, the Q. But she might have been wrong about the most hated camera which, in my opinion, was/is the Nikon 1 V1. It was trashed by just about everyone except Steve Huff, if you remember him. I think he is one reason I bought my first V1. LOL :D

Yeah, there are several cool cameras that have really shot up in price. It's good for those who are going to make a little extra cash, I suppose; but not good for people without money like me. LOL :ROFLMAO:
 
Never believed in theories such as " Dead camera system " etc . As a previous owner of a Nikon 1 v1 ( among other " Dead systems ) i can remember how easy it was to focus via the viewfinder using an older Nikon lens with a cheap adapter without electronic communication and despite the overall absence of a focus peaking function . A great camera .
 
Han. Ph said:
Never believed in theories such as " Dead camera system " etc . As a previous owner of a Nikon 1 v1 ( among other " Dead systems ) i can remember how easy it was to focus via the viewfinder using an older Nikon lens with a cheap adapter without electronic communication and despite the overall absence of a focus peaking function . A great camera .
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Yeah, I don't subscribe to such beliefs. :tumbleweed:

Dead or alive it's all the same to me. As long as I can get the little box to take a few snaps when I command it to. :naughty:

Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with collectors of cameras or even those with chronic GAS. :banana:

The world will continue to spin. As long as no one gets hurt, we are all good. :wave:
 
Another good thing i remember on the 1 v1 , using the 10 - 30 ( mine was refurbished from Hong Kong ) in the full auto mode , took a sequence of three shots whether you liked it or not , means you couldn't override this feature . You can call it maybe a mini slideshow or even better something like a timelapse ( feel free to correct me accordingly on this ) . Proved to be a very useful feature , especially when you wanted to catch flying birds and moving things in general .
Can't say too much for battery life . Mine was an after market product . Bought the camera as second hand ( third ? ) .
 
Han. Ph said:
Another good thing i remember on the 1 v1 , using the 10 - 30 ( mine was refurbished from Hong Kong ) in the full auto mode , took a sequence of three shots whether you liked it or not , means you couldn't override this feature . You can call it maybe a mini slideshow or even better something like a timelapse ( feel free to correct me accordingly on this ) . Proved to be a very useful feature , especially when you wanted to catch flying birds and moving things in general .
Can't say too much for battery life . Mine was an after market product . Bought the camera as second hand ( third ? ) .
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I think you are referring to the setting "Smart Photo Selector" in the V1. In this mode you can take a sequence of 5 photos in auto mode by pressing the shutter only once. (It's similar to shooting a burst of 5 continuous shots, but I think the Smart Photo Selector's shots were actually closer together. I only tried it out once or twice and never used it again. But as you stated it could be good for some uses, like BIF. ;)
 
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