I bought the Nikon J1 (Pink Special Edition)

Christine Tham · 11-01-2011, 11:39 AM - **1 Like**

Even the box is pink:

With two smaller pink boxes inside the outer box:

Larger box contains the body, two lenses, battery, adapter, and pink neck strap:

Smaller one contains the special edition accessories (pink wrapping cloth, pink carrying strap, pink lens hood):

The camera body and two lenses:

With the wrapping cloth, it's a nice pink package:

I'm not very good at wrapping yet, but I am improving slowly - it's very Japanese:

The J1 compared to the Sony DSC-HX7v compact - it's slightly bigger not including the lens. It's also slightly bigger compared to the Q, which is around the same size as the HX7v:

The J1 compared to the NEX-5N - the 5N body is almost the same size as the J1, but clearly the J1 lenses are a lot smaller:

My initial impresion - very positive. The camera is extremely well built and feels solid and has a very nice tactile feel to it - reminds me a lot of the Leica M9 but in a smaller package. The camera is a joy to touch and hold.

Not sure about the usability - I need to read the manual but so far the impression I am getting is that it's a point and shoot - very difficult to change any parameters.

Can't wait to go out on the weekend to take some photos.

eddie1960 · 11-01-2011, 12:20 PM

LOL why did I know you'd get the Pink J1 when I saw it

Looking forward to seeing performance on it Christine (shame it's not manual control friendly i was sure before release it would be)

Clicker · 11-01-2011, 02:51 PM

That's a nice kit. To be tossed in a collectors closet?

K-9 · 11-01-2011, 03:55 PM

Quality comparisons I've seen have both new Nikons being beat out by the NEX-5N. Although, I do like the Nikons much better. I wouldn't by a Sony.

magkelly · 11-01-2011, 10:34 PM

That would be an expensive toy to just shelve for the purposes of collecting. What a waste of a good camera. I still don't like cameras sans traditional viewfinders very much, but I will grant you that it's ultra cute and looks decent for the type of camera it is. My little $2 (retail was like $99) thrift bargain Breast Cancer pink purse camera has only the LCD. I find that awfully disconcerting and I miss the viewfinder every time I use it but I must admit it's a handy little thing to have around.

I like hot pink too so it looking like a Barbie cam doesn't bother me one bit. I'd love to have a pink K-x/K-r/K-5 with matching lenses actually. I'd use it all over the place too, even at work, grin. I don't care much what people would think. I'm a bonafide semi-pro shutterbug but I am also a girly kind of girl and I happen to like hot pink! I rather like your new toy. It's not my favorite kind of camera but still it's too cute!

PentaxMom Felua · 11-02-2011, 04:12 AM

Cute, desirable, but not the right flavor of pink. Pitty, will have to buy a pink e-pm1, subtle pink, with shiny silver kit. Nice adition to my e-p3, which get used more and more, with the new shiny silver oly primes. Great shiny pictures they give.

Fun toys.

I am off to the zoo this afternoon, K-5 comes along, unfortunately ... BLACK. I so still wish for a truly turquoise one, with, guess, shiny silver lenses. But even my new 31ltd is black. The silver one wobbled, the black one did not.

Have fun

.

Christine Tham · 11-02-2011, 12:36 PM

Interesting article showing how the Nikon J1's are made:
http://www.cnet.com.au/inside-the-nikon-1-factory-in-china-339324767.htm

Christine Tham · 11-12-2011, 02:57 AM

First set of photos on the new camera (haven't been able to take photos until today because fairly soon after I received the camera, I came off my bicycle at 40 km/h and haven't really been able to walk very well for a week or so):

The tiger cub at Taronga zoo:

The binturong:

Ducks:

People at the zoo:

Photos whilst eating ice cream at Passionflower:

Interesting how the camera chose to focus on the phone - I would have expected it to focus on the girls' faces:

Christine Tham · 11-13-2011, 01:01 PM

Mini review, after using it for one weekend.

Overall, disappointing.

On the plus side:
- it's pink
- AF is actually fairly fast and accurate. Not as fast as a good DSLR, but fast enough that it doesn't matter
- Continuous mode is actually fairly zippy, and the fact that it does full AF/metering between shots at 10fps is impressive.
- Best Shot Selector is kind of cute, in that it takes shots even before the shutter button is fully pressed.
- Both the kit lenses are quite nice and sharp. The telephoto kit lens has nice bokeh and usually the camera is quite good at picking the right DOF.

On the negative side:
- it's basically a point and shoot in terms of shooting parameter adjustability. Yes, there are PASM modes, but changing any parameter other than the obvious one will require hunting around in menus. No customisability in terms of menus or buttons.
- it is not good at detecting movement and decreasing exposure time to compensate (which my Sony cameras do) - a lot of my shots of a moving child in the dark are blurry.
- in Best Shot Selector, there is an annoying pause whilst the camera writes 5 images onto the card.
- There's quite a lot of noise in higher ISOs - I can see significant noise even at ISO800. Paradoxically, ISO3200 shots look "clean" but lack detail - suspect the camera has kicked in NR and even the raws are "cooked."
- The camera is quite heavy - it's not really pocketable and "carry everywhere" that a compact camera is.

I may have to consider getting a GF3 with the power zoom lens to be a "carry everywhere" camera, or just buy a Canon S100. Then again, I just bought an iPhone 4S so maybe that can be my carry everywhere camera.

Khaledgawdat · 11-13-2011, 01:27 PM

What happened to the theory of larger sensor =better picture, pentax and nikon choose to go into the competition with smaller sensor cameras that with out testing will give inferior quality no matter how good they are. The best carry every where camera is the Sony nex 7 or the sigma dp2 with incredible picture quality

madphys · 11-13-2011, 02:34 PM

Regarding this NIKON - can you, please, comment how it compares to a NEX-5N? Ease of use, battery life, image quality (with the supplied kit lenses), low light performance.
I am about to make a purchase but seriously can't decide on my own.

Thank you!

*I also don't quite understand why Pentax went with such a small sensor (Ok small lenses and compact overall package - but cmon).

Christine Tham · 11-14-2011, 12:48 AM

Originally posted by madphys

Regarding this NIKON - can you, please, comment how it compares to a NEX-5N? Ease of use, battery life, image quality (with the supplied kit lenses), low light performance.

That's easy - in all those respects, the NEX-5N convincingly wins over the Nikon 1, so that should be an easy purchase decision for you.

Where the Nikon 1 is potentially better is action photography, and size (the Nikon 1 with twin kit zooms is significantly smaller than the NEX-5N with similar zooms)

Unsinkable II · 11-15-2011, 09:30 PM

Originally posted by Christine Tham

I may have to consider getting a GF3 with the power zoom lens to be a "carry everywhere" camera, or just buy a Canon S100. Then again, I just bought an iPhone 4S so maybe that can be my carry everywhere camera.

After seeing the collapsible power zoom lens, I too was leaning that way.

However, I'm swayed by the Fuji X10. Taking the crop sizes into account (4X for Fuji and 2X for Panny) and trying to compare apple to apples, the Fuji stacks up very well.

It's obviously smaller (particularly in depth) (EDIT: I just went to camerasize.com and the GF3 is remarkably tiny) and has an OVF (albeit with no added information).

Lens/sensor wise (at 35mm equiv.), the Fuji is a 28-112mm F8-F11 and the GF3 is a 28-84mm F7-F11, so the wide angle goes ever so slightly to the Panny, whereas the Fuji has more reach.

I'm waiting to see what Oly do with the XZ-2 before deciding. If they could make it a bit smaller, improve the sensor and improve video, that's where I'd go primarily for pocketability reasons.

Christine Tham · 11-17-2011, 02:58 AM

Today's pictures on the J1. Funny how I normally don't like shallow DOF, but when I don't have it I crave it :-)

These are all high ISO pictures, taken at either early morning or late evening.

**RobA_Oz** · 11-17-2011, 04:23 AM

Chris, I'm interested to know why you didn't go for the Fujifilm X10. The sensor is about the same size as the Nikon CX sensor, and it has the advantage (for many of us) of having an optical viewfinder. Did you consider it, and, if so, why choose the J1 over the X10? Of course, it doesn't come in pink, but there's always the after-market "Bling" option

.

11-01-2011, 11:39 AM - 1 Like	#1
Christine Tham Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,269	I bought the Nikon J1 (Pink Special Edition) Even the box is pink: With two smaller pink boxes inside the outer box: Larger box contains the body, two lenses, battery, adapter, and pink neck strap: Smaller one contains the special edition accessories (pink wrapping cloth, pink carrying strap, pink lens hood): The camera body and two lenses: With the wrapping cloth, it's a nice pink package: I'm not very good at wrapping yet, but I am improving slowly - it's very Japanese: The J1 compared to the Sony DSC-HX7v compact - it's slightly bigger not including the lens. It's also slightly bigger compared to the Q, which is around the same size as the HX7v: The J1 compared to the NEX-5N - the 5N body is almost the same size as the J1, but clearly the J1 lenses are a lot smaller: My initial impresion - very positive. The camera is extremely well built and feels solid and has a very nice tactile feel to it - reminds me a lot of the Leica M9 but in a smaller package. The camera is a joy to touch and hold. Not sure about the usability - I need to read the manual but so far the impression I am getting is that it's a point and shoot - very difficult to change any parameters. Can't wait to go out on the weekend to take some photos.

11-15-2011, 09:30 PM	#13
Unsinkable II Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,352	Originally posted by Christine Tham I may have to consider getting a GF3 with the power zoom lens to be a "carry everywhere" camera, or just buy a Canon S100. Then again, I just bought an iPhone 4S so maybe that can be my carry everywhere camera. After seeing the collapsible power zoom lens, I too was leaning that way. However, I'm swayed by the Fuji X10. Taking the crop sizes into account (4X for Fuji and 2X for Panny) and trying to compare apple to apples, the Fuji stacks up very well. It's obviously smaller (particularly in depth) (EDIT: I just went to camerasize.com and the GF3 is remarkably tiny) and has an OVF (albeit with no added information). Lens/sensor wise (at 35mm equiv.), the Fuji is a 28-112mm F8-F11 and the GF3 is a 28-84mm F7-F11, so the wide angle goes ever so slightly to the Panny, whereas the Fuji has more reach. I'm waiting to see what Oly do with the XZ-2 before deciding. If they could make it a bit smaller, improve the sensor and improve video, that's where I'd go primarily for pocketability reasons. Last edited by Unsinkable II; 11-15-2011 at 09:48 PM.

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11-01-2011, 12:20 PM	#2
eddie1960 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,667	LOL why did I know you'd get the Pink J1 when I saw it Looking forward to seeing performance on it Christine (shame it's not manual control friendly i was sure before release it would be)

11-01-2011, 02:51 PM	#3
Clicker Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,241	That's a nice kit. To be tossed in a collectors closet?

11-01-2011, 03:55 PM	#4
K-9 Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: USA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,971	Quality comparisons I've seen have both new Nikons being beat out by the NEX-5N. Although, I do like the Nikons much better. I wouldn't by a Sony.

11-01-2011, 10:34 PM	#5
magkelly Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,901	That would be an expensive toy to just shelve for the purposes of collecting. What a waste of a good camera. I still don't like cameras sans traditional viewfinders very much, but I will grant you that it's ultra cute and looks decent for the type of camera it is. My little $2 (retail was like $99) thrift bargain Breast Cancer pink purse camera has only the LCD. I find that awfully disconcerting and I miss the viewfinder every time I use it but I must admit it's a handy little thing to have around. I like hot pink too so it looking like a Barbie cam doesn't bother me one bit. I'd love to have a pink K-x/K-r/K-5 with matching lenses actually. I'd use it all over the place too, even at work, grin. I don't care much what people would think. I'm a bonafide semi-pro shutterbug but I am also a girly kind of girl and I happen to like hot pink! I rather like your new toy. It's not my favorite kind of camera but still it's too cute!

11-02-2011, 04:12 AM	#6
PentaxMom Felua Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Veluwe Posts: 339	Cute, desirable, but not the right flavor of pink. Pitty, will have to buy a pink e-pm1, subtle pink, with shiny silver kit. Nice adition to my e-p3, which get used more and more, with the new shiny silver oly primes. Great shiny pictures they give. Fun toys. I am off to the zoo this afternoon, K-5 comes along, unfortunately ... BLACK. I so still wish for a truly turquoise one, with, guess, shiny silver lenses. But even my new 31ltd is black. The silver one wobbled, the black one did not. Have fun .

11-02-2011, 12:36 PM	#7
Christine Tham Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,269 Original Poster	Interesting article showing how the Nikon J1's are made: http://www.cnet.com.au/inside-the-nikon-1-factory-in-china-339324767.htm

11-12-2011, 02:57 AM	#8
Christine Tham Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,269 Original Poster	First set of photos on the new camera (haven't been able to take photos until today because fairly soon after I received the camera, I came off my bicycle at 40 km/h and haven't really been able to walk very well for a week or so): The tiger cub at Taronga zoo: The binturong: Ducks: People at the zoo: Photos whilst eating ice cream at Passionflower: Interesting how the camera chose to focus on the phone - I would have expected it to focus on the girls' faces:

11-13-2011, 01:01 PM	#9
Christine Tham Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,269 Original Poster	Mini review, after using it for one weekend. Overall, disappointing. On the plus side: - it's pink - AF is actually fairly fast and accurate. Not as fast as a good DSLR, but fast enough that it doesn't matter - Continuous mode is actually fairly zippy, and the fact that it does full AF/metering between shots at 10fps is impressive. - Best Shot Selector is kind of cute, in that it takes shots even before the shutter button is fully pressed. - Both the kit lenses are quite nice and sharp. The telephoto kit lens has nice bokeh and usually the camera is quite good at picking the right DOF. On the negative side: - it's basically a point and shoot in terms of shooting parameter adjustability. Yes, there are PASM modes, but changing any parameter other than the obvious one will require hunting around in menus. No customisability in terms of menus or buttons. - it is not good at detecting movement and decreasing exposure time to compensate (which my Sony cameras do) - a lot of my shots of a moving child in the dark are blurry. - in Best Shot Selector, there is an annoying pause whilst the camera writes 5 images onto the card. - There's quite a lot of noise in higher ISOs - I can see significant noise even at ISO800. Paradoxically, ISO3200 shots look "clean" but lack detail - suspect the camera has kicked in NR and even the raws are "cooked." - The camera is quite heavy - it's not really pocketable and "carry everywhere" that a compact camera is. I may have to consider getting a GF3 with the power zoom lens to be a "carry everywhere" camera, or just buy a Canon S100. Then again, I just bought an iPhone 4S so maybe that can be my carry everywhere camera.

11-13-2011, 01:27 PM	#10
Khaledgawdat Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Halifax ns Posts: 11	What happened to the theory of larger sensor =better picture, pentax and nikon choose to go into the competition with smaller sensor cameras that with out testing will give inferior quality no matter how good they are. The best carry every where camera is the Sony nex 7 or the sigma dp2 with incredible picture quality

11-13-2011, 02:34 PM	#11
madphys Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Riga, Latvia Posts: 98	Regarding this NIKON - can you, please, comment how it compares to a NEX-5N? Ease of use, battery life, image quality (with the supplied kit lenses), low light performance. I am about to make a purchase but seriously can't decide on my own. Thank you! *I also don't quite understand why Pentax went with such a small sensor (Ok small lenses and compact overall package - but cmon).

11-14-2011, 12:48 AM	#12
Christine Tham Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,269 Original Poster	Originally posted by madphys Regarding this NIKON - can you, please, comment how it compares to a NEX-5N? Ease of use, battery life, image quality (with the supplied kit lenses), low light performance. That's easy - in all those respects, the NEX-5N convincingly wins over the Nikon 1, so that should be an easy purchase decision for you. Where the Nikon 1 is potentially better is action photography, and size (the Nikon 1 with twin kit zooms is significantly smaller than the NEX-5N with similar zooms)

11-17-2011, 02:58 AM	#14
Christine Tham Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,269 Original Poster	Today's pictures on the J1. Funny how I normally don't like shallow DOF, but when I don't have it I crave it :-) These are all high ISO pictures, taken at either early morning or late evening.

11-17-2011, 04:23 AM	#15
RobA_Oz Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,200	Chris, I'm interested to know why you didn't go for the Fujifilm X10. The sensor is about the same size as the Nikon CX sensor, and it has the advantage (for many of us) of having an optical viewfinder. Did you consider it, and, if so, why choose the J1 over the X10? Of course, it doesn't come in pink, but there's always the after-market "Bling" option .