Nikon introduced the 1 System today, choosing to go with a 1-inch (2.7X crop) sensor. Of the big players, that leaves only Canon out of the CSC market. So far, only Sony and Samsung are using APS-C sensors. I can see the reasons for going with the smaller sensors (smaller lenses), but Sony is probably feeling pretty good about this new Nikon system. It will be interesting to see what Canon brings to the table!
The Nikon is so far from what I'm looking for in a mirrorless camera that I see very little redeeming features in this offering. The camera isn't much smaller than many of the m4/3 cameras, but the sensor is much smaller. The initial lens offerings are pretty bland. And, the price; how does Nikon think a $600 or $900 dollar camera at these specs is going to compete with a GF-3 or even a NEX-C3. My opinion is that Nikon felt pressured to enter the mirrorless market, but did not in any way want to compete with their own DSLR line of cameras.
As a former Nikon shooter and someone who still thinks Nikon's wireless flash system (CLS) is still the best in the industry, I wish Nikon the best, but I don't understand the Nikon 1 system at all! I understand what Nikon "thinks" it's doing and how they think it will appeal to a certain market segment, but as someone who buys tons of ILC/CSC gear (I shoot with both Olympus m4/3 gear and Sony NEX) there is NOTHING about the Nikon 1 system that appeals to me. Even the idea of shooting full-resolution stills at 60fps doesn't interest me ... particularly with that tiny sensor and the lenses they've announced. I also can't wrap my head around the design of the cameras. They look like horrible prototype "concept" cameras used for display. We went from the "premium compact" designs of the Olympus E-P1/E-P2/E-P3, Fuji X100 and NEX-7 to the "we asked a 6-year-old to draw a camera" design of the Nikon 1 system.
Nikon 1 "matches" fps with NEX-5N, then the camera "selects 5 out of 20". What is this, a "spray and pray" with sensor envy?
The more I think about it, the more I agree with Travis. I think the reason these cameras are so horrible is that Nikon was afraid to compete with its DSLR line. So, instead of releasing a mirrorless camera to rival all mirrorless camera Nikon launched something that (along with the Pentax Q) is the biggest joke in the camera market.
I've been thinking about these cameras off and on today and here is what I've concluded. I would buy a 1-inch sensor system if it included the ability to mount an external EVF and was released with three prime lenses at 28mm, 40mm and 90mm. The body would be priced around $500 with one of the lenses and the other two lenses cost around $250 a piece. Add to that the controls and build of a camera like the Ricoh GRD and I would seriously consider buying that system. Neither Nikon or Pentax has offered anything like the camera I describe and I think that is a shame.
Just been looking at the new Nikons and there smaller J1 does not look to disimilar to the Olympus E-PM1 so look wise not to bad, but it appears to have another dial on the back so prehaps not quite as menu driven as the M4\3 or Nex machines? However the V1 (not the flying bomb) looks odd but as lots of people have been saying "I'd buy a CSC camera if only it had a viewfinder..." then I can see what Nikon have tried to do. However as a design excerise I think it fails as you are going to get a lot of nose grease all over the back LCD and it looks odd and unbalanced. I suppose they did not want to make it look to much like a range finder or like the Nex7, but even so it is certainly no 'i' design. As for the sensor x2.7 again seems very odd.
If this had been APS-C I would be getting ready to dump the NEX 3 as much as I'm delighted with it in use...... The worse thing about NEX is Sony, and I'm looking for a NEX7 killer to arrive in the next year so that I can change bodies. As the Nikon stands it's now the largest and most expensive girlycam with the smallest sensor apart from the pentax abortion. The camera looks nicely functional with no uneccassary detail but is it fancy enough for the girlycam market which is largely Japanese Schoolgirls and western posers etc.? EDIT; Just seen this on another site,....the nikon is actually BIGGER than a NEX but the sensor is LESS THAN HALF THE SIZE of APS-C.... http://sonyalphanex.blogspot.com/2011/09/sony-nex-5n-vs-nikon-v1-camera.html .....I can just hear thm flogging this thing in Jessops on a Saturday morning,..."yes it's a nikon and it's got a bigger sensor"
I think the new Nikon system looks pretty interesting, every sensor and camera size involves different tradeoffs. So a smaller than M 4/3 sensor doesn't automatically rule it out for me. But the price is too high compared to what's already out there, especially if you consider older models from the other companies.
are other manufacturer's news and rumors allowed in this section?. or only Sony NEX?. Because i usually post my other manufacturer news and rumors in the "others systems" section :S
