Product ReviewsNikon 1 1 V1 10.1MP Digital Camera - Black (Kit w/ VR 10-30mm Lens) (27504)

Still A Worthy Camera

Yes, the sensor is small. Yes, the controls are not as user friendly as they could be. And yes, you have to be careful with the selector dial. But despite these things, this little camera is fun to use. It’s metal body gives it a very sturdy feel, the auto focus is blazing fast, and it’s size is great for carrying around. I love having an electronic view finder, and it’s very good. The kit lens are good, but it will be better when I pick up a prime lens. All in all, i really like this camera and have found it a good and less costly way into the mirrorless world.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: thom_dezm

The Nikon 1 V1 still holds up 5 years after its original introduction

Great sturdy metal body, very easy control of the aperture and shutter speed, quick and easy menu screens for ISO, color temperature, etc. I highly recommend it for someone looking to move up from point-and-shoots and/or just using a smartphone. With the same money spent on the higher-end models or competitor systems, you can buy an additional lens (like the NIKKOR 30-110mm), which makes it a nice bang for your buck camera.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: JsQeMr2GSYa@Del...

great video mode, great looking photos, small sized. great for going light

I was initially suspicious of these mirrorless cameras coming from years of shooting with DSRLS. I grabbed one of these on sale for a fraction of the original price. I learned to love this camera even if it has its iidiosyncrasies.

It takes very good photos. They have a different feel than my Nikon D7000, maybe less dynamic range but they somehow have a film look that many digital cameras do not have.

The menu is pretty fast to navigate and that makes up for the few dedicated button. It shoots RAW, RAW+JPG and JPG only. It is really fast at focusing and has a mechanical and electronic shutter. The latter allows to take photos without any audible sound from the camera.

The video mode is great. The camera focuses a lot faster than any DSLR I have used while shooting motion and generally keeps the subjects in focus when they move.

I bought 2 of these cameras as one needed servicing and it is always good to have a spare.

It could be improved:

It is 10 megapixels with a 1" sensor. So it is grainier than a DSLR at high ISO, but at the same time it allows steady shots at slow shutter speed. it also has more depth of fielf than a DSLR so it may be harder to isolate a subject from the background.

the mode wheel it is really easy to move accidentally. If you take a photo in Video mode it will not be a full res RAW file but a crappy low res JPG. Now I got used to know in what mode I am by looking into the viewfinder but it is easy to make many mistakes initially. A piece of gaffer tape on the mode wheel could solve the issue.

The flash is an add on with a proprietary hot shoe and that is really annoying as I would rather use my SB600 or SB800 with it.

I really like the dual option of LCD and electronic viewfinder, although the sensor that activates the EVF when the eye is close to it sometimes does not work if dust and lint accumulated on its surface, so make sure to clean it with a Q tip or a brush.

But at the end of the day the images are very pleasing, it takes great video and it is lighter to carry than a DSLR, the images are better than a point and shoot and the price was better than all the other mirrorless.

I bought also the telephoto zoom 30-110 which is really great. The standard zoom is quite nice and has a nice wide angle but it is a little short at the tele endRead full review...

This Little Gem Will Surprise You!

I really like the V1. One big reason is that I want a viewfinder, and that in the V1 is great! Some complain about the sensor being small, but it is as big as the one in the Fuji X10, etc. and image quality is outstanding. I read that Nikon worked with an outfit called Aptina, or something like that, who specialize in high quality smaller sensors. I have been impressed! I feel retail price is too high, but it is no higher than Panasonic's G series cameras.

The camera has less dials and external controls, which some may not like. One has to make some changes via the menu, which is ok with me. It is a quite solid camera, made of good materials. One thing that is most impressive is that it has a huge buffer and also phase detection AF like DSLR's. This makes it the fastest compact I have ever seen in Continuous Mode. It is as fast as a DSLR when used that way. But after shooting there can be a small lag before you can shoot again. In Continuous I can fire off multiple shots in the blink of an eye. On the other hand, the camera is not made to compete with a DSLR. For the DSLR user who likes manual controls and manual focus it may not satisfy. It does have such controls but is not as convenient.

Unlike some of the Coolpix models, like the P510, it will shoot RAW files, which I use. It also has the Flexible Program feature, that allows one to use Program mode but still be able to change aperture or shutter speed like one can in AP and SP, which it also has. Amazingly, the Auto mode is very accurate. I have had fun with it too.

One thing I noticed, that is a bit disconcerting, is one doesn't see any change in the viewfinder when exposure compensation is used. The viewfinder is an EVF, so I expected to see a change in brightness when I dialed in EC. Of course, EC doesn't work when using Auto (it isn't needed), but works in the other modes.

All in all, I am very impressed, especially after the negative press given by some reviewers. Because it didn't fit their preconceived notions they panned it, mainly for not using a DX or Four Thirds sensor. But a bigger sensor would defeat the whole design and purpose of the CX format. Because of the sensor size, lenses can be small and compact to match the camera and give one a much smaller total outfit for photography. Four Thirds and DX lenses are big, really no smaller than the rest of our DSLR lenses. Thus, when you use a body like the Sony NEX cameras you are forced to use huge (by comparison) lenses with them, making them unwieldy and ugly for me. By contrast, the Nikon Series 1 cameras and lens combinations are truly compact, yet high quality.

So far, I have the V1 body and 10-30 kit zoom, which is like a 35mm lens of 27-81mm, a nice general purpose lens. I have since got the 30-110mm zoom, which is not much bigger. The conversion factor is 2.7x. There is also a really neat adapter, the FT-1, that allows one to use any of their F-mount DSLR lenses with the V1 or J1. And the beauty of it is that the autofocus will work with any AF-S lenses, which I have some of. So I will get the adapter too. That will probably be all that I need.

A number of the images I have posted lately were done with the V1. You can check them out at www.pbase.cm/fotabug. You can also go to Pbase and do a search for the Nikon V1. User photos will then appear from Pbase members. I think you will be impressed.Read full review...

Great compact travel size camera.

The camera is small and light enough for traveling, and image quality is way better than a point and shoot.
Video quality is great for its size, and a 32gb card can fill over 4K pictures.
I have the 10-30mm lens, low light shooting without flash is quite awesome.
The only cons is, have to remove the grip for taking out the sd card and the battery.Read full review...

Verified purchase: No

Excellent.

In my opinion, the Nikon 1 V1 is one of the most versatile compact digital cameras ever produced, with DSLR settings and interval timer and excellent image quality.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: mpbcom

Great Little Camera

An amazing product. Small, light and capable of really great results. The only real disadvantage I see is the lack of an attached flash. You MUST buy one of the dedicated flashes designed for this product.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: pamela-ann53

Good little mirrorless cam

It is great for what it is. I wanted an easy point and shoot for my shoulder bag and that's exactly what I got.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: won9j-1

Nikon1 v1 problem with 10-30 mm lens

Not sure if Nikon will repair under warranty I have 2 that are needing repair all I can do is hope they will fix
Other than that this is a great camera
and gives super sharp results!

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: tradeportdirect

Awesome!!

I love the simplicity of the Nikon 1 V1. But you must buy the speedlight flash that goes with it which is $150.00 which really enhances indoor pictures. Do not buy the Nikon 1 J1, even though it has a built in flash, the flash is a direct light much like a compact digital camera. Plus all the accesories for the V1 are really cool and fun as well.Read full review...