- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Nikon 1 J1
- 10 MP
- Nikon CX CMOS
- 3" LCD
Released September, 2011
Rated 80% by by Photography Blog (Oct, 2011)720p/60fps. In addition to being capable of shooting regular movies in HD quality, the Nikon 1 J1 can also shoot video at 400fps for slow-motion playback.
Conclusion Check out the Nikon 1 J1
First reviewed December, 2011
Features Key features of the Nikon 1 J1
10 MP
Nikon CX
Rated 69% by by DPReview (Jan, 2012)The 1 System cameras offer impressive video specifications but the user experience in video mode isn't as fluid as we'd like.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 17.9 MP    | 20 MP |
1 J1 by DPReview (Jan, 2012)That said, with an absolute resolution of approximately 2000 LPH (Lines Per Picture Height) their 10MP sensor does a decent, if not outstanding job in our resolution test, partly helped by fairly strong default sharpening.
1 J1 by c|net (Sep, 2011)And I have to point out that as one of the companies pushing 16-megapixel sensors out to consumers, it takes guts for Nikon to try to sell them 10 megapixels in a higher-end camera (though it's quite sufficient for printing up to 8x12 on a Canon or HP printer or 10x16 on an Epson).
sensor size
1 J1 by Photography Blog (Oct, 2011)During the review, the Nikon 1 J1 captured images of very high quality, especially if you consider the size of its sensor.
1 J1 by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)While this is approximately four times the size of a regular 1/2.3in chip as used in the vast majority of compact cameras, it’s only around a third of the size of a regular APS-C sensor (as used in most DSLRs), with Micro Four Thirds sensors sitting neatly in the middle between CX and APS-C.
body size
106 x 61 x 30 mm
133 x 100 x 80 mm
111 x 76 x 85 mm
1 J1 by Photography Blog (Oct, 2011)With an essentially grip-less design, the Nikon J1 is very much a two-handed affair that requires you to hold the camera's weight in the left hand, clutching the lens, and use your right hand for balance and operating the controls.
1 J1 by Victor (Jan, 2012)Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase since I get to take better pictures without the hassle of lugging around a big heavy camera.
focus points
| 0 | 9  | 200 |
1 J1 by c|net (Sep, 2011)In the complete auto AF, it selects the focus points quickly, but inconsistently; for any given scene, it will choose different sets of points each time you prefocus.
Performance Real world tests of Nikon 1 J1
DxOMark image quality
1 J1 by DPReview (Jan, 2012)As we'd expect from Nikon's DSLR and Coolpix ranges the cameras' auto WB behavior consistently produces generally accurate colors and natural, attractive skin tones, too.
1 J1 by DPReview (Jan, 2012)Each of the Picture Control modes has its own default contrast, sharpening and saturation default settings, but if you'd prefer to take a little more control, you might find that it's worth your while experimenting with the sharpness settings.
DxOMark low light performance
1 J1 by Cristina (Dec, 2011)I wanted a camera that takes good pictures at night and now I can say I've got one!
1 J1 by Otaku-Guru (Jul, 2012)I can still take pictures, but if it gets pretty dark I have to get creative with the manual settings to take a decent picture, but it is possible.
shutter lag
| 0 ms | 283 ms | 100 ms |
1 J1 by David-Pierce (Oct, 2011)The camera takes about two seconds to turn on, and then shoots with virtually no shutter lag or recycle time — though if you shoot continuously, the camera slows down significantly after about 40 shots.
continuous shooting
1 J1 by c|net (Sep, 2011)Smart Photo Selector is a point-and-shoot staple, which bursts 20 shots and then saves the best 5 as determined by your camera.
battery life
230 photos
470 photos
440 photos
1 J1 by Michael-Horn--mikie (Apr, 2012)After 9 days of continuous shooting using the built in flash - and HD video - the most disappointing feature was short battery life - the battery failing before my 8Gb video card was filled on one day - my purchase before the trip - much to my regret did not include a second battery.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
Phase detection focusing system -
60 fps -
HD video -
135 -
Create slow motion video -
Built in flash -
1/16000 s -
30 mm -
106 x 61 x 30 mm
cons
-
Nikon CX -
56.0 -
3,200 ISO -
460 k dots -
10 MP -
230 -
None -
0 -
372 ISO -
No automatic 3D -
72.48% -
11.0 ev -
The screen is fixed in place -
Use buttons to access features and menus -
No automatic stitching -
21.5 bits -
Sep, 2011 -
No automatic HDR -
Won't have that film look -
None
Reviews Word on the street
 |   
|
|---|---|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 | Rated by 104 users at amazon.com Rated 80% by by Robert-Cullers--RCullers Rated 100% by by Ronald-M.-Piekosz--Human-Being (Mar, 2012) Rated 80% by by Kentucky-Rose |
Lens
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 80% by by Robert-Cullers--RCullersI avoid this by using the aperture priority mode at iso 400 or less so that I can change the aperture (lens opening) to make sure that the shutter speed is fast enough to avoid blurred images.
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 69% by by DPReview (Jan, 2012)When the zoom lever is held at its minimum speed setting the result is a smooth, continuous speed zoom.
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 69% by by DPReview (Jan, 2012)This means that at any given aperture and equivalent focal length, the 1 cameras will offer less control over depth-of-field than a camera with a larger sensor.
Sensor
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 100% by by N.-Tong (Dec, 2011)The combination of high ISO, VR on the lens and the large sensor allow the camera to take sharp, well-exposed pictures even in poor light.
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 70% by by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)Noise is very well controlled from ISO 100 to ISO 400, with ISO 800 and ISO 1600 also producing largely noise-free results, even though there is some softening of detail.
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 69% by by DPReview (Jan, 2012)Here, we provide you with a selection of raw files of 'real world' scenes, and if you want to take a closer look at the studio scene shots, you can download original raw files from our Compared to (RAW) page.
Video
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 100% by by N.-Quander (Jan, 2013)He loves the hd video recording as well as how great the camera photographs!
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 100% by by Joseph-Adiasor--Hungry-like-a-Wolf (Apr, 2012)The video shooting is good as well, and the ability to take pictures while shooting video is a cool perk.
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 100% by by Oscar--Theog187 (May, 2012)This is very good camera takes good pictures and the video this is my first camera and i love it.
Focus
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 69% by by DPReview (Jan, 2012)At f/5.6, if the light is lower than 9EV (approx) AF is driven using a contrast-detection system, and at roughly 10EV and above, phase-detection AF is used.
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 80% by by Photography Blog (Oct, 2011)In good light, the Nikon J1 is indeed as fast as anything out there when it comes to auto-focus speed.
Nikon 1 J1 | by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2011)The new system also offers an AF system that, interestingly, uses a combination of 135-point contrast-detection and 73-point phase-detection to deliver super-fast autofocus.
Image quality
Nikon 1 J1 | Rated 75% by by c|net (Sep, 2011)Ultimately, the photo quality is very good-and occasionally excellent.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Canon Rebel T3i Highest resolution screen Canon Rebel T3i vs Nikon 1 J1 |
 | 2 | Sony NEX-F3 Largest sensor Sony NEX-F3 vs Nikon 1 J1 |
 | 3 | Samsung Galaxy Camera Largest screen Samsung Galaxy Camera vs Nikon 1 J1 |
 | 4 | Nikon 1 J2 Many many cross-type focus points J2 vs J1 |
 | 5 | Canon PowerShot G15 Fastest lens Canon PowerShot G15 vs Nikon 1 J1 |
 | 6 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 Long long exposure Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 vs Nikon 1 J1 |
 | 7 | Nikon 1 J3 Lightest J3 vs J1 |
 | 8 | Nikon Coolpix L820 Most zoom Coolpix L820 vs 1 J1 |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Popular Questions
May 14, 2012
I want to capture my young kids in good quality photos.
I am a beginner. My husband has a Nikon D7000 but I find it too bulky. Although the picture quality is great, it doesn't come in handy for taking picture for my young kids. I want to capture them...
Visitor
9
Answers May 25, 2012
Ease of use, high quality photos, good portrait and landscape shots.
I am a beginner photographer and I take mostly photos of my family while on vacation. I would also like to be able to take some artistic photographs and abstract photographs as well.
Visitor
6
Answers April 12, 2012
Sports and low light
I want to capture my son out on the soccer field and my daughter at swim meets in low light in indoor pools. Help!
Visitor
5
Answers Latest Questions
August 4, 2012
Whether d5100 or nikon J1 is better for me?
I am a beginner..wanna buy the camera.The camera I wanna buy just a medium for me to take a picture when my family and I go for a vacation.I want the nice picture captured with a guide to capture...
Visitor
2
Answers December 4, 2012
Nikon Coolpix P510 v.s. Nikon 1 J1
Okay so I've been Looking for a new camera to buy for a couple of months now and I've narrowed it down to the Nikon Coolpix v.s. the Nikon 1 J1. Now I like the Nikon 1 J1 do to the fact that it I...
Visitor
1
Answers December 25, 2012
Vacations, Image Quality
Easier to take to places but at the same time with good image quality. Take pictures in different environments
Visitor
1
Answers Unanswered Questions
- 21 discussions
- View more
January 5, 2013
Which is better for video?
I'm a YouTuber, so which one would allow me to shoot, edit, and upload videos with ease? Some cameras have huge video files, ex. Sony Nex5. So which one would allow an easy editing and uploading...
Visitor
0
Answers January 2, 2013
Image quality?
I'm a beginner looking for a high quality camera. Right not I just have a digital camera that I'm not happy with. The lighting is always weird, it's not very easy to use, the focus and zoom very...
Visitor
0
Answers December 20, 2012
Low-light for indoor
Im a real estate agent and will be shooting indoor often. Im wondering which one would be the better choice. The Nikon 1 or the GF3C with the pancake lence? thanks in advance! Maurik
Visitor
0
Answers Community Find out what the Sortable community is saying about the Nikon 1 J1
10
people have recommended the
Nikon 1 J1Top Nikon 1 J1 experts at Sortable
Justin-Skyline 
Beginner II
Olympus PEN E-PM1
- 12.2 MP
- Four Thirds CMOS
- 3" LCD
1 more Sortable user recommendeds the Olympus PEN E-PM1 over the Nikon 1 J1.
View all discussions | View comparison 
Beginner I
-4
votes You should buy Nikon 1. Nikon says that this camera will capture pictures, even before you fully press the shutter button. And ... Nikon will work well with Nikon. Your husband already has a :)...
- 0 comments
- May 14, 2012
- Reply to: I want to capture my young kids in good quality photos.
