- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR
- Nikon D3100
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200
- Nikon 1 V1
- Canon PowerShot G12
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2012)Remarkably it's still possible to hand-hold the camera in good light and achieve sharp pictures thanks to the excellent vibration reduction system, although you really need to use a tripod or other support for consistent results.
Rated 80% by 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.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Nikon Coolpix P510 compared to the Nikon 1 J1
MP15.9
1/2.5"
Rated 90% by by Photography Blog (Mar, 2012)The three-inch rear LCD screen is much nicer to look at, thanks to its high resolution of 921,000 dots.
10 MP
Nikon CX
Rated 69% by by DPReview (Jan, 2012)From examining JPEGs from the J1 and V1 alongside raw files processed through Nikon's View NX2 software and Adobe Camera Raw it is clear that the cameras perform vignetting and fringing corrections in-camera, and View NX2 applies the same corrections to raw files.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 15.9 MP   | 20 MP |
Coolpix P510 by GSFixit--GSFixit (Jul, 2012)With the 16 megapixel capability, you still get great pictures even when you have to crop heavily.
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.
sensor size
Coolpix P510 by Crosswire--Crosswire (May, 2012)I knew that a super zoom would have a small sensor, it had to, because of the size of the lens.
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
120 x 83 x 102 mm
106 x 61 x 30 mm
Coolpix P510 by c|net (Mar, 2012)And the lens is really the bulk of the weight, which makes the rest of the body feel lightweight and cheaply constructed.
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.
Performance Real world tests of Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Nikon 1 J1
shutter lag
Coolpix P510 by Jeffrey-L.-Foster--kidphotoShutter lag, lack of a rapid fire sports quick setting, and a few other settings have been a disappointment.
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.
battery life
200 photos
230 photos
Coolpix P510 by Edward (Mar, 2012)Overall, this camera is very fun to use, and it's weakest points are bareable and are most regarding to battery life.
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.
max continuous shooting
Coolpix P510 by DPReview (Jul, 2012)The P510's maximum framerate of 7 frames per second is unlikely to get much use, but it's nice to have, although the maximum 5 frames per burst greatly limits its usefulness.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the 1 J1
| Image stabilization | Optical | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supports image stabilization | |||
| Significantly higher resolution screen | 921 k dots | vs | 460 k dots |
| More than 2x higher resolution screen | |||
| Has a flip out screen | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Great for recording movies | |||
| Has a viewfinder | Gives you more flexibility when framing your shot | vs | Allows for less stability when taking a photo |
| Very few cameras have a viewfinder; Avoids glare in bright sunlight | |||
| Create realistic 3D images | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Create 3D photos to view on a 3D TV | |||
| Significantly higher resolution | 15.9 MP | vs | 10 MP |
| Around 60% higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints | |||
| Includes a GPS | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Records the location of your photos automatically | |||
| Faster benchmarked shot to shot times | 7.77 s | vs | 1,500 s |
| 193.1x faster shot to shot; Take multiple consecutive photos quickly | |||
| Automatic panorama | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Stitches together multiple photos into a single ultra-wide view | |||
| Supports HDR | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Combines multiple photos together to capture both bright and dark areas | |||
| Significantly more highly reviewed by consumers | 83.36% | vs | 72.61% |
| More than 10% more highly reviewed by consumers | |||
| Marginally more recently announced | Feb, 2012 | vs | Sep, 2011 |
| Announced date 4 months later | |||
Advantages compared to the Coolpix P510
| Much faster rapid fire | 60 fps | vs | 7 fps |
|---|---|---|---|
| More than 8.5x faster continuous shooting; Take photos in rapid succession to capture motion | |||
| Many more phase-detection focus points | 135 | vs | 0 |
| 135 more phase detection focus points; Faster autofocus in reasonably lit settings | |||
| Interchangeable lenses | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Use a variety of specialized lenses | |||
| Larger sensor | Nikon CX | vs | 1/2.5" |
| More than 4x larger sensor; higher quality photos | |||
| Shoots RAW | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Adjust white balance and exposure more easily in post production | |||
| Self cleaning sensor | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Prevents dust showing up in your photos | |||
| Less delay taking photos | 94 ms | vs | 380 ms |
| 4x less shutter lag; Avoid missing spontaneous moments | |||
| Much thinner | 30 mm | vs | 102 mm |
| 3.4x thinner | |||
| Significantly smaller | 106 x 61 x 30 mm | vs | 120 x 83 x 102 mm |
| 5.3x smaller | |||
| Significantly lighter | 277 g | vs | 555 g |
| 2x lighter | |||
| Faster max shutter speed | 1/16000 s | vs | 1/4000 s |
| 4x faster max shutter speed; capture fast action | |||
| Longer long exposure | 30 s | vs | 8 s |
| Around 4x longer long exposure; Capture creative photos such as night sky movement | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Nikon Coolpix P510 | Nikon 1 J1 | ||
 |  
| 
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|
| |
 |
|
| |
 | Rated by 266 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by SG (Jul, 2012) Rated 100% by by Steven-J.-Streitfeld--SJS (May, 2012) Rated 80% by by Arkansas-Traveler (Apr, 2012) | Rated by 101 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 | |
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR 2-way tie: Wide angle lens |
 | 2 | Nikon D3100 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark |
 | 3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Most detailed video recording mode |
 | 4 | Nikon 1 V1 2-way tie: Fastest rapid fire mode |
 | 5 | Canon PowerShot G12 3-way tie: Best macro lens |
 | 6 | Nikon Coolpix P7100 3-way tie: Long long exposure |
 | 7 | Samsung NX1000 Largest sensor |
 | 8 | Nikon Coolpix P7700 Fastest lens |
Popular Questions
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 Unanswered Questions
- 2 discussions
- View more
November 22, 2012
Sports photos and close-up stills
I'm probably a beginner/intermediate. I want a camera that I can take great action shots of my boys playing soccer (zoom & speed), family photos/video, close-up stills of items/art for internet...
Visitor
0
Answers May 23, 2012
Great family photos, action shots at sporting events, candid photos
I'm intermediate. I take hundreds of pictures but am not well versed in SLR cameras yet
Visitor
0
Answers Nikon Coolpix P510
nick 
Expert I
For general photography and longer zoom reach - p510 does the job - if u want better image quality for serious shooting - go for J1 View nick's recommendation
- 0 comments
- May 11, 2013
- Reply to: Nikon Coolpix P510 v.s. Nikon 1 J1
