I got a new toy. It's white. I've been told white is a girlie color... oh well I like how the white looks.
Now that I've had this camera for a little under 2 weeks I think I can start to talk about my likes and dislikes.
Likes:
Small, compact, easy to bring out and about in the city.
Takes DSLR quality photos in good lighting.
HD 1080p video quality with really great focus and subject tracking
Ridiculous electronic burst mode and a continuous shutter mode.
Dislikes:
Still not pocketable. This camera, as small as it is still isn't pocketable. I would need to get the 10mm wideangle lens and then i could probably just put this camera in my pocket when I'm out and about. Only con? That lens would be $250 and I can't really justify it.
For such a nice camera it lacks some features found on the Nikon CoolPix super zoom cameras.
There's no panorama stich mode. There's not many effects. I think Nikon whiffed a little with the camera options.
Overall:
Photos look sharp as you would expect from a Nikon. Its really just a fancy point and shoot where you can zoom in and out on the lens barrel with a quality smaller nikkor lens form factor. The sweet spot is use as a point and shoot that takes crisp photos. I haven't really used the zoom lens that comes with it because realisticially who brings their camera gear back out with them?
If you're looking for a compact DSLR replacement and you actually want manual controls: this is NOT that camera. Get a SONY NEX. Really. There is no manual focus on the Nikon J1. Where this camera excels is HD video and snapping off photos that look great the the amateur photographer. If you want to play with the apeture and shutter settings you can but its hidden in too many menus. There are no dedicated controls which gets frustrating. Lastly, you can't control both shutter or aperture. This is clearly meant to be used as a fancy, slightly pricey toy, yet I actually really like this camera. It will most likely be the camera i take out 80% of the time. I love my Nikon D60 but its too bulky (it will be relegated to special occasions where the focus is going to be taking pictures).
Sample Photos:
