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Questions & Answers

MARY D : I take close ups of Jewelry…how is the macro?LEMUEL F : I do not take many closeups but the images are startingly clear. I believe that they have a lens designed for that.JONATHAN P : buy a macro lens..JOHN R : You can focus down to about 8" which is good for a zoom lens. If you need to get any closer, you need a true macro lens and one doesn't exist yet for the N1 system unless you use a lens adapter.MICA S : I did buy this camera, but don't own it. It was a specifically requested gift for my granddaughter's birthday . She says it does a really good job of taking photos of her artwork at college--not sure if she does any macro shots. KARL Z : You can manually focus. While you can't get *real* close up on things, if you are shooting pieces of jewelry then it might be OK out of the box. If you are getting detail shots of jewelery pieces, then you'll need to add close-up lenses. I took a photo of my wedding ring with the 10-30 lens set manually to the minimum focus distance. The ring is mostly contained within the center cell on a 1/3 grid. It breaks out on all sides, but not by a lot. For reference, the outside diameter of my ring is 7/8" For comparison, if I use my Nikon 105mm Macro on a D300, at minimum focus distance the ring does not fit in the frame.SPENCER A : It's alright, it only does it automatically and you can't manually adjust it which makes it difficult to focus on the thing you want let alone make it look the way you want, if you want truly customizable settings then I would go with a different camera
Shopper : can you advise what was the issue with this camera and why it was refurbishsed? what kind of warranty comes with the camera (from you , from Nikon)? thanksMICA S : Sorry, I don't know the answer to the issue question. The camera was bought as a gift for a high school senior granddaughter as she needed a new camera for her sculptures . This is the camera she requested. When I read on its description that ithe camera was refurbished by Nikon, I felt that it would have been restored properly and well, whatever the original issue had been.JONATHAN P : it may have been refurbished but when I received it and checked the shutter actuation, it was zero shutter count! It was either eset in the factory/or nikon repair facility. It looked like a brand new camera and I upgraded the firmware to 1.2 plus the lens to 1.1 I will not mind buying a fatory refurbished camera.. I always trust refurbed cameras.. from any camera maker for that matter.. sometimes refurbished means whatever operational bugs there were from a new camera, have been fixed.AUSTIN B : Hello, adorama asked me answer your question because I purchased this same camera. The reasons for a camera being refurbished are many and ultimately do not matter because the product is completely reworked. Refurbished cameras are taken apart, given new parts, and reassembled. They look new and work like new regardless of what problem they had before. I have purchased several refurbished Nikon cameras over the years and have always been happy. Nikon gives them a 90 day warranty. To me, refurb cameras are always my first choice. I hope that helps.ANDREW R : Unfortunately Nikon does not provide that data, nor do they indicate what the reason for the refurbishment was (open box, floor demo, etc.). Refurbished cameras are offered to us in batches from the manufacturer. Refurbished goods sold by Adorama are all refurbished by the manufacturer (unless specified otherwise) to the original company's specifications. All refurbished equipment sold by Adorama include a 90-day return-to-manufacturer warranty.
Karen B : I am very interested in purchasing the NikonJ1 for our daughter for Christmas. Will this come in it's orginal box, as provided by the manufacturer?JONATHAN P : Karen B.. how old is your daughter? how much is she into photography? I think the Nikon J1 has the fastest autofcous locking feature-- a combination of phase detect (lik ethe bigger DSLRs) and contrast detect like the point and shoots.. and about soft pictures from the camera.. all i can say the pictures are better than from point and shoot cameras..SANDRA D : I don't know, as I bought a new -- not a refurbished -- camera.JASON H : This is a terrible camera. It is extremely difficult to produce images without motion or other blur, even with a tripod. Also, images are very soft with the included lens. An Olympus or Panasonic micro 4/3 system camera would be a much better choice. JOHN R : Hi, The camera comes in a white box with "Nikon Refurbished Product" label affixed to it. I bought my camera this way and it is a great deal.GILBERT R : Yes, & love it, bought for my self, I also purchase an adapter for my nikon DSR lens I think she will like it if she really Interested on photography.

Reviews about this item

Review Summary

2013-07-08T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

I love it!

Great camera, easy to use!

JB

2013-06-03T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Price/Performance-in a class by itself

As a pro photographer I needed a smaller lighter camera that didn't compromise on quality. I researched many similar sized cameras in the $400-$600 price range. This camera has the quality of the more expensive ones but at half the price. It was an easy choice!

BILL L.

2013-05-21T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Worth the step up!

I wanted a simple on-the-go point & shoot type camera for casual outings with friends that don't render lugging around a big dslr. All of the powershot and coolpix types I've had before always seem to have a quickly-deteriative auto-focus which is kind of important to casual pictures with friends. So I'd say it's worth spending double to get double the quality and double the lifetime and it's not as bulky/cumbersome as the dslr!

Karen D.

2013-05-13T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Great, but limiting

The camera is great. It takes great pictures. It has great features. The access to specialized settings tend to buried a few menus deep though. I like to change up the image size I'm capturing in different situations but it's not easy to get to. If you like playing with your aperture, shutter speed, or ISO settings those are also not very convenient. It's a very fun camera though.

bvesco

2013-05-13T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great value

Great travel camera. Bought this refurbished - great value!

pm

2013-05-07T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

excelent

I used on an activity with my daughter and was impress with the quality and video features.

carlos c.

2013-04-30T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Fantastic camera, way to go NIKON!

I love traveling with this camera. The low-light features are better than my wife's high-end Nikon Cool-Pix. We can do city shots at night, food-blogger photos in a dim restaurant, and capture performances in a darkened circus tent. I love the motion-capture-video with the Motion Snapshot feature. It takes a couple seconds of video and plays it back at slow speed. I have some great pictures of a guy juggling knives on stage. The Motion Snapshot feature makes it look really cool. This feature reminds me of the moving-photographs in the Harry Potter films. The pictures look like magic! Getting technical: The 10 MP sensor is outstanding in this camera. It is a "CX" sensor and is a bit larger than what you get in the Cool-Pix. I like how Nikon stopped at 10 MP and didn't try to put more pixels on the sensor. It's better to have fewer pixels because it means each pixel can have better light-gathering capacity. Imagine each 'pixel' on the sensor is a light-gathering-bucket. If the area of the 'bucket' is larger, it has a better chance of capturing photons in low light. Consumers are sold on the idea that more megapixels is better, but it isn't necessarily the case. More megapixels generally means more noise and smaller space-per-pixel on the image sensor. Nikon has done it the right way around here: They put a high quality lens on the camera and focused on the light-gathering capabilities of the sensor by putting fewer, larger pixels on the sensor. Plus they equipped the camera with a larger sensor. Nikon has gone the less-is-more route with megapixels and it really pays off. I really love my Nikon J1. It was definitely worth the money and I would recommend the camera to any of my family members. I use the camera on trips and it is easy to carry. It is not heavy or bulky as a digital SLR and the image quality is fantastic for my needs.

AHREN R.

2013-04-08T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Best camera

Got it for a great price. Beautiful color. Takes beautiful pictures.

vmh

2013-04-08T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

worth its price

good enough for casual photography

aflame

2013-04-08T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great Camera

Fun camera. Takes really sharp photos.

Guymond L.

2013-04-08T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Well Built

Actualy I'm using this camera with 10mm pancake lens to do aerial photography and video. Provides a nice light high package that can provide both video and stills and includes nice built in intervolometer.

TRACY T.

2013-04-08T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Awesome Nikon

the camera is east to use. It only has three setting and that is perfect for a person that doesnt know much about cameras.

Photo t.

2013-04-02T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Excellent semi pro camera

This is a great bridge camera between a point and shoot and a SLR. You can try out filters and new lenses with relatively low expense.

Ryan R.

2013-04-01T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Excellent Camera for the price!

I use the product mainly for taking pictures of the family. It is a great camera so far. I have noticed that some of the pictures come out blurry. I think this is probably because I am still learning how to use the camera. It is not as simplistic as a point and shoot. there are a few more options. Overall it has taken excellent pictures and is a great camera.

Grimmet

2013-04-01T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Excellent Camera and Lens

We purchased the refurbished camera with a 10-30mm lens and a refurbished telephoto lens from Adorama. The Nikon components are all exceptional. We took several photos of our home in the evening with only one or two incandescent lights on and found the clarity, tone, and resolution of the phots to be outstanding. We're very happy we purchased the camera and the telephoto lens.

rayray

2013-04-01T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Love it

I only have the camera 2 weeks but so far am enjoying it. Very limited use with included lens so I since have purchased the 30-110. Can't comment on that because I haven't used it yet.

Peggy

2013-04-01T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

overall a great little camera

Now that the 18.5 lens is out, your best bet is to ditch the 10-30 mm and even the 10 mm and go with that.

Mashingkeys

2013-04-01T21:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Good picture quality despite sensor size

Good solid picture quality despite the sensor size

Kai T.

2013-04-01T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

This camera beats all!!

This camera is spectacular. I purchased as a gift for my daughter (15) as it was recommended from family. She could immediately use. Worked easily and perfectly immediately.

JOLENE S.

2013-03-18T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great Travel Camera

Super easy to use, with sympistic controls, not overly complicated or with gimick features. Super compact and easy to carry especially with the 10mm or 18.5mm lens. Excellent build quality and image quality. I have purchased two as gifts already. At this price this camera is a real bargin!!!!

TOMAS B.

2013-03-06T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Fantastic Camera

This is just a great overall camera. I was looking for a compact camera to rival my Nikon d3000 without the added bulk and weight of the d3000....and this camera fits the bill. Although I have only had it for a week now...I am discovering features with the J1 that I had not even considered before. I have discovered the slow motion feature...which works like a charm. Also, the camera allows me to take time lapse photography as well. I love the simplicity of the camera dial (only 4 settings)...yet the complexity of the menu system offering manual, A, S, P settings and much more. Although there is not a viewfinder, the screen is bright and has not been a problem capturing those outdoor wildlife shots that I enjoy. And the photo quality rivalsl my d3000. Way to go Nikon...another winner.

Alan L.

2013-02-12T19:00:00

Rated 4 out of 5

Fun little camera.

I wish it was 16 megapixels. Oh wait they just announced the J3!!!

Big D.

2013-02-11T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Good beginner camera

bought this for my son who is a photo student, very good for his purposes -image quality is better than the sensor size would suggest -would be nice to have a hot shoe but it's not really necessary

Jon

2013-02-09T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

love it.

takes very nice pictures. love the continuous option. will buy another if anything happened to mine. will also buy additonal lens. thanks

ribbittse

2013-02-04T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great little SLR like camera

This camera is a great alternative to lugging around an SLR, and I like it better then most P&S I've owned and used.

THOMAS K.

2013-02-04T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

great point and shoot camera

Once we figured out how to use the bells and whistles, we have no complaints

Lem

2013-01-28T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

great camera for everyday use by family

my wife uses the camera mostly and was unhappy with the speed the old digital slr was focusing between shots, we missed too many good pictures by clicking then waiting for the exposures.

LEMUEL F.

2013-01-20T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Great Little Camera

I put over simplified as a con but my comment itself is oversimplified. The camera is so not intimidating you can hand it to anyone for a snap. They don't turn pale and tremble when you do. Of course those of us who want to can dig deeper. I like having a nice convenient camera with a real zoom I can carry around and not feel like my photo quality is doomed. I bought this for astrophotography but it will be my all occassion camera. Love it.

ROBERT M.

2011-11-18T19:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

"I Love this Camera"

I have been looking for a small compact camera that gave me the quality of a DSLR. This is it!!!! I am so in Love with this little guy. I call it Mike. Mike is a guy I love unconditionally. I found that love in this NIKON product. i have take it every where and have come up somr of the most amazing Photo's. The only thing is the Raw is not the same raw for for photoshop and light room. I have to shoot in a large Fine J Peg and convert it over to raw. That's the only draw back I see. Other wise. if your lookinf fo a camera that gives you great qulaity images. Small enough to carrier in your pocket. THIS IS IT!!!!!!!!!!! Love it woth every dime!!!

Shell

2011-11-04T21:00:00

Rated 5 out of 5

Awesome camera

Don't believe the naysayers and camera snobs - this is a wonderful little camera. I've shot SLRs forever (Nikon F6 and D70 and Minolta before that) and like the image quality and control that those cameras offer. Compacts just don't cut it, particularly in autofocus performance. This camera is different: 1) it's small enough to carry in a jacket pocket 2) autofocus performance is on par with DSLRs 3) the sensor and lens are big enough to produce good quality images. 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. You'll get used to this quickly. The gripes you read about in reviews of this camera are overblown. It's true there aren't lots of control nobs and you'll need to go into the menu to change, say, from Program mode to Shutter mode. But I usually stay in P all the time anyway so it's not a big deal. Plus since the camera is quite small to begin with it's ok that there are relatively few buttons. The camera does go to sleep, but you'll soon get in the habit of tapping the shutter button as you bring it up to eye level to wake it up. As for the lack of an electronic viewfinder, if you want that, buy the V1 and put up with the bigger body and lack of built-in flash. The LCD on this camera is good enough to compose on in even in direct sunlight. I like this camera a lot because it's almost as small as a compact but has nearly all the performance of a DSLR. Right now the main gap with DSLRs is the lack of an ultra wide lens (equivalent say to the 11-16 Tokina DX lens), but I'm hopeful that will be rectified over time. When the F-mount adapter is released, there will be no end of options on the long side of the spectrum.

Photojohn

About Nikon J1

FEATURED REVIEWS

Awesome camera

By Photojohn

Don't believe the naysayers and camera snobs - this is a wonderful little camera. I've shot SLRs forever (Nikon F6 and D70 and Minolta before that) and like the image quality and control that those cameras offer. Compacts just don't cut it, particularly in autofocus performance. This camera is different: 1) it's small enough to carry in a jacket pocket 2) autofocus performance is on par with DSLRs 3) the sensor and lens are big enough to produce good quality images. The combination of hig...

View full Review

"I Love this Camera"

By Shell

I have been looking for a small compact camera that gave me the quality of a DSLR. This is it!!!! I am so in Love with this little guy. I call it Mike. Mike is a guy I love unconditionally. I found that love in this NIKON product. i have take it every where and have come up somr of the most amazing Photo's. The only thing is the Raw is not the same raw for for photoshop and light room. I have to shoot in a large Fine J Peg and convert it over to raw. That's the only draw back I see....

View full Review

The Nikon 1 J1 Mirrorless Digital Camera is a compact and easily portable digital camera. The mirrorless design allows the camera to be extra-small and lightweight, while still retaining all of the best qualities of a mirrored model. Featuring a CX-Format High-Speed AF CMOS Sensor and an EXPEED 3 dual image processor, this small device packs some punch.

The sensor enables great photos even in low light, while the EXPEED 3 enables superior system performance, high-speed processing, advanced phase detection autofocus and high-speed data transfer rate.

The J1 camera has an interchangeable lens system, allowing you to select from 3 optional 1 NIKKOR lenses in addition to the included one. There's even a lens designed specifically for movie filming. Swapping lenses is quick and easy, enabling you to stay at-the-ready at all times. Aside from the 10-30 mm focal length of the included lens, you may choose a single focal length of 10 mm or a 30-110 mm telephoto. A highly responsive autofocus and a fast shooting speed ensure that you never miss a moment. You get 10 fps continuous shooting speed in autofocus mode, so your camera won't lag behind the action.

An impressive 73 point AF array gives you amazing clarity, even when capturing fast-moving subjects. A large 3.0" LCD color screen features a 460k-dot resolution and an anti-glare coating for easy viewing, even in bright sunlight. Enjoy one-touch Full HD (1080p) movie record mode-and the ability to capture stil l images while recording! Add a slow-motion effect to make your imaging more dramatic. Experience the Motion Snapshot One-Touch Photo Animation Experience to bring your photos to life. This feature essentially creates a picture slideshow where there would otherwise be merely a single image.

Thanks to Smart Photo Selector, the J1 chooses the best of the images you've taken, so all you have to focus on is getting the shot you want. Let the camera do the work for you while you do what you love and stay in the moment. Enjoy easy access to advanced features with a menu that is easy to follow, no matter how much photography experience you've had.

What's in the box:

  • Nikon 1 J1 Mirrorless Digital Camera
  • NIKKOR VR 10-30 mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
  • EN-EL20 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
  • MH-27 Battery Charger
  • UC-E6 USB Cable
  • BF-N1000 Body Cap
  • AN-N1000 Strap
  • ViewNX 2
  • Short Movie Creator CD
  • User's Manual
  • Reference Manual CD
  • Nikon 90 Day Warranty

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