Nikon 1 J5 Mirrorless with NIKKOR 10-100mm f/4-5.6 VR Lens, Silver

2018-04-30T20:00:00

I will admit, I am a life long SLR and DSLR Nikon user. Moving to this small camera was I thought, a good idea. Small, lightweight, compact and yet great photos. It will give you all of that HOWEVER, when in bright sunlight, I cannot see the image that I want to photograph due to the intense glare on the screen. I am most unhappy as most of my photos will be travel outdoors. I will be selling this unit which I only purchased in December 2017.

Photofan

Originally posted at

2018-04-26T20:00:00

I really like the look of this camera and the size! The pictures are very nice. It does not completely meet my expectation when taking photos indoors (in a party, for example), but the photos are OK anyway (I prime lens can give you better results indoor). I like the color of the photos, especially portraits. I also like the selfies. Great selfies even using flash. Articulated LDC screen is really nice and well implemented. The standard lens is pretty and small, but it is plastic and feels cheap. After three months it started giving random problems because sometimes did not open and I had to turn it on and off until it could open. Bad thing when it does not open and you really need it to take a picture, for example, of your kid receiving a chess tournament trophy. After 6 months of usage, the lens needed repair. Well, it could be only bad luck that I had the only bad lens in 100s. But the thing that really annoyed me is the video. My kids participate in different orchestras not only at school playing different instruments, and I thought that I could record them with my Nikon, but every time I tried it automatically turned off between 10 and 20 mins (recording a Full HD video) due to heating issues. Pretty bad if you think that every concert can last between 10 and 20 mins. I tried the workaround turning it off to allow it to cool it down, but it did not work at all (very cumbersome either). 4K video is just marketing, like 20fps, none of them work as expected in "real life" situations. In summary, nice look, small size, pictures are nice as expected (pleasant colors), selfies very good, and some of the main features are only for marketing, but the really disappointing thing is the video. So, consider that if you want to buy one.

Striker00

Originally posted at

2018-02-19T19:00:00

I have been enamoured with the Nikon 1 series lenses and backs since the introduction of the J1. The J5 brings all those same qualities to an incredible fit, finish, and even smaller build. The only factors preventing a 5/5 star rating are the non-standard, halting workflows presented by the J5 <=> iOS app integration. More native on-camera WIFI connectivity options and polishing improvements to the Nikon Wireless Mobile Utility app would push this product over the line. I have had nothing but First Class experience with Nikon support and warranties. Now that I have a nice assortment of lenses, I am looking forward to my first V-series!

Kaedmon

Originally posted at

2018-01-14T19:00:00

You can not use this camera. There is no viewfinder and the back screen is reflecting light, you can not see in detail what you are taking. After a few times of use, you will not use this camera.

Sakip

Originally posted at

2018-01-03T10:55:58

Love the camera as it is easy to walk around with it and is really fast to capture. I usually leave it on program mode for quick and easy capture. Two issues I faced are; low light capture as the pictures turned out very noisy at high ISO, and the second one is the lack of EVF to see exactly what I am capturing. Having said that it is a great travel companion with the kit lens 10-30 mm

ASHOK N.

2017-12-02T08:03:49

For a little over a year now I've been trying to settle on a compact camera that can fit easily in a pack or large pocket without adding too much weight. I looked at most of the 1 inch sensor point and shoots—such as the RX100's, the LX10, the ZS100—and just could not get excited enough about them to make the investment. Then I learned more about the Nikon 1 line and decided to give it a try. Finally I found something that works. This costs less than a premium compact and you can change the lenses! With the 30-70mm lens on, it's just a teeny bit larger than the RX100 camera. Add the FT-1 adapter and you can use it with your Nikon DX lenses. I use it with my 40mm Micro DX lens and with my 70-300mm DX lens and look forward to exploring other combinations.

SUSAN H.

2017-11-05T19:00:00

I bought the J5 in July of 2015 with three lenses. I loved it for two years but just after 2 years the on/off switch on the camera failed and had to be repaired. It took great pictures and was much lighter than my D80 which made it much easier to carry on long hikes. I have subsequently had problems with two of the lenses.

Backcountryhiker

Originally posted at

2017-08-02T20:00:00

Just got this camera three days ago and I love it! I was looking for a "pocket-able" ILC; comparable to RX100 mk IV that I've been using for year and a half. Although from certainly technical capabilities standpoint RX100 has better spec, from usability stand point, J5 is orders-of-magnitude more enjoyable to use. In comparing to RX100, J5’s UI is far more intuitive, auto-focus is quick and reliable and IQ is equally stunning. What surprises me the most is how easy and convenient touch focus is. In addition, I was also presently surprised of image quality using 50mm AF-D f/1.8. Given the price range, performance, feature, and user-experience, I would recommend J5 over RX100 in most occasions! Misses: Nikon’s Wireless Mobile Utility App continues to be the Achilles' heel within Nikon Eco-system. Granted, it works much more reliable than my D5200 with wireless adapter now, workflow is still far more steps in comparing to RX100. Secondly, lack of in-camera charging built-in, greatly limits application of time-lapse photography. I miss the ability to be able to connect camera to an external USB battery pack for long time-lapse.

PTMcH

Originally posted at

2017-07-28T20:00:00

I own the Nikon 1 V2 since 2014 and it is great. I dont have big hands so Nikon 1 is perfect for me. This week I also bought the J5 as it is even more compact than the V2 and I wanted a tilting LCD screen too..and I got it on sale for 299€. I usally use the pictures straight from the camera and the J5 quality is excellent. Very easy too use and you have a small DSLR in your pocket. Razorsharp pictures for macro with my 18.5 mm and the 32 mm lens and macro filter.

Jim

Originally posted at

2017-06-22T13:10:21

This camera fits easily in the palm of your hand and in your backpack, too. Features and usability are outstanding for the amateur to semi-pro user, Image quality is similarly outstanding. The J5 is reasonably rugged. The interchangeable lenses offer a range of capability the far exceeds the Coolpix line of cameras in many ways that I appreciate. Three zooms plus a fast prime give me all the versatility I need. I fly 250K miles a year, and the J5 (and my previous J1 before the J5) with the 10mm-100mm zoom goes everywhere with me. Consider purchasing the 10-100 zoom with the camera.

BRIAN C.

2017-04-07T11:33:38

Love this little camera. Got the lens adapter and can use several of my existing NICOR lenses! Can't wait to take it to Europe this summer!

Roger W.

2017-03-07T10:54:49

Such great camera, I love it! I would prefered to have a separate place where to look before shooting instead of the screen.

TOMMY H.

2017-02-04T19:00:00

How can I geo tag photos I take. The mobile app does not allow for the raw images to be transfered :-/ please make this happen otherwise no Nikon for me! Thank you very much,

Redkarim

Originally posted at

2016-11-23T13:56:35

I bought this for my wife as a birthday gift before our trip to Asia. The camera is a great size for traveling. It has great picture resolution, I cannot wait to make some printsof our photos. I'm looking forward to purchasing the Nikkor 18.5mm f/1.8 for some low-light indoor shots.

Lee N.

2016-11-05T20:00:00

I bought this camera about a year ago mainly because I didn't want to carry around my D810 for personal use, however I still wanted to take quality photos. I have to say this camera is awesome, especially when meshed together with the 18.5mm 1.8 lens. I was in the middle of doing a photo shoot, and the battery on my D810 died. So I asked the model if she was cool with me just using the J5 to finish up and she agreed. As you can see from the photo that I took, the J5 definitely holds its own. Highly recommended!

PnelzPhotography

Originally posted at

2016-09-22T10:48:37

I was looking for a compact advanced P&S to replace my aging LX3. After considering the many compelling and more expensive options (RX100 III and IV, LX100, GX7, etc...), I settled on the J5. I'm amazed at how small this camera is with the kit 10-30mm lens. The new 20MP sensor provides outstanding results and I can add lenses as needed if the situation arises. My only quibble is that it does not use the standard Nikon IR remote.You can control the camera from a mobile phone app, but I found it a bit clunky to use. Otherwise 5 stars.

TOM E.

2016-07-26T20:00:00

I have had the Nikon 1 J5 for a little more than a week and I love it. I was waiting for the DL-24-85 to come out but since it has be delayed and I could wait so I bought the J5. I have been using the Nikon 7000, it's a little old but still a great camera. I wanted something smaller that could do the somethings as the 7000. And the J5 has not disappointed me. There are a lot of shooting options on this camera, the only thing I wish it would have a hot shoe on it

Coolcruiser

Originally posted at

2016-05-14T20:00:00

R?flex ou hybride! Bonjour, cet appareil me parait trës intéressant! J'ai plusieurs objectifs nikkor que j'avais avec mon f90 x d'il y a plusieurs années...est- ce que cet appareil avec une bague spécial me permettrait d'en utiliser au besoin? Comme mon 28-105 mm, macro nikkor 60 mm, 70-300 mm...j'aime l'idée d'un appareil plus léger et compact avec une bonne qualité avec lequel je pourrais utiliser 1 des plusieurs vieux objectifs nikkor au besoin...est- ce possible? Où dois- je me tourner vers le d7100?? Je ne désire pas forc?ment d'un appareil avec autant d'options...mais souhaite garder une belle qualité d'image alors r?flex ou hybride je ne sais pas...vos conseils seraient bienvenues Merci!!

Isa

Originally posted at

2015-08-04T20:00:00

I have been using the J5 pretty regularly for more than a month now. I really like so many of its features but there are some important limitations. Pros: It is small and portable The lenses are excellent and very sharp The video quality is very good The cost of an entire system is very reasonable It looks and handles well Cons: Sensor overheats and shuts down the camera after about 20-30 minutes of shooting video. There are limitations when it comes to low light. Over 800 ISO and the grain is noticeable. Focus can shift when shooting video even with Auto Focus Single - have to use manual. Don't use auto white balance when shooting video - it can shift. An important note on the 10-30mm kit lens. It is a very sharp and versatile lens, but the lack of a filter is frustrating. There is no way to add an ND filter when shooting video, so everything is at f16 and it is exposed to moisture and grime so protecting the lens surface is an issue. All in all, this is a really nice little camera, but I strongly believe that Nikon should forget all the special shooting modes and concentrate on making this a strong video camera. Instead of being a solid workhorse I believe Nikon is trying to compete with the smartphone camera. The overheating issue is a show-stopper when it comes to shooting video on anything more than short clips.

UnderhillPhoto

Originally posted at

2015-07-22T21:00:00

I am on old time Nikon owner. I purchased a Nikormat somewhere around 1965 and ended up with a D700. I would guess that I had a dozen others along the way. Most were purchased from Adorama. Recently I have tried to find something that weighed less than the D700 (it is heavy) and that would give me satisfactory results. That means 3 things to me. One is what used to be called lag time. Point and shoots and even several sub prosumer SLR's were not even close to being adequate. Anything that is not sitting still is missed, or blurred or turned away. Secondly was my need for detail. I have started printing 20 x 30 photos, and I have dug into several images and cropped stuff out and still printed them at at 16x20 abd maybe even 20x30. This meant I needed a sensor that would give me 10 megs at least. I read the material on the Nikon 1 J5. It sounded great but in reality you never know until it test it out under fire. After waiting several months for Adorama to take delivery of these I finally received it. Adorama was not at fault for the delay so don't let the scare you away. I ordered a unit with a specialized lens that zooms from 10 to 100 mm. This gives me better than average wide angle and 10x magnification if I need it. 10 - 30 mm gives you only 3x and 30 - 110 only gets you about 3.5x.It was probably the last item on the J5 list that Nikon was making and it took time. My plan was that if this machine did not cut it I would return it to Adorama. I am happy to say I couldn't be happier. Keep in mind my desire to own the 10 to 100 lens cost substatially more than model with a lesser zoom. It is probably more than most people need. I did a couple of days shooting. Even bought a second battery to make sure I didn't run out of power. The detail of everything I shot is excellent. The sensor is 21 meg and is smaller than the one in the D700 but I took the detail and zoomed in using photoshop and everything was still perfect. Trust me I zoomed in further that I really needed to. I never used a camera to take movies but I'm sure it works just as good. And the viewing screen is fantastic - it is a genius design - EVEN lets you take selfies, uside downs and heavan knows what else. The lag time is better than accceptable. Assuming that Nikon owners and people who are planning to be Nikon must be aware that Nikon cameras at almost any level are complicated. Why else would you get a manual that's a couple hundred pages. At first I had to find things in the manual that I wanted to use - the controls are different since the J5 frame cannot handle as many external buttons that somehting like the D700 has. But whatever I used on the 700 is in the J5(this was my 3rd requirement). Some of the things that I used a lot (like intentionally over or under exposure) instead of being a single button is one more click away. The controls for things that Nikon knows are used more often are 2 clicks away - other are more but are needed in more controlled (allowing time) situations. You can't slip it in your pocket but you can hang it around your neck or wrap the strap around your hand with ease. I believe that the 1J5 will become the camera that everyone wants to own. Adorama has put people in place to help the new owners of this camera. You can send them emails for help on whatever you don't understand or can't find. I had to ask a couple question and the answers came back via email. This is an invaluable service that they thought up.

WILLIAM G.

2015-07-15T21:00:00

I have been using this camera for a week. It continues to amaze me. It is a very comfortable backup to my Nikon D7100. I think I will be using it more than the SLR because of its weight and convenes. The pictures are amazing. It captures pictures faster than the SLR so it is great for action shots. The learning curve is not that bad. The camera is very forgiving.

MELVIN H.

2015-06-02T20:00:00

So I just received my Nikon 1 J5 yesterday in white, and have not stopped playing with it since!! Still reading the manual and getting used to it, but can already tell it is going to be so fun and easy! I sold my Canon rebel t3i to buy the J5 as the Canon was too confusing for me and way too bulky. The J5 is small, compact and I can put in in my purse for everyday use! I plan on using this camera for blogger style pictures and capturing memories. The tilt feature is great which is why I went for J5 and not the J4. Love how easy it is to change the shutter speed and f stop etc. All I do is touch it on the touch screen. Much better then having to find it in the menu and find it like other cameras. Been playing with it for a day now and the ONLY thing I am not happy with is that I can not do self timer when I am taking a selfie. The camera is very small and holding it to take selfies is quite difficult as it is hard to get a good grip on it. Would have been nice to set a self timer and only have to extend my hand out. Also, I always mistaken the record button for the shutter button. I have so many 2 second videos where I curse because I realize that I am taking a video haha. Other then that, I am in love with this camera!!! Can't wait to use it more!!!!!!!! :) PLEASE come out with more accessories for the J5 such as the white leather camera case and a water housing!!! Plan on going to tropical travels this summer and would love to take some beautiful underwater pictures!

kelley

Originally posted at

2015-05-17T20:00:00

Following are the highlights * Its light and small with the kit lens (10-30mm). Slightly smaller than expected. One has to be cautious while holding so that its AF lamp is not blocked. * Flash is suitable only at close range- really miss a hot shoe. The pop up flash is annoying as its delicate and there seems to be no memory once you select the no flash (jumps into auto flash as soon as you change the dial). Note:due to small size- one of our finger usually blocks the pop up flash. * Touch interface is average. Better than nothing * There was no details if the LCD is scratch resistant- Would recommend a screen guard * Picture clarity is good. VR is effective and low light photos are natural. * A hand strap would have been better than the regular large neck strap. * Slow motion video is limited to just few seconds of recording. You may not even record HD video till the memory card space is available. The manual says its limited few minutes. I haven't tried it yet. * Mobile app is just armature. I am using a android phone- some times takes 15-20 swipes (NFC) to have it successful working. Recommend not to use among friends- it might embarrass you by not working. The app can be used to view / download photos to your phone in few size formats. Unfortunately, It will load all the photos in the memory card. Consuming time . Would prefer some folder system based on date, making easy to classify and load quicker.

RKodikal

Originally posted at

2015-05-15T20:00:00

Everything works perfectly (even the WiFi with iOS). Love all the options of so many features. While the full automatic mode is OK, I like to try with different manual settings and all of them give excellent results. The manual is compact but well explained. The pictures taken are crip and nitid, I cannot tell how much I am enjoying this camera. Yes, it is a lot to read and try, but that's the fun of it. I am happy that non-initiated are able to take good photos but you have all the capabilities and features to get the camera do what you have in mind for that amazing take. Definitely it is an awesome balance between price and features. Now I will start collecting lenses for tis camera.

DemonioAzul

Originally posted at

2015-05-10T20:00:00

I bought this camera pre-ordered, and it is incredible. The incredible photos it takes at 20 FPS, the 4K video, and the build of the camera itself. The only problem Ive been having with it is the WiFi. It doesn't want to download the photos from my camera to my phone. If this worked perfectly, I would give 5 stars, hands down. It works with my iPod (running IOS) flawlessly, so for iPhone users, it should work without a hitch.

CaliNikon

Originally posted at