Nikon 1 V3 Mirrorless Camera with NIKKOR VR 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-ZOOM Lens

2019-06-12T08:17:42

I like the camera operation. I especially like the automatic lens cover. A great improvement over the V1 that has manual covers and the need to manually turn the lens to turn the camera on. It is also faster focusing and adjusting the zoom.

SAMUEL S.

2018-12-20T14:59:55

I bought from Adorama rather than Amazon because the had stock of the Nikon mirrorless camera I wanted. I believe it would have been more informative if Adorama had divulged the fact that the model I purchased was actually manufactured discontinued but I would have made the purchase anyway.

andrew c.

2018-03-16T20:00:00

Great camera, well worth the money. I also own the v2 as back up using ft1 adapter let’s you use your f mount glass full auto focus up to 15 FPS. (Single point)

Nikon1ftw

Originally posted at

2017-09-06T20:00:00

I've had the V3 for a few years. I've got several lenses and I am happy with every one of them. This takes great pictures and easy to carry anywhere. I wish they'd had a telephoto with a 2.8 max aperture and a good wide angle. In the meantime I'll continue to take this little gem everywhere.

McNurlin

Originally posted at

2017-06-01T16:06:06

Great little camera. Focuses fast and has great color and detail.

RHONDA A.

2016-09-20T20:00:00

I have a Nikon DF that I love, but I find myself using this camera more often as in fact I carry it everywhere I go. I made the investment in both the 70-300mm and the 32mm lenses. And surprisingly I mainly use it in manual mode as it easy change settings and almost have it work like my DF and my Nikon film cameras. I do a lot of night and low light photogrpahy and here are some samples of of my shots.

Didi

Originally posted at

2016-01-30T19:00:00

lightweight and durability with crisp picture with good price

BangOLO

Originally posted at

2015-10-14T20:00:00

Compre la camara por las supuestas 60 fotos por segundo y solo te almacena, 40 fotos IGUAL QUE LA V2

decepcionado

Originally posted at

2015-08-04T20:00:00

I've had this camera for a few months now and have put a few thousands clicks on it. It looks good. On paper. The bumf and the photos attached make it look dreamy to use. A few things to consider. "...a thrilling camera that combines the portability of a compact camera and image quality and capabilities usually associated only with a D-SLR" Let's address this first. Image quality. I'll be comapring this to my Nikon D3200 entry level DSLR. By comparison the Nikon1 V3 produces very poor images. The noise at ISO 160 is unacceptable. Past ISO1600 the images have to have so much noise reduction done on them in post that they're unusable (though the D3200 falls on its face at 800ISO). Color saturation is weak. "... brilliant low-light performance and cinema-quality video capabilities." Um. No. grainy and noisey in bright sunlight and the video... My Droid Razr M does better. Shooting video in 80º heat in the evening after the sun had gone down the camera overheated and shut down to protect itself after 8 or 9 minutes. Believe it'll only shoot for 10 minutes at a time anyway. "... the world's fastest continuous frame rate." This is brilliant. Love it for this. Catch the action. But I'd rather have 4 FPS with an image or two that are amazing than 20 FPS and not a one I can use. Fills the buffer in about 2 seconds and will make the camera unusable for several minutes while it writes to the card. Screen goes blank and it gets really hot. "...the convenience of built-in Wi-Fi®" Clunky and hard to access though 4 or 5 levels of menus. Then it doesn't want to stay connected reliably. Even from 6 feet away. The WU-1a stuck in the side of the D3200 is just as bad though. "Shoot sharp, clear, noise-free photos and videos up to ISO 12,800—continue shooting in fading light long after lesser cameras have been put back in their cases." Haven't pushed it that far. No point. If it goes completly grainy past ISO1600. It does feel very solid and feels like it should be able to survive in a harsh environment. I like the tilty screen. Nice and bright in full sun. The EVF is kind odd. Get your finger to close to it and it turns the screen off. The menus are difficult to navigate with the touch screen. I've got small fingers and have a tough time tapping what I want. Actually the menus themselves are just tough to navigate. Capared again to the entry level D3200. The hot shoe. Non-standard. What were Nikon thinking. I know! "Sell more stuff 'cause nothing is gonna work with this! Cha-Ching!" How much space and weight did it save to make it 3/4 size? The lens mount. Proprietary again. Lenses from Nikon 1 series won't fit anything else and nothing else fits it without the adaptor. For more money. And the lenses for the Nkon 1 series are expensive. Judging by the kit lens they're also not very good. The kit lens is prone to ghosting and lens flare in even indirect harsh light. Conditions the 18-55mm kit lens that came with the Nikon D3200 handles pretty well and for two thirds the price. Battery life. Rated to 400 shots. Haven't obseved this myself. Have yet had a fresh charge last through a morning shoot. I average 500 clicks during an no action event lasting 3 hours. Using the WMU and wifi it was shutting down the connection at 50% and not letting me use the shutter because of low battery after 30 minute and less than 100 clicks. Used up both batteries in 2 and half hours. Very very poor. Sensor size. Neat name. Silly size for a sensor. Solutions: Put a Standard F mount on it. The proprietary mount isn't that much smaller and can't be much lighter. Put a standard hotshoe on it. Again, that fonky little thing the Nikon 1 is equiped with can't have saved that much space or weight. Put an old 12 to 16 MP sensor in it. Full or crop. The light gathering capabilities of some of the older sensors is astonishing. The processor in the camera is fine. Needs a bigger buffer but other than that it's good. Make it so that if you're using the EVF the screen goes off. Period. Until you need to chimp your shot or access a menu. This would improve battery life dramatically . For a camera that's pitched as appealing to pros as a companion (and in some of the Nikon released videos it's touted as being used as a replacement for or just as good as a DSLR) with DSLR like features... it falls flat. It's just not. It's fairly heavy and it's not pocketable. To big for that. Attach the grip (that has an extra wheel and shutter button...wheeeee! Kinda useless those on this camera) and EVF and the zoomy 10-30mm and it's huge. Also attaching these, the manual warns will hurt battery life. Another thing. If you get it in a pocket and touch the power button the lens extends and will not retract untill it's all the way out so you're stuck with forcing something. Unhappy with the purchase doesn't cover it. I feel cheated. $1200 Nikon 1 V3 versus $450 Nikon D3200? Nikon 1 V3, you're chopped mate, you lose.

JustOnlyJohn

Originally posted at

2015-07-08T20:00:00

I have been unable to enjoy the camera. Unfortunately, I bought the camera very early in its lifecycle at a time when the electronic viewfinder wasn't included in a promotional bundle. I quickly realized I had made a mistake and rushed out to purchase the electronic viewfinder (because it is difficult if not impossible to compose a handheld image if your eyesight isn't so good and/or you are using the adapter with a Nikkor telephoto lens), handgrip and lens adapter as accessories. I was able to obtain the handgrip and lens adapter fairly quickly for a newly released product. Unfortunately, such has not the case with the electronic viewfinder. I've been unable to get it anywhere. In fact I recently canceled an order placed with a major US Nikon reseller in May 2014 after waiting 13 months and receiving nearly 2 dozen 'sorry to inform you but the item is still backordered' email messages. This experience has greatly soured my view of Nikon because of its apparent inability to produce accessory inventory levels to satisfy the needs of its existing customers. But on the bright side, I am absolutely convinced that if you purchase this camera with the electronic viewfinder and handgrip you will be thoroughly delighted. It so much easier to take with you on business trips where you will likely have myriad opportunities to add to your photo collection and do so without dragging your DSLR camera bag with all its expensive 'goodies' along for the ride. And, of course, capturing a 'perfect' action image all but guaranteed because of the mirror less design. But don't purchase this camera unless it comes with the electronic viewfinder. I am pretty sure Nikon has figured this out because they've run several promotional bundles that include it.

Doxieman

Originally posted at

2015-05-27T20:00:00

Love the focusing, high fps, and optical reach. Its the camera I bring with me just about all the time. Use it with my 70-300mm G VRII w/ lens adapter. Probably get the 300mm f/4 PF VR next. A 500mm f/4 PF VR will be even better. Screw lock for grip keeps getting loose. Should be redesigned. High ISO (>400) is really not very good. I shoot 1/500 or 1/1000 sec f/5.6 or f/8 all the time. 40 frame buffer is OK, would like more. EVF works great. I use a red dot rifle sight a lot. Would be nice if the EVF can still be working (maybe to the side) at the same time. The weight and size allows me to carry miles without getting in the way. Battery life is also quite good. Not sure if system is water resistance, but have experienced adverse weather several occasions without the camera quitting on me yet.

birder1

Originally posted at

2015-04-06T21:00:00

The Nikon 1 V3: The greatest small camera in the world by George DeWolfe First, you have to understand where I am coming from: Over 50 years of professional and fine art photography. This is not meant in any way to be a bragging session, but I just want to add a little weight to what I am about to write. Let me also limit myself. I very rarely print images larger than 17x22 inches. It's a choice. My preference is actually for a 4x5 or 8x10 contact print from a traditional negative - the highest image quality attainable. The ultimate test of any camera/printing system is how good a B&W print it will produce. Not color - B&W. I was skeptical about the Nikon 1 system at first: Small sensor - how well will it make large prints? The V1 did an admirable job and produced images better than any point and shoot I'd used before. But then I decided to try something - put it on a tripod and treat it like a regular DSLR. The results I obtained in the B&W prints from these images were of superb technical quality and beautiful tonality. The latest iteration of this little gem of a camera is the V3. Because of the quality of this model I have sold all my DSLR cameras except one, a small lightweight D5500. But I am am now using the V3 for everything and the D5500 sits and collects dust. The kit I have (pictured) is the NIkon 1 V3 with the lightest Gitzo or Really Right Stuff Tripod and the Leica Ball Head. I came to this decision by degrees and experimenting. The Leica ball head is one of the best in the world, and it supports 15 pounds. It's small and does everything you want a good ball head to do - fast. One control makes all the adjustments. I'd come close to saying that it's the best ball head in the world, but it doesn't support heavier DSLR equipment. But it's perfect for the Nikon 1 V3 and lighter Nikon cameras including the D3300, D5500 and D7100. I recommend both the Gitzo GT1542T Series 1 Traveler and the Really Right Stuff TQC-14. It's hard for me to decide which one I like the best, but for lightweight action, movement and travel, either is excellent. They will support all but the heaviest DSLR. Years ago Ansel Adams was asked what camera he favored using. He replied, "The heaviest one I can lift!" To him that probably meant a 4x5 or 8x10 view camera. My approach is a little different: Carrying the lightest camera I can find that produces the highest quality image. Today, that is the Nikon 1 V3. (Actually, the Nikon A was very close because it had a DX censor in a small point-and-shoot frame, but it had a fixed focal length and is now discontinued.) The quantitative and technical aspects of the V3 are discussed on many popular photography websites. I am going to concentrate on it's main qualitative functions in this article. The main attribute a camera needs to have, aside from any other, is the quality of the image it produces. What usually happens at this point in most camera reviews I read is that image quality is broken down into its quantitative aspects. I think that's misleading. What photographers really want is a qualitative image evaluation of the camera's image by an expert whose images they respect. An expert will usually not compare camera images from different cameras. He'll compare the camera image to something he has in his head (and possibly heart). If you start comparing images from different cameras you end up eventually suffering from what is called "Judge's Creep." ( Judge's Creep is what happens to judges of a large contest. After hours of 'judging" you get tired and your idea of quality diminishes). In a camera we are looking for absolute image quality, not relative image quality. The image the expert has in his head is the absolute best. My qualitative "scale" revolves around the word beautiful. In a B&W print, which is what I make most of the time, beautiful is described in terms of tonal quality. Tonal quality is a function of the articulation of the gray values. Articulation is the number of values within the framework of the photograph. And it has been shown (Seeing Black and White, Alan Gilchrist, Oxford, 2006) that the more gray values there are in a photograph, the less flattening (or compression) occurs in the print. So, the more values, the better the tonal quality. Shown below is the functional visual tonal scale of the Nikon V3: The test was made photographing a gray towel in shade and bracketing in steps of 1 stop either side of middle gray until the image became black or white without detail. The test shows that the V3 has a full detail range of 5 stops and a dynamic range of 7 stops from white to black. This is a visual test with no numbers or calculations involved. It has as many tonal values as an ordinary Nikon DSLR. This was also a typical range of panchromatic B&W film such as Kodak Tri-X. This is a functional test, one that quickly shows a photographer how the sensor records images. It's very useful in determining when you'll have to bracket images for HDR processing. My standard operating proceedure with digital photography is to bracket one stop above and one stop under the correct exposure if I have the opportunity. The second part of a qualitative digital workflow is using RAW files. The Nikon NEF Raw format allows you elbow room when processing in Lightroom or Photoshop. JPEG files don't offer as much flexability. Third, I always photograph in color, because the color information is necessary to convert the image into a quality B&W image. The one slightly negative quality I've have about the Nikon 1 is the tiny size of the flash card. It's about as big as my thumbnail. After a period of working with the camera, however, I am used to it and that negative aspect has worn off. It makes you be careful when handling the camera, which is a good thing. One of the best attributes of the Nikon 1 camera system is its array of high quality lenses. I use the zooms most of the time, but the 32mm (85mm equivalent, 2.7x crop factor) is the best portrait lens I've ever seen. It is absolutely superb. My move to exchange all but one Nikon DSLR with the Nikon one did not come easy and it came by degrees with the evolution of the Nikon 1 itself. From the first model, the V1, which I still love, Nikon has steadily improved the camera to the point that I can make excellent 17x22 prints from the Epson 3880. I don't think the Nikon 1 V3 needs any more endorsement than that. George DeWolfe Southwest Harbor, ME April, 2015

GEORGE D.

2015-04-03T20:00:00

I was a Nikon 1 fan within the first hour of using a J1. I operate the camera with my right hand and cradle the lens barrel in my left hand, just as I have always done with SLR cameras. I prefer traditional interchangeable lenses with hoods, filter threads, and mechanical zooming. For me, the Nikon 1 is a multi-lens system in an easier to use and carry size. I’ve been using a Nikon V1 with 4 Nikon 1 lenses. I decided to upgrade to a V3 camera. These are my impressions and comparison with the V1. I was very unhappy that Nikon USA requires the purchase of a complete package including 10-30mm PD-Zoom lens, EVF, and Grip. (This doesn’t happen elsewhere in the world.) This mandatory “bundling” nearly caused me to not buy the camera and I doubt I will ever succumb to such a shotgun marriage again. I hope you are listening, Nikon. Customers who already own Nikon 1 equipment should be able to buy a camera body only. I didn’t need another 10-30mm lens; I already have two. I took comparison shots with the original 10-30mm zoom lens and new 10-30mm PD-Zoom lens and saw no noticeable difference in image quality. The PD-Zoom lens has no lens hood or filter thread, and the electric zoom is slower than the mechanical zoom of the original lens. I don’t find the PD-Zoom lens useful, but possibly some photographers might like the electric zoom action for shooting video. The Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) should have been built into the body, as it was on the V1. The EVF and V3 body have plastic covers that must be removed to mount the EVF to the body. Keeping track of these small items is a nuisance and Nikon provides no help with storing them. There are enough cautions in the instruction manual regarding the EVF to convince me that it is easily damaged, so I remove it when I put the camera into my bag. The removable and fragile EVF will be an irritant for as long as I use my V3. It does, however, provide an improved view over the V1 EVF. The auxiliary Grip adds a useful handle to the camera. The Grip screws into the camera body’s tripod thread and provides a substitute tripod thread that is inferior because it is not centered on the lens. The design of the swivel screen on the camera back requires the Grip base to be cut away to allow the screen to fold down. This results in a narrow base that is less stable than the camera body without the Grip. Two covers (one on the camera base and one on the Grip) must be removed to mount the Grip. Nikon provides storage space for only one of the covers on the Grip. The Grip seems to have space to store both covers, though, and storage for both covers would have been a nice convenience. The Grip must be removed to change the camera battery, a nuisance. The shutter release button on the Grip seems to have a better “touch” than the camera body shutter button. As with the EVF, the Grip should have been built into the body. The camera uses micro-SD storage cards. These are small and difficult to handle and are easy to drop or lose; I would rather the camera used standard SD storage cards. The micro-SD storage card is inserted into the side of the camera body (rather than the bottom) so it is not necessary to remove the auxiliary Grip to change a card. I hope to see Nikon add a second micro-SD card slot to the camera body to match the twin-card functionality in Nikon DSLRs. The too-small cards would make more sense if there were 2 of them. Control buttons that were on the right side of the viewing screen on my V1 are on the left side of the screen on the V3. I liked them better on the right; I could hold the camera/lens in my left hand and work the buttons with my right hand. I would have preferred the “Display” button to be immediately below the “Playback” button since I often toggle different display modes after pressing Playback. The On/Off switch is better than the switch on the V1, and the V3 now turns the camera off when a zoom lens is returned to the collapsed position. The swivel screen is a real improvement. I especially enjoy folding the screen out so that it faces upward, then shooting with the camera at waist level. That often allows the screen to be shaded when shooting outdoors and makes the screen easier to see. Also, I wear bifocal glasses and looking down at the screen is more comfortable than pointing my nose to the sky to see the screen when the camera is held at eye level. The screen is touch-sensitive. This provides some really useful functionality – the screen can be touched to select a focus point or to trip the shutter. The new “F” button is a shortcut to camera settings according to the shooting or viewing mode. For example, pressing the “F” button in Programmed shooting mode gives quick access to ISO, white balance, exposure metering, and autofocus mode. Settings can be changed with the usual buttons and multi-selector or by touching icons on the screen. The “F” button with the touch screen enables much faster selection of camera operating parameters and this is a tremendous improvement over the V1. The thumbwheel at the top right of the body (Nikon calls it the “Fn2” button) is both a pushbutton and a rotating control. It can be assigned to any of several functions and is very easy to use. I have assigned Fn2 to exposure control. When I want to add or subtract exposure, I press Fn2 to bring up the exposure compensation screen, rotate Fn2 to the exposure compensation I want, and then press Fn2 again to lock it in. This is very fast and can be done while looking through the EVF. This is another great improvement over the V1 and speeds up camera use significantly. There is also an Fn1 button and an Fn3 button (on the auxiliary Grip). These can be assigned to various functions but the choices are limited. I would like to assign Fn1 to “Silent Shooting” but that is not available. The exposure program on the V3 seems to be recalibrated from the V1, with the V3 making different aperture and ISO choices on “P” shooting. In general, the recalibration seems to be an improvement. The V3 has the best auto panorama (Nikon calls it “Easy Panorama”) feature I’ve seen. There is no need to tell the camera what type of panorama is being created. The camera detects the sweep motion and creates the appropriate image. I personally like panoramas that are created by holding the camera vertically (portrait mode) and sweeping the camera horizontally. This creates a taller horizontal panorama that is visually appealing to me. The V3 includes an HDR function which is based upon two exposures. I’m not satisfied with the results, although the images are as good as I get using auto HDR on my other cameras. This brings me to one of my biggest complaints about the Nikon 1 system – it has never offered automatic exposure bracketing. On a Nikon 1 this is a shocking omission because the Nikon 1 has the potential to do auto bracketing faster and better than possibly any other existing camera. The V3 can shoot multiple RAW images at 10 or more frames per second. It could take auto exposure bracketing to a whole new level and I really miss having it. The Nikon 1 system excels at rapid focusing and at shooting high frame rates in raw format. In practice this results in a higher “grab shot” success rate than any other camera system I’ve ever used, including my Nikon DSLRs. The V3 is so good at rapid candid shooting that I don’t worry about missing opportunities, it almost never happens. Much has been written about image quality and the Nikon 1 sensor. A well-regarded 1-inch sensor is used in Sony (and more recently a Canon) cameras. I own both of those. They produce mildly better results in low light but otherwise are not remarkably better than the Nikon 1. I use those cameras only when I want a camera to fit in my pocket, and prefer the V3 over both of them. In the field, my V3 system feels much like my Nikon DSLR system. It is modular and intuitive to use but fits in a bag about ¼ the size of my DSLR system. It’s a system I can comfortably carry all day and that means I have this camera system with me more often than the larger DSLR system. I use my Nikon DSLR for about 10% of my photography, when I want higher image quality or better weather sealing. The Nikon 1 V3 hits the sweet spot for me. It produces images that meet most all of my needs. I hope to see a V4 (body only!) with auto exposure bracketing, twin memory cards, built-in grip and EVF, and maybe a better sensor. Until then, the V3 is my go to camera.

BRSac

Originally posted at

2015-03-13T20:00:00

Very poor IQ. The complete line of Nikon 1 cameras are substandard and the output from the 1" sensor is very poor. This line should be eliminated.

Denis

Originally posted at

2015-02-07T19:00:00

I bought the V3 for two reasons - to do action photos at extreme frame rates with FX lenses (300 2.8 and 70-200 2.8), and as a carry everywhere 'point and shoot' camera. It exceeds my expectations on both counts. If you exploit it's capabilities, you will make incredible images with it. The FX lens usage has been exactly as anticipated, but I want to just make a few points about using it with native lenses. 1 - SHOOT RAW, and learn how to process it, even if you just convert directly to jpeg. I haven't even tried this camera as jpeg output only, I shoot everything raw. The jpeg examples I've seen elsewhere have not been that impressive, but I think that about my D800 as well. This camera in particular though improves immeasurably if you learn to use raw and nikon software - thankfully I can still use my Capture NX2 with it, but ViewNX2 also works very well with it (it's FREE). 2 - The 1 inch sensor has inherently more noise than larger sensors, but there's more to noise than quantitiy. I'm sure you've heard the over-used term 'film-like' grain, and I'll use that with this camera as well. It really does have film-like noise, very fine, with no big color blotches. 16x20 prints are very pleasing up to at least ISO 3200, and I have 20x30 hanging in client venues. I equate noise performance to my D300, maybe even a little better in dark areas. I still own and use the D300, and I would rather have the V3 at 3200 than the D300 at 3200, the noise pattern is more pleasing and more manageable in the V3. 3 - as a 'point and shoot' (and I hate putting that label on this little gem), there is no comparison. I'll strip it down (no finder or grip) and put the 10mm on it, turn the touch screen on (which I usually have off), head out to a party and have no qualms about handing it to an iphone user to take a shot. I have an iphone, but refuse to use it for photos, it's just too disappointing. If you could only compare my waiter-rendered V3 photos in dimly lit restaurants to what you see from iphones, you would be astonished. I personally view it as an important adjunct to a full Nikon system. I wouldn't choose this as my only camera - but 'only' camera is a foreign concept to me. If I were an amateur looking for a single solution, I think I could be very happy with it, especially if I wanted to try some action photos. As an advanced user, I'd hate to be without it.

OLDnikonPRO

Originally posted at

2014-10-27T20:00:00

I now carry this V3 on all my photography outings alongside my larger DSLR body. I find it a perfect platform solution for quick stable video, and photos for more agile work. Small enough to fit in my side bag and useful enough for detailed images for immediate social postings using the available app. What's to like: Plenty! Fantastic VR HD stable video. Very useful as a second video on site. Why drag around a 2 pound DSLR video solution when a more simplistic approach will suffice? Video features HD with slow motion effects. The 18mp sensor is sharp, has minimal noise in most shooting situations, and renders splendid images that can be uploaded using your smart phone and the WiFi app. Selectable focus modes allow for some of the sharpest, fastest acquisitions available on any camera with FPS rate that exceed even that of the mighty D4S, you will not miss the moment with this camera! The camera is modular in concept: Those who want a DSLR feel can attach the electronic viewfinder and grip and will find it very similar to the larger DSLR in feel and use. Those needing a more streamlined body can forgo the attachments and still have all the features of the V3 at their fingers. Splendid images and wonderful handling make this camera a must for any photographer, + adding the FT-1 lens adapter will allow almost EVERY Nikkor lens to attach. Keep in mind the 2.7 crop factor for the lens. I have bird shots using my 400mm lens + FT-1 with this set up - I hope to capture more as migration occurs. Using my new 400mm I get a 1080mm field of view. I am 95% satisfied with this camera: here are a couple of things I wish were better. - Battery Life. Although adequate, I bought a second spare just in case. - The memory card is the smallest one in size, super small, you need fingernails. Luckily you only need to install it one time. All the photos attached were taken by me using the V3; some with the supplied kit lens and others with the FT-1 and Nikkor FX lens - all worked wonderfully. This is the "1 series" I have been waiting for - has everything I need for a fantastic experience. Thanks Nikon.

Anonymous

Originally posted at

2014-09-23T20:00:00

I purchased this camera as a high speed compact 2nd body to complement my D600 ... it does everything Nikon says but needs a bit of getting used to due to the small size and differentlocations of menu items, buttons and dials ... overall I love it ... I have not had a chance to make a real life high speed shoot yet but I tested the high speed AF 20 FPS on a bird flying towards me with a 70-200 2.8 at 200mm (540mm with crop factor) ... worked perfectly and every one of the photos were in super sharp focus ... I cannot say the same for my framing the subject as it need getting used to ones you start following a moving subject at high zooms I will highly recommend the camera to anyone who uses a DSLR and dont want to carry a big body all the time ... What I dont like is the view finder - color accuracy and speed is not the same as on a DSLR but definitely brighter under low light ... hwoever you see what you are framing even though not a true representation of color ... I also dont like the flimsiness of the connection ... I carry teh camera with finder off and plug it when I use it ... As for GPS not being included - I heard some locations do not allow GPS enabled cameras ... might be a myth but most pro cameras dont seem to have it and no manufacturer has it on high end models so the myth may have some truth to it ... I use a GPS logger that goes on for ove 2 days with a single charge and LR matches the time stamps to geotag the photos ... easy once you know how to

SohansWorld

Originally posted at

2014-09-08T20:00:00

I'm not a pro, but this camera actually makes me look like one!! I bought the kit with the small lens... a month later order the 70-300mm and I just love it The body of the camera is so light and compact

esodiriajose

Originally posted at

2014-08-09T20:00:00

I have been using the V3 for several weeks. I have used some of the V lens and several full frame lens, up to the 800mm with the 1.25 TC. When I do my part the results are astounding. Upon my return home I will be getting an additional V3. The ability to use several of my DSLR/film lens on this smaller body which has a 2.7 crop factor is one reason I will be getting another V3. The additional 'reach' provided means the V3 with the 800mm with the 1.25 TC is like having a 2700mm lens. This has been very useful on our trip to Alaska and allowed me to get images of great quality which would have just been specks in the frame of many other cameras. I highly recommend the V3!

Ozarks

Originally posted at

2014-08-09T20:00:00

The future of digital photography is certainly mirror-less. There is really no need for the bulk or the vibration generated by a mirror flapping out of the way of the sensor, and this camera demonstrates how it should be done. Until now, most DSLRs have been more capable than most mirror-less digital cameras, but this one closes the gap almost to zero. I bought it to use primarily as a travel camera, since the bulk of my DSLR and its various lenses is getting a bit much to put up with. The V3 is quickly replacing the DSLRs for all purposes. Picture quality is great. Features are great. Handlability is great. Speed (of start up, focus, etc) is great. Why not five stars, then? There are a few small issues that Nikon needs to correct to make this the killer camera of all time: The viewfinder feels a tad fragile, and I cannot seem to get my eye up to it well enough to frame a shot properly. The ergonomics are such that I am looking well below the center of the frame, leading to some oddly composed shots with too much sky in them. It would benefit from a slightly higher position relative to the camera body, or the ability to tilt up a few degrees. The lens that comes with the kit is totally lame. The camera is an enthusiast-level unit, but the lens does not even accept filters. Save your money. Don't buy the kit, and get one of the other excellent Nikon 1 lenses instead. Finally, this camera really shines as a travel camera. Why not add the one thing that a traveler really wants - built-in GPS to geotag the images and chronicle the trip? Nikon's add-on GPS units are fragile and unreliable, and prevent the use of the hot shoe for other things (such as the viewfinder, in this case) but their built-in ones are really quite good. The time has come for all digital cameras to have this capability - especially the ones that are great travel cameras. Overall, this camera has what it takes to displace DSLRs. A few small adjustments will make it a real killer.

Tresinnoctem

Originally posted at

2014-06-25T20:00:00

I have owned and used Nikon 1 V3 #31000442 for more than a month now, after having used a couple of model 1 V2s for some time previous (and I have kept them on hand); thus, I feel capable of making productive comments about the new camera. It works, and it works well. If you disassemble the four parts (body, lens, grip, and finder) they will fit easily into two jacket pockets; they may bulge a bit, but you won't be seen to be carrying a camera. Of course, you'll have to use the body cap and rear lens cap, but you can probably skip the hot shoe and grip caps that cover the electrical contacts, and you can reassemble the camera in less than a minute when you need to do so. As a retired ASMP member, I still do one regular job which mostly depends on recording indoor activities under available light. The 10mm and 18.5mm lenses are my mainstays, but I have had occasion to use most of the rest of the Nikon 1 lenses for one reason or another. All of them have produced satisfying images. I rarely need to print larger than 8x10s, but I have made prints this size from as little as a quarter of the total image recorded by the sensor, and they have worked. The shadows most often show noise to a greater or lesser extent, but as a former devotee of Tri X film I see the noise as the equivalent of grain, and I always have liked to have my film photographs show a little of the grain that typifies the medium. So, then, I am happy with the pix I have made during the last month or so. Why then the "Enigma"? The real question is: for whom is the V3 intended? What user, with what intentions? Most of the changes it adds to the V2 enhance its usability under extreme circumstances. For example, you can get rid of the focusing "beeps" but retain the quiet shutter release noise instead of having all or nothing at all. The added function buttons, though, are limited: there are a variety of possible options, such as exposure compensation, that they will not bring up, but they can be helpful in other ways. You can cram more photos per second into the memory cache if this is important. The new finder is a slight improvement on that of the V2. The swiveling back screen can occasionally be very useful. And so on. One might say that most of these changes are improvements aimed at a more professional user, and they all work as intended. Maybe the V3 is intended for a more "professional" user? But consider then the new lens. Some reviewers have called it simply a remount of the original one, but it's not. Despite having the same zoom and aperture ranges, it has three fewer elements than the old normal offering. But testing my examples of the two, I found that my new lens is a mite sharper, especially in the wideangle range. Oh Goody! Happier the pro! So why, then, is there no bayonet or threaded flange to which he can attach a lens hood? Or a filter? Why does the self-capping feature involve leafs that, if he reaches hurriedly into his pocket or equipment bag, may intercept his finger or thumb and get bent back, possibly scratching the lens' front surface or even jamming the capping mechanism itself? This lens is not in any way at all suited to professional use. The use of Micro SD cards is also no real help, though they are now installed on the end rather than the bottom of the V3 body. Imagine a pro photographer in a rush to change cards having to deal with these little bitty things, perhaps even with gloves on in midwinter! Or even yourself, pro or no! And the hand grip has to be removed in order to change out the battery. Batteries will probably need changing even more often than memory cards. Having the grip removable may be an advantage toward greater pocketability than the V2, but it will slow down the shooting process, especially if you use the V3 for one of its main claimed purposes, rapid sequential work, which will eat batteries very quickly. Were I to have designed the V3, I'd have kept the permanently installed finder and grip, a la V2, in the interest of making it a camera that did everything a camera should be able to do right out of the box. That camera would be a little lighter and have less height than the V3, since it would lack the separate camera baseplate and hand grip top cover. And I would certainly have put threads on the lens! My version wouldn't be pocketable; but neither is the V3 if you want it to be ready for immediate action. Most of the above comments may seem to be negative, but they are not meant to be critical. The V3 does all the things that Nikon says it will do, does them well and does them quickly. It should make fine prints up to 11x14" or maybe even more, and few of us need them much bigger than that. It's a good camera, versatile with its array of lenses #once we get the promised 100-300mm zoom and a hoped-for short constant-speed f/2.8 or so zoom to cover the big gap between the 10mm and 18.5mm focal lengths, that is#, unobtrusive, fast, and responsive. I can absolutely recommend it to someone who needs these attributes, and can bypass the exceptions I have spent time on. I have deducted a star, not for lack of quality, but because I think that in the 1-series Nikon has still not defined its audience: some camera attributes are contradictory to others. But if you want what the V3 offers, jump for it!

dekkam

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