Nikon unveils V1 and J1 Mirrorless Cameras

[bhavikk]

Just saw this on Engadget!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/21/nikon-unveils-v1-and-j1-mirrorless-cameras-10-1mp-cmos-2-7-inc/

[Bokehmon]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1109/11092120nikonlaunch.asp
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1109/11092115nikonlenses.asp

Your move Canon....

[UncleFester]

Ooooooooo!! I like the pretty pink one!!


Hopefully Canon has something a little less stocking-stuffer than this.


 

[bvukich]

Oh look, how cute, it's like a sensor only smaller...

[KBX500]

Canon has been waiting for this announcement. Now they know how to
outfit their camera bodies and system that will be competing with Nikon
in this segment. But the J1 & V1 don't seem to be much competition with
the 13.2mm x 8.8 image sensor - not even for Oly, Panasonic & Sony.

Doesn't it seem like Nikon is waving the white flag kind of early ?
Are they that afraid of Canon, or were they unable to source a
competitive sensor ?
Do they believe their lenses are so superior that they will attract buyers ?
 
I don't get it. I thought Nikon would slot their offering in at a 2.0 crop factor.
Naturally, they wouldn't want to compete with their own APS-C bodies and
use their 1.5 CF sensor, but a 2.7 CF ?

Seems like an early Christmas gift to Canon.

[Hillsilly]

Not quite what I was expecting.  Seems more of a Pentax Q competitor for the Japanese home market.

[Flake]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1109/11092120nikonlaunch.asp

Just reading the comments, people are far from positive about this camera, in fact most opinion is highly negative.

What is the advantage of this camera over the LX5 or the G12?  When price is taken into account it's laughable (double).  When the camera is compared to similar priced ones (PEN & NEX) it just looks silly.

On top of that it's incredibly ugly, current Nikon accessories are not compatible (so no speedlight hotshoe), and it offers no features which aren't offered on competitor products.  The lenses are slow (especially considering f/2 is available)  and expensive.

All in all this seems to being seen as a huge flop, dead on arrival was one comment, and it seems certain to ensure that Nikon doesn't progress from it's position of third place in the market.

I can only hope that Canon has the foresight to stick with the G12 in this sector, and produces a camera to compete with the EVIL cameras with an APS-C sensor, and the ability to use accessories in the Canon range which we already own.  Otherwise we might as well go buy a Sony.

[PeterJ]

About the only thing I saw of interest was the phase detect autofocus. I'd previously thought that was only possible with a mirror system but see in the Wikipedia article on autofocus it can be incorporated into the sensor. Still a bit of a nothing product for me, too large to always carry on you like a cell phone,  too inferior to a DSLR for planned shots.

[weixing]

Hi,
    May be Canon can just use the G series and convert it to a mirrorless camera with adapter to use EF/EF-S lens.

     Have a nice day.

[wockawocka]

Electronic Viewfinder....no thanks!

[Gothmoth]

what an epic fail....

i only hope canon will do it right.

enough of this they won´t "cannibalizing" their dslr market nonsense.
if canon will not do it, sony or samsung or m43 will do it anyway.

please give us a APS-C mirrorless system canon!!!

or at least a roughly m43 sensor size system with a PRO body and good handling.

not some P&S body like these nikons.

[NormanBates]

the nikon 1 system can't survive any kind of comparison

* the nex-5n has a 1.6x crop sensor and a similar price

* people complain about the m43 picture quality; but the difference between m43 (2x) and APS-C (1.6x) is actually smaller than the difference between nikon1 (2.7x) and m43 (2x)

* the difference between tha nex-5n (1.6x) and this nikon 1 thing (2.7x) is just as big as the difference between the nikon 1 (2.7x) and the canon G11 (4.8x)

I don't know why they even bothered with this: R&D costs of a whole new lens system that's owned by every competitor around

let's see how the cameras perform, but I'm quite pessimistic...

[koolman]

Just saw this on Engadget!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/21/nikon-unveils-v1-and-j1-mirrorless-cameras-10-1mp-cmos-2-7-inc/

The traditional p&s line of cameras posses a basic drawback in the form of slow focus and shutter lag. For many home uses, and consumer uses, this is a real problem as you are forced to pose people to snap a good shot. Pictures of anything moving like a small child, or a school dance, are very hard to achieve.

The real improvement in the new(olympus, panasonic, etc.)  smaller bodies (MFT etc.) is that this hurdle seems to have been overcome. Technology now allows a fast focusing/shooting NON DSLR body. This is a major improvement and opens up a world to consumer use.

Nikon made a smart business move, to develop a small sensor body, with fast focus and speed. As sensor technology improves - the physical size of the sensor is less meaningful, allowing nikon to provide smaller better quality lenses, and keep costs down. I believe most consumers are not seeking interchangeable lens systems, and do not want to lug around a MFT body and lens. Nikon gives us a smallish body, with super fast performance.

I think this is a very smart business move.

[neuroanatomist]

Do they believe their lenses are so superior that they will attract buyers ?

Of course.  They come in black, white, sliver, pink, and red.  How could they not be superior?!?

[gmrza]

what an epic fail....

i only hope canon will do it right.

I think it is difficult to put a foot right in this segment.  It seems that CSCs have only really caught on in the Japanese market, while the rest of the world has so far been sitting on the fence.

The lower end of the market could probably not care less about interchangeable lenses - they are perfectly happy with a compact.  The higher end of the market insists on image quality - these users already have DSLRs and need a pocketable camera.  Until something really good comes along they will probably rather stick with a G12 (or similar).  That leaves a small group in the middle who probably see current EVIL offerings as good option.

I think a challenge here as well is that the market for users who want a large sensor and fast lenses is an extremely small niche.  That makes it difficult for manufacturers to put anything decent in the market.

For myself, I would be interested in something with an APS-C sensor, a selection of fast prime wide angles and a proper accessory hotshoe (so that I can use my existing speedlites or off-camera flash).  The problem is that the mass market is demanding zooms with the biggest possible zoom ratio.  Most of us reading these forums shudder at the thought of the knock that image quality takes with a 10x zoom.  But we are a minority.

If I want a light system with interchangeable lenses, right now I am still probably best off dusting off my 350D, or getting my act together getting my Zeiss Ikon overhauled... (OK the Zeiss is not that light.)

In a way, I feel for the camera manufacturers - this is a market segment where whatever they do, they seem bound to get it wrong.