Nikon 1 J1 : Tests and Reviews

Launched in January 2013 the Nikon 1 S1 is a new product line in the Nikon 1 Hybrid Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens series. Targeted at advanced through to expert enthusiasts after a lightweight camera for photography daytrips and holidays the Nikon 1 S1 features a clean minimalistic design. Utilizing a smaller sensor and lower resolution than most of the Hybrid competition though how will it fare in the DxOMark Sensor Scores?

Launched in October 2012, the Nikon 1 V2 is a not unexpected update to the Nikon 1 V1, which debuted in September 2011. The Nikon 1 Series cameras are hybrid cameras with interchangeable lenses. In the case of the V1 and V2, they fall at the upper end of the segment, offering more features and a higher performance level than their more consumer oriented brethren, the Nikon 1 J1 and J2.

Introduced in mid September, the Olympus PEN E-PM2 is the second generation of Olympus’ entry-level Micro Four Thirds hybrid camera. It sports a newly updated design with a useful, fixed grip and a touch-screen interface among other updates, but the big news is that it has inherited the sensor of the much-admired Olympus OM-D E-M5, the current top-of-the-line Micro Four Thirds camera.

With the Pen E-PL5, Olympus updates its range of micro 4:3 compact hybrids with redesigned ergonomics, upgraded electronics, and especially with the integration of the same 16Mpix LiveMos sensor found in the OM-D E-M5. Will it show the same advances in image quality as the flagship camera of its line? Our tests provide the answer.

The Nikon 1 J2 retains many of the same characteristics of its older brother, the J1, including its 1", 10-Mpix CMOS sensor. Other than its new 3", 921,000-point screen, the new version of Nikon’s compact hybrid puts particular emphasis on creative modes. How does the Nikon 1 J2’s sensor perform with respect to its predecessor, to its direct competitors, and to expert-level hybrids and compacts? Some answers from DxOMark.

Olympus caused a sensation when it revived the legendary OM line that had enjoyed its heyday in the silver halide era. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 successfully revisits the OM design in terms of its ergonomics and workmanship. Olympus has quite precisely taken advantage of this new family in its line of compact hybrid micro 4:3 cameras to introduce a new 16 Mpix Live MOS sensor. What is this new sensor all about? Does it represent an improvement over current Pen sensors? Does it help the micro 4:3 category to catch up with the APS-C hybrids (with the Sony NEX in the lead)? Our sensor review provides the answers.

Just as the NEX C3 succeeded the NEX 3, it's now time for the NEX 5 to be replaced by the NEX 5N. But although some successions are only slight redesigns, the 5N is a completely new camera.

The Nikon Coolpix P7000 was launched last year to clearly compete with the Canon Powershot G12 on the high-end compact market. Despite reasonably good specs, the P7000 wasn’t really well received because of some usability and responsiveness issues. So, we were quite interested to see what this new Nikon Coolpix P7100 would offer.

It’s rare in the world of photography for a manufacturer to come up with an entirely new product line from scratch, and it’s equally rare for a famous manufacturer such as Nikon (the world market leader) to offer a new lens mount (Nikon CX). This makes the launch of the Nikon 1 line (Nikon J1 and Nikon V1) a major event in photography this fall.

The long awaited and rumored mirrorless Nikon camera was finally announced today. And it’s not just one but a pair of new mirrorless compact “1 System” cameras that are coming to compete with the Sony NEX 7, the Pentax Q, the Olymps PEN EP3 or even the Fujifilm FinePix X10. These 2 first models in this new Nikon 1 series are the Nikon J1 and Nikon V1.