hpcon Loc: Riverside, Ca

Currently I use a D800 for all my photography and video.
My favored lens is the Nikon 24-70 f2.8. The results are just amazing... I have a lot of flexibility in post production, like HDR from single shoot, cropping pictures out of larger ones, downsizing for emails. The camera and its resolution has brought out a creative side I never knew I had!!! Now sit back.... here it comes...

BUT,
the gear gets heavy after 3 hours of carrying on shoulder.

I was looking at the Nikon 1 V3 for an alternative and companion to the D800. I could use all my existing class and pick up great focal distances.

Has anyone had this issue? Having to give up resolution for weight??? Anybody know much about the Nikon 1V3?

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

This is kind of a "half reply."

I went the other direction: I had (still have) a Nikon 1 J1 with two lenses. All in all, it's a fine camera, when one takes its limitations into consideration.

For me, the ultimate deal-killer was its lack of a viewfinder (for the life of me, I can't get used to the "live screen" preview, especially in bright light situations). The V3 has somewhat solved this problem by offering an electronic viewfinder as an accessory. But there you go, adding stuff when what you wanted was less...

It's a small sensor -- smaller than APS-C, so the 18 megapixels is probably the best you're going to get. If you don't enlarge past the 8x11 size, that may be enough. The camera can shoot in RAW or JPEG, has ISO ranging from AUTO to 160-12800. There are six white balance presets as well as the ability to set custom white balance.

Perhaps the most awe-inspiring (okay, manage hyperbole with as many grains of salt...) is that there are 171 focus points (contrast that with 51 on my D7100). It can shoot video in 60 fps, has multiple metering modes, can support external flash (with proprietary accessory shoe), and has multiple shooting modes.

All in all, it's a pretty capable camera. Had I taken the time to learn it a bit more, I might not have been so eager to move to my D7100, but mine did not have the ability to add a viewfinder, and that's what tilted me to the bigger camera.

hpcon Loc: Riverside, Ca

Perhaps you have the second half of the reply.
I carry camera, lens and flash or about 2160 grams. How much do you carry?
Do you have thoughts of entertaining the Nikon 1 V3?
Thanks for your input.

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

I confess that I've succumbed to some serious G.A.S. and now tote a backpack containing my D7100, four lenses (35mm, 18-55mm, 18-140mm, 55-300mm) a Speedlight, charger, extension tubes, remote release, and assorted cables. This pack also serves as my work pack, so it also includes an iPad and a Macbook Air, complete with charging cables. I haven't weighed it, but it's certainly heavier than the shoulder tote I got for my J1 and two lenses!

As for the V3, I also confess that I did some research on it (and the J4 at the same time) just after I responded to your original post. Let's just say I would "entertain" the idea, but I'd have to get rid of the J1, first. And, at $1,196 (Amazon pre-order price), I'd have to think long and hard about it.

For now, I moved to the D7100, and I think I'm better off learning and using it as my primary camera for a while.

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

I'm a Nikon guy but image quality for the money I think the Nikon 1 system is one of the poorest performers on the market.

Here's a link to the dpreview.com "image quality compared to" page for the 1 V3 camera. Pull up the Sony A6000 camera and then set the ISO to 3200 - the difference is shocking and the A6000 is $400 less!

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-1-v3/11

http://1.static.img-dpreview.com/files/p/S300x200T7x5~image_comparison/studio/e2eca98d221040a1ba1c7f15933d73cb.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://2.static.img-dpreview.com/files/p/S300x200T6x4~image_comparison/studio/654a9a0273914611ab1b0e5aa4b454b6.jpghttp://1.static.img-dpreview.com/files/p/S300x200T7x5~image_comparison/studio/e2eca98d221040a1ba1c7f15933d73cb.jpg

hpcon Loc: Riverside, Ca

I agree, The resolution is just very poor. The Sony @6000 is a 24 MPixel vs 18 on the V3... I have considered the Sony, however My wish is to be able to use the nikon lenses that I own, and this was not possible with the Sony unit.
If you know of a mirror-less camera, 24 megapixels, that I can use my lenses at full features... please let me know.
Thanks for your input

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

I didn't know you wanted to leverage your existing Nikon lenses with a Nikon 1.

You do realize that an adapter will be necessary, don't you? And that the conversion factor for the sensor size will need to be factored (2.7x, I believe). B&H sells such an adapter for $236.95. That would change my calculus, for sure!

amehta Loc: Boston

I don't think the image quality issue is the 18mp vs 24mp, it's only 15% more linear resolution, like going from 8x12 to 9x14. In general I think the sensor size makes a bigger difference, and APS-C sensor (Nikon D7100, Sony A6000) is about 80% larger in linear size than the Nikon 1.

A simpler option may be to get a Nikon D3300. Here are the weights and DxO image quality scores
* D800, 900g, 95
* D3300, 430g, 82
* V3, 325g, 52

Gobuster Loc: South Florida

You need to be careful when reading the DP review report. What they were illustrating is that the JPEGs from the V3 have a lot of noise reduction applied that soften the image. However, the RAW files from the V3 were sharp and had more detail than the Sony RX100 III (which, BTW, has excellent IQ). I started a thread on the V3 a while back:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-229953-1.html

Since then I've done more shooting with the V3 and am getting very sharp results. I've printed up to 17 x 22 and am very happy with the results. So far, the most outstanding images were shot with a Nikon AF-S 85mm f1.8 prime lens using the supplied adapter. Of course the V3 is no low light champion and the images are noisy after 800 ISO, but, in good light or flash, the results are very good (RAW, have not tried JPEGs yet)

hpcon Loc: Riverside, Ca

Great news... could you show me some samples of your V3 camera???

Gobuster Loc: South Florida

Sure, I'm away from my main computer until tonight but will post later. Are there any particular type of shots you would like to see, or just ones that really demonstrate the sharpness?

hpcon Loc: Riverside, Ca

1. The ones you think are the best...
2. Some that have bright light...
3. some that are in low light
4. Some that have lots of color...

Thanks

MtnMan Loc: ID

I have the same issue. I recently bought a Sony NEX-7 for carrying.

But I don't want to start another lens collection. I got a 55-18 with it and bought a 55-215, but that is as far as I am going with it.

So I bought a Fotodiox adapter that came today. I have a post on it.

IMHO the sensor on the V3 is too small. The NEX-7 uses an APS-C size sensor with 24MB. When Nikon comes out with a D5300 mirrorless I'll send the Sony down the road. Not till then.

MtnMan Loc: ID

There isn't much difference in 18 vs. 24 MP. The difference is in the physical size of the sensor. The V3 sensor is half the size of an APS-C sensor. That means it gathers half as much light. It is actually better in terms of ISO performance that it has less MP. You'll note Nikon's new flagship camera, priced at over $6,000, has only 16MP on an FX sensor.

So low light performance is unlikely to be as good. Also, although their advertising pics work at showing some, it won't generate the bokeh of a larger sensor.

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

Not a V3, but from my V1. This is The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park and other shots during winter. Very little post-processing done, save lens correction (in LR5).

By the way, these were taken in JPEG, before I got smart and started shooting in RAW.

The Ahwahnee Hotel

(Download)

Icicles

(Download)

Virgin River Ice

(Download)