First Report on V1

First Report on V1 – the objections

As a D300/200/100 and D2H user, I was 'surprised' by the N1 specifications. But, I decided to take a positive attitude. Yes, the cameras of 2011 are designed for soccer moms and dads. Is it also useful for enthusiasts?

The list of objections is long.

DOF is indeed too wide for many applications. The small cameras are hard to handle. The slimline design means that buttons can't be used while wearing gloves. The lack of dials and body controls is daunting. You may have to take your eyes off the subject in order to change settings.

Diffraction is a problem. F/8 is poor on some lenses. For the 10mm pancake, the sweet spot is 3.2 to 4.5. f/10 is useless. So, slow lenses (like the 10-100) have a very narrow useable range in aperture.

Not good for video users. You will have to use fader filters (not ND filters) to open up the aperture.

For D300/D3 users, the VF is puny and slow. The lenses are limited. The proprietary accessory port means that all the DSLR flashguns can't be fired. The SB-5N is an inadequate substitute.

Indeed, you need a cold shoe (AS-N1000) just to attach the Nikon MK1 microphone.

You can mount large lenses. But, there may not be enough clearance on a tripod. Nikon has a tripod adapter (TA-N100) to create enough clearance.

In the long term, there are doubts about how far the small sensor can be pushed. When will it reach 16mp? Will M43 sensors pull too far ahead? Can Fuji's 2012 entry hit the bulls-eye?

For video users, the 20 minute limit is annoying. The battery life (120 minutes of video) is decent. But, how quickly will the small cameras overheat?