V1 vs. The Zoo

First real day out with the V1 (and Nikon 10-100 & Tamron 70-300). There's enough talk around here already, let's check out some photos. All NEFs processed with LR. If you still have some time, I left some thoughts and comments at the bottom after the images. Feel free to ask questions.



iso800 & SB-N5 flash

Yep iso1250, and boosted over 1 stop in PP too!

This was shot thru a double pane of dirty/scratched glass!

300mm (810mm effective) and cropped

Accidentally very under-exposed iso800, then boosted shadows and exp a bunch, still looks pretty good - great colors for all the abuse in PP

The Good:

• Focus with the Nikon 10-100 is fast and accurate
• Metering is astoundingly accurate with all lenses
  
• Colors are fantastic
• ISO noise is present from base ISO (iso100), but never really gets in the way - I have a few shots at iso3200 that are completely usable - quite remarkable (probably as clean high-ISO as my former D300!)
  
• Images can really be pushed in processing - I was able to hyper-boost shadows without too much degrading of IQ
• Menu is very easy to navigate and quickly change settings - don't really miss all the external controls of my DSLRs
• The little SB-N5 flash works great for fill even in the sun - love that it shares battery with the camera, less to plan for and carry
• Same battery as D600, D800, D7000 - and it lasts a long time compared to other equally sized cameras - over 500 shots at the zoo with flash (some) on one battery
  
• EVF is crisp and responsive - I can see optical viewfinders slowly being replaced (yes, even on the big SLRs)
• The Tamron 70-300 acts like a 270-810, and is decently sharp (even wide-open) - this is just silly - more so because with rebate it cost just $349!
• Get great DOF even at smaller apertures with my Sigma 150 macro
• Electronic shutter is quiet and quick
• Never had a single buffer full, even with some 10fps goofing around
  
• My zoo/hiking/etc. kit has shrunk in size and weight by about half - H O O R A Y ! ! !

The Bad:

• Focus with the FT1 (adapter) and Tamron 70-300 is not nearly as good as a native lens, and no continuous focus or shooting. Have to take additional shots when using this setup to guarantee and nice sharp in focus shot
• Center single AF with FT1 adapter requires a lot of focus and recompose - like having a very old AF system that only has one center point
• Use of lenses with FT1 adapter gives very notable shutter delay - like that of a P&S
  
• It is very (VERY) easy to hit the wheel and change settings - did this a dozen times or more - requires careful handling, and continuous verification of settings
• IQ at base ISO is no better than most current P&S (or my previous LX3) - although DR is noticeably higher
• 10MP is a bit limiting for cropping, and limits fine detail a bit
• Wish Sigma would get off their butts and update the firmware for my 120-300 f/2.8 so I could have an effective 810mm f/2.8 (or 1620mm f/5.6 with my 2.0tc)
• The forced screen review is dumb - half-press the shutter clears it but still annoying
• Not being able to hit a button to snap image zoom back to fit to screen (zoom out full) - if you zoom in on an image, you have to manually zoom back out before you can switch images to review - this is ridiculous, you also cannot zoom in and then toggle between images for comparison because of this
• The shutter button is a bit too subtle, very flat with little movement to engage - minor issue

Cannot comment on video, did not take any. Not my thing. I'm sure I will remember some other things. But for now...