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Nikon have announced their first mirrorless single lens reflex camera to challenge rivals in the market for small size cameras.
The Nikon 1 brand J1 model is going to be available for purchase in Japan from October 20th according to an email that the company sent out. The price will be around $775 (59,000 yen).
With this new release, Canon will be the only maker among the ‘big four' to still use mirrors on all SLR cameras, or cameras with interchangeable lenses.
Yasuyuki Okamoto, head of Nikon's imaging business told reporters in Tokyo that it was the right time for the company to enter into the mirrorless SLR market.
Mirrorless cameras have electronic sensors that send the data directly to the camera's LCD screen removing the need for prisms, mirrors and an optical viewfinder. The demand for this particular design is increasing, and according to research sales in 2010 reached 2.1 million units. This might pale in comparison to the 503 million units sold for a conventional SLR design, but the market is growing steadily as people appreciate the simple, inexpensive approach.
Kitguru says: Are you going mirrorless?
Yes Please! That’s a price I can live with!
Quick, get yourself over to DPreview, the pixel-peepers and self-styled experts are frothing at the mouth. Men in black trousers who compensate for physical deficiencies with huge cameras and long lenses, and who haven’t a braincell of business sense between them are all frothing at the mouth in fury or hailing this as an instant failure.
Fortunately for the rest of us, it’s good to see Nikon bring this out. I’ve got my full fledged ‘pervert’ camera, but I love these pocket battleships, took a Panasonic to Australia and thought it was fantastic. Aside from full-time pros working in fashion, landscapes and the like, there is no reason to carry around a large camera any more. A little Olympus Pen will take a better picture than the full bodied pro cameras of just 6 years ago that were used to shoot magazine covers. In fact I’ve seen magazine covers shot with 6Mp Nikon D70s and Minolta 7Ds which aren’t even vaguely in the league of a current Sony Nex or Panny G series. The days of press snappers hanging round with three 1series Canons deforming their spine are numbered, when there are already war photographers working with Canon G12s and iPhones, who needs them?
“Quick, get yourself over to DPreview, the pixel-peepers and self-styled experts are frothing at the mouth. Men in black trousers who compensate for physical deficiencies with huge cameras and long lenses, and who haven’t a braincell of business sense between them are all frothing at the mouth in fury or hailing this as an instant failure.
Fortunately for the rest of us, it’s good to see Nikon bring this out. I’ve got my full fledged ‘pervert’ camera, but I love these pocket battleships, took a Panasonic to Australia and thought it was fantastic. Aside from full-time pros working in fashion, landscapes and the like, there is no reason to carry around a large camera any more. A little Olympus Pen will take a better picture than the full bodied pro cameras of just 6 years ago that were used to shoot magazine covers. In fact I’ve seen magazine covers shot with 6Mp Nikon D70s and Minolta 7Ds which aren’t even vaguely in the league of a current Sony Nex or Panny G series. The days of press snappers hanging round with three 1series Canons deforming their spine are numbered, when there are already war photographers working with Canon G12s and iPhones, who needs them?”
To counter your points:
First, why would you even pay for this camera? If DSLRs aren’t your thing, the Sony NEX series use APS-C sensors that are much larger and as a result have less noise and narrower DoF. Beyond that, every other EVIL out there uses m43, which again has a larger sensor than this 2.7x crop Nikon is using. Not to mention all the EVIL competitors are also cheaper than these Nikon cameras.
Second, there is a reason to carry a DSLR: User Interface. EVILs are nice in that I can take them anywhere and are much smaller, but they lack the quick and fine control that my DSLR gives me. My 50D has quick-access options for WB, Metering, AF mode, Drive, ISO, and E/V compensation as well as shutter speed right by my index finger. My thumb has access to AE lock, AF, direct AF Point selection, and aperture by my thumb. I’ve used both the NEX series and PEN series, and while they have a purpose, they are not well suited for people like me who need quick controls for rapid setting changes.
So while the camera suits you perfectly, don’t be asinine and assume that your case is universal for all people.
With regards to magazine covers, now you’re just showing your lack of experience with photography. Whereas before you were talking about amateurs taking shots for vacations and for photographic enjoyment, this professional stage is something entirely different. When you’re talking about professional quality shots like that, anyone with brains will tell you that it’s not the equipment that matters at that level, but how you control light. People who piss about cameras like comparing the D70 to the NEX when talking about these types of shots have no clue about photography. It comes down to how well you can use light, introduce your own light, modify the light, and capture the subject in a way that blends every element in the image together. At this stage, it’s two parts equipment and eight parts experience. If you really want to say that these shots are not up to part with the NEX or Panasonic G series because they’re shot with old DSLRs, well, you’re making a lot of better photographers squirt milk out of their noses as they burst out laughing at you.
Simply put, educate yourself with photography and get more experience before you open your mouth next time.
Thank you for your intelligent response that shows you didn’t read what I said, nor did you understand any of my points. As I say, DSLRS are my thing, I currently use a Canon 5D Mark II and ran a full Canon system in the time I was engaged – quite lucratively – in professional photography. I’ve now moved on and am actively engaged in the field of camera design itself, working on radical new UI prototypes, so I think I have some right to comment on the matter.
I’d love to discuss your 50D and the beginners guide to camera use you’ve given me, much of which I heartily agree with, but unfortunately, not one point you make counters any of my points. You have entirely misread or misunderstood what is there in black and white. Instead you counter some imaginary points (of the the tragically common variety among every self-styled ‘enthusiast’ group – suggesting this is an argument you already have running with others or the voices in your head) without any regard to the matter in hand – Nikon’s bottom line. You demonstrate only your own lack of imagination, and lack of awareness of why companies like Nikon are making cameras like this, and where they see their future market shares – and it’s not in anyway related to where you place your thumb.
In fact your response with your Photography 101 guide suggests a fondness for lecture others, but perhaps you might like to take an English language course before ‘mouthing off’, or alternatively go pick fights with those who are actually opposing you and making the points you think you have an answer to. I’ll go back to welcoming Nikon’s announcement, you can go back to enjoying your camera, as you should, the 50D is an excellent model. But it’s irrelevant to the argument.
Best wishes, have a great weekend