Nikon 1: V1 Mirrorless Camera

The Nikon 1 is Nikon's late foray into mirrorless system, and chose to size the sensor as 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8mm), which is larger than most compact cameras but smaller than the Micro Four-thirds. With this size, the obvious concern is the image noise. Well, my review is not going to address that, but I am going to share with you the experience of using this camera.

Design and Handling
The Nikon V1 has rather few buttons, but they seem sufficient for what this camera requires. My white-colour gloss coated review copy comes with 10mm (equiv. 27mm) f/2.8 lens. Small as it is, the camera body is thick and heavy to house the same battery as the latest D800 - imagine the power.

The V1 comes with built-in EVF, which adds a bulge on top of the camera. I'm not a fan of EVF, but I must say the quality has improved over the years and it comes in handy when it's too bright to see on the large LCD monitor. An accessory port - not standard hot shoe - allows you to fit an external flash, external microphone, GPS unit.

The camera interface menu is also simple: just 3 main menus: playback, camera, and settings. You can scroll the menu items without lag using the wheel dial. The menu animation is also fast and the fonts clear and it really helps in finding the required settings.

Nikon V1 lets you access the AE-L, EV compensation, Focus mode, and self-timer easily. Depending on the mode, the "F" button lets you make one additional quick setting change.

I wasn't quite sure why Nikon provided options to switch between mechanical and electronic shutter, when the former is limited to 1/4000s and the latter can go up to 1/16000s. However, the flash sync when using mechanical shutter is 1/250s while the electronic shutter only supports 1/60s.

What I Like
Oooh, I LOVE the ability to fire 10, 30 and even 60 frames per second. If you need to capture action shots, this is the camera to own. Plus, the continuous AF is in my view the fastest, which gives me renewed confidence in using this mode instead of re-focusing as I always do. The AF speed is also one of the faster ones in the market. The LCD screen is sharp and bright. Battery life is great.

When it comes to image quality, Nikon V1 has the lowest pixel-count among the latest mirrorless camera systems. The lower resolution probably help to keep the noise level low and despite the race for higher pixel count, 10 megapixel is sufficient for casual photography. Smaller file sizes help the V1 to handle the enormous frame-per-second count.

What I Dislike

• The V1 is too bulky for the sensor size, maybe Nikon needs to fit the DSLR-grade battery to power it up. 
• The ON/OFF button is too flat and I find it hard to locate it by feeling it. 
• After filling the camera buffer, the playback images are slow to load and it freezes the interface. And you cannot shoot video until the buffer if flushed. 
• The video record button doesn't work for Motion Snapshot and Smart Photo Selector.
• The video resolution for the Still Image mode is fixed at 720p. You have to switch to the Movie mode to shoot in your desired resolution. Likewise, the still image resolution for Movie mode is fixed with no focus point options.
• There are only 4 modes on the mode dial. If you want to switch the PASM modes, you have to access the menu. This is a move perhaps to make the Nikon V1 less technical for the basic users.
• The mode dial is easily turned accidentally during handling of the camera, because it's next to where the thumb is as you grab the camera. This results in wrong shooting modes at times when I was handling the V1 in a hurry, and incorrect shooting parameters.
• The zoom lever design doesn't allow me to change the parameters as swiftly as a wheel dial.
• The burst images are not grouped together when playback. So if you just took 60 identical images using 60fps, you have to scroll through all 60 images. 
• White body is prone to paint chipping.

The Nikon V1 is still small whem compared to a DSLR like D300.

Rounding Up

Nikon has created a unique selling point for the Nikon 1. Very fast continuous focusing, very high frame-per-second, makes the Nikon V1 a great camera for action shots. When a customer switches on the camera, the first thing that will impress them is the LCD quality, and Nikon has it. It is clear to me that Nikon 1 is not positioned to be a compact version of a DSLR, but one that offers fast image capture, delivers adequate shooting controls, and simple controls for the general user. Now, if only they reduce the size of the camera and redesign the mode dial. But like every other mirrorless brands, it's a matter of time that Nikon expands the range to cater to a wider market, if it grows large enough.

Instagram for Android

Gene Goh, a good friend who is a great wedding and lifestyle photographer, is also an Android phone user. Like me, he has been waiting for the launch of Instagram on Android. This morning at 2am, it is finally live. Here's his brief note, published with his kind permission.


Visit his Facebook note here.

My Quick Take on Instagram for Android
by Gene Goh on Wednesday, 4 April 2012 at 09:33

Instagram for Android has just been released, and I'm beginning to see why this app has caused such a stir in the iPhone photography world.

This is a review on the Instagram app, and I will modify it as I find more features and find out more on working with this app. Do pardon me if I have made any wrong assumptions.

I've been using Vignette, a paid Android app, to process my photos and share them on Facebook. While Vignette has many customizable options to process your photos, it takes a while to choose which processing style you want. That has deterred me from processing my photos as it simply takes too much time to get my photos processed.

So far, what I'm impressed with Instagram are the following:

• Established Instagram social network
• Relatively fast startup time
• On the fly preview of effects
• Nice lomo/retro effects
• Elegant frames for images
• Option to import existing photos for processing
• Very easy-to-use interface
• Saves an original copy of the photo in the camera folder and saves the processed copy in the Instagram folder, useful for rework

What I think is lacking in Instagram:

• Restricted by square crop
• Somehow I am restricted to a resolution of 1536x1536 even though I have set my native camera to full 3264x2448
• According to engadget, Instagram has a max resolution of 2048px. After some tests, I found that Instagram resizes the image to 1224px if the camera is set to larger than 2048px on the shorter side. However, it does not resize the image if the camera is set to less than 2048px.
• Option to start in camera mode instead of showing Instagram feeds upon startup

Sony NEX-7: Mirrorless Camera Review

The Sony Alpha NEX-7, announced in Aug 2011, was affected by manufacturing delays primarily caused by the Thailand flood. It finally became commercially available in late-Q1 2012. After hearing rave reviews, I finally had a chance to experience it myself.

If you had read my past reviews on the NEX-C3, you would know that my impression on the NEX-series is rather positive, especially on the ISO noise control. The NEX-7 reminds me fondly of the F828 which I previously owned, and it has everything a serious photographer needs in a compact system:

• 24.3 megapixel APS-C sensor
• ISO 100 - 16000
• 10 fps (about 14 shots before shutter freezes due to buffer)
• RAW and JPEG images can be reviewed quickly (except when camera buffer is filled)
• EV adjustment from -5 to +5 (most other cameras are -3 to +3) 
• Electronic viewfinder with 2.4 megapixel resolution
• Tiltable LCD screen
• Video recording allows manual override of EV and Aperture, easily switches from AF to MF
• Built-in flash that can be force-tilted for bounce flash effects
• Sony-mount hot-shoe
• Rubber surface covering the entire grip for a professional-feel
• Numerous custom buttons and dials
• Battery indicator with % remaining
• Tripod mount is aligned with the lens - important for panorama on tripod

If you had read my previous reviews, I do not specialise in reviewing technical quality, but all I can say is that I am happy with the image quality this 24.3 megapixel camera produces. It is consistent with the previous NEX models I have tested.

So in this review, rather than convincing you that the NEX-7 is a good camera, I shall convince you that it might not be as good as everyone perceives.

Steep Learning Curve
You can't just pick up the NEX-7 and start shooting and making quick adjustments. Firstly, there is no mode dial - you had to go into the menu to switch your usual PASM and Auto modes. Then there are all the customisable dials and functions which you must painstakingly configure them. Take note that some custom buttons are actually "quick menus" that lets you toggle among your pre-selected functions to make adjustments. They are not one-button setting short-cut.

Unless you use the NEX-7 so regularly that you remember every single custom features you have set, you would quite likely be confused while shooting. And in the worse-case scenario, you would access the menu to make the changes. And that brings me to the next point.

It's Still a NEX
Sony can throw in more custom dials, functions or hardware into the body, but it's still NEX, and its menu layout is still the same - confusing. It doesn't help when each screen only displays 5 line items, so you really need to scroll a lot and be really observant to find the settings you want to change. Perhaps if each setting had a number, then the user might find the setting he wanted faster.

Of course, to get away with accessing the menu, you might want to ensure all your frequently used functions are customised into one of the several custom buttons - that is, if you can still remember where you configure them.

Interface Lag
The NEX-7 has some lag in between selections. It's very annoying especially when changing EV or Aperture using the 2 unlabeled dials, because you had to wait for the screen to show where the value stops before you ascertain whether you had made the right number of clicks.

Slower AF Against Competition
When the competitors are beefing up the AF speed, the NEX-7 seems to be taking their own pace. There is still some hunting when the camera finds AF a little tricky.

EVF Limitation
Despite a high-res pixel count, electronic viewfinder can never replace optical viewfinder effectively. For one, when moving from dark to bright areas, or vice versa, the EVF takes a while to adjust. Also, the EVF might not be able to show low-light details.

Lens
A great camera is only as good as its lenses. The 18-55mm kit lens degrades the NEX-7 into a normal mirrorless camera. With such a powerful camera body, you should invest in good lenses, and Sony is trying to increase their lens offering over time.

Conclusion
The Sony NEX-7 is a well-built premium camera and I enjoyed using it to capture low light scenes and my playful active daughter. The tiltable LCD screen is sharp and helps in capturing odd-angle shots. The additional dials help to make shooting adjustments easier. And the high ISO is still delivering low-noise quality.

But personally, I still don't feel the additional customisable buttons make a lot of difference in improving usage compared to the competition. Sony is trying to beef up an interface that is built to be simple and cater to advanced users. What Sony should do is to re-design the interface, make the controls more DSLR-like (after all, the NEX-7 is targeted at advanced users!). But then again, Olympus also made the same "mistake": the mirrorless PEN interface was built for advanced users and then stripped down with the LITE and MINI variants to cater to entry-level users.

At the end of the day, a camera like NEX-7 with almost every useful camera feature in it might still be a better choice. That is, if you can afford the RRP S$1999 price tag.

Nikon Coolpix P310: Compact Bright Lens Camera

Nikon has a long history of making great optical lenses. So on the new Coolpix P310, Nikon fitted a bright f/1.8 lens to help you capture images in low light. While this model is a replacement to the Coolpix P300, this is my first time trying this camera, so I'll be writing from a brand new user point-of-view.

Specs:

• 16.1 megapixels CMOS sensor
• f/1.8 - 4.9
• 24-100mm 4.2x optical zoom VR lens
• ISO100-3200, Hi1, Hi2 (equiv. ISO 12800)
• 3-inch 921K dot TFT LCD screen
• Advanced exposure controls with PASM modes
• Continuous shooting - 120fps, 60fps, 15fps, 7fps
• 2 commander dials and 1 Fn button to speed up camera handling
• 90MB internal memory
• 194g with battery and memory card
• Charge battery by USB is possible

You can tell that Nikon is serious to make this camera a low-light photography contender when it incorporates a dedicated Night Landscape mode on the mode dial.

Nikon also beefed up the SCENE mode with the following long list:

• Scene Auto Selector
• Portrait
• Landscape - additional option: Noise Reduction Burst, Single shot
• Sports
• Night portrait - additional option: hand-held or tripod
• Party/indoor
• Beach
• Snow
• Sunset
• Dusk/dawn
• Close-up - additional option: NR burst, single shot
• Food
• Museum
• Fireworks show
• Black and white copy
• Backlighting - additional option: Off, 1,2,3
• Panorama - additional option: Easy panorama (auto stitch), Panorama assist
• Pet portrait - additional option: Single, Continuous
• Special effects - additional selections: soft, nostalgic sepia, high-contrast monochrome, high key, low key, selective color, painting, high ISO monochrome, Silhouette
• 3D

Some SCENE modes have additional custom options. For instance, under Night Portrait, you can choose to either do single shot or burst shots where the camera will merge the burst images to achieve lower-noise images, as opposed to a single long-exposure shot. The Special Effects SCENE mode offers 10 effects to help create the unique feel and save you the post-processing woes.

There is a USER mode which, suffice to say, lets you save your favourite shooting parameters so that you can quickly access.

And finally on the mode dial, the usual PASM modes, which allows you to adjust aperture and/or shutter easily using the commander dial and the jog dial. The Coolpix P310 is one of the few compact cameras with an additional commander dial for faster setting changes.

Talking about operational efficiency, I would say P310 is above average in terms of interface speed and AF speed. The high-resolution 921k LCD screen delivers sharp and bright images, and makes shooting a pleasure. High ISO noise is also well managed - my test shots appears to have minimal chroma noise, the factor which makes images "dirty". When using NR Burst option to shoot low light, the noise level is drastically reduced. White balance is good too, as you can see from the images below. The CMOS sensor appears to have done some magic.

Daughter testing the Coolpix AW100 waterproof camera

Macro mode - as close as 2cm!

Besides the extra commander dial, the Coolpix P310 comes with a customisable Fn button next to the lens. You can assign it to change image size, white balance, ISO, AF area mode, to name a few. This really helps to get the shot when you needed to quickly change the settings!

Any modern compact camera now comes with a dedicated Movie record button. The P310 has movie shooting options for fast motion (120fps, 60fps) and slow motion (15fps). These fast shooting speeds are also available for still images. P310 has a "pre-shooting cache" shooting mode that, when activated, the camera starts firing the shutter when you half-press the shutter and saves up to 20 frames after you release the shutter.

If I were to nitpick on the P310, I would say the shot-to-shot speed is not fast enough for my liking, although it is considered above average for a compact camera. I would also wish the aperture is brighter at the tele zoom end - f/4.9 is not bright enough for fast action shots. Also, when I adjust the EV compensation dial, the LCD screen does not reflect the exposure changes until I click the OK button. Finally, P310 does not support saving images in RAW files, so this camera is not entirely targeted at semi-pro users.

Manual pop-up flash instead of electronic pop-up: like!

Final Words
I enjoyed using the Coolpix P310. It is compact, made of sturdy plastic, simple, of professional design, handles well with sufficient buttons for quick setting changes. At RRP S$549, consumers can now afford a camera that captures wide-angle low-light images.

I AM... Nikon Camera Reviewer

Just this month, I successfully made contact with Nikon Marketing Singapore and they started sending review units for my review. It was a pity I couldn't get their attention before the launch of the 2 major DSLR - D4 and D800 - for that would assured me of access to their launch events. Nevertheless, they have been most enthusiastic about providing review units so that I can share my experience in my blog as well as XINMSN Technology Blog where my posts are also published.

So far I have tested the first waterproof camera, Coolpix AW100. I have also reviewed the latest Coolpix P310 that was only just launched earlier this week, making me (and XINMSN) the first media in Singapore to review it. In a few days, I will be posting up my review of this compact camera.

And now, with the Nikon V1 now on my hands, I am one step closer to reaching my goal of reviewing every single mirrorless camera brand in the market. I have created a blog page dedicated to summarise my experience with all the mirrorless cameras I have tried. Interestingly, each brand focuses on a few key features while forgoing others, so it is not possible to pick a mirrorless camera model to be the best. But if you can share with me exactly why you need a camera and what you want to use it for, I might be able to match a "camera profile".

Thanks, Nikon Singapore, for starting a beautiful public relationship.

Nikon Coolpix AW100: Waterproof Shockproof Camera

Nikon has followed suit in offering a weatherproof camera, finally.

A look at the Coolpix AW100 spec:

• 16 megapixels
• 28-140mm 5x optical zoom
• f/3.9-4.8 ED VR lens
• waterproof up to 10m
• shockproof up to 1.5m
• freezeproof up to -10 degrees Celcius
• GPS function with built-in world map 
• comes with 40.5mm filter adapter

Design
The front body plate has a matt finish and debossed Nikon logo similar to the DSLR. The operational buttons are generally easy to press, considering it's a weatherproof camera. Actually, the AW100 does not look like the usual weatherproof camera like other brands, making it a rather good alternative for consumers who just wanted a tough camera to withstand kids abuse.

Includes 40.5mm filter adapter.

It's good of Nikon to include a filter adapter so that you could play around with some optic effects, if that interest you. I also like the battery compartment lock that is absolutely impossible to be opened by accident, unlike some other camera brands' mechanism that are astonishingly easy to unlock. The shutter release button is roughened so that you can actually feel it underwater and know exactly where to press.

It's impossible to unlock the battery compartment accidentally.

It's also fun to be able to trace the locations of your photos taken on the AW100, if that interests you. The action button can be configured to let you open the world map or activate action control. But if you are mostly an indoor person, the AW100 would not be able to capture the GPS coordinates, and for that you might want to turn off the GPS to conserve battery.

Operation
The AW100 only has easy auto, scene, selective colour, smart portrait, and auto modes. The advanced "PASM" modes are not available, which means it is not possible for you to control the aperture or shutter to capture the images. You may however adjust exposure compensation easily. The colour on the LCD screen looks rather flat and not so sharp. The AF and shutter response is not speedy, so the AW100 is not ideal for fast capture.

While the AW100 comes with action control for the benefit of gloved users who might have difficulty pressing the buttons, I find it frustrating to get it working consistently. In theory, you can navigate your playback photos or select your shooting modes by swinging the camera left-right or up-down. I have experienced much more reliable handling from other camera brands, so Nikon has room for improvement.

Summary
Like most weatherproof cameras, the Nikon Coolpix AW100 does not offer excellent optics nor fast interface. But I like the understated design (there are brighter colours in case you prefer them) and I love the battery compartment lock. The built-in world map may be useful for avid travelers, though the map may need regular updates to get the landmarks right. At a recommended retail price of S$529, it's an above average price for a waterproof camera. While there are cheaper (and older) models from other brands, if you have bad experience on poorly designed battery compartments, the AW100 will set your mind at ease.

Contest: Join My New Facebook Page and Win!

I have created a dedicated Facebook page for my Music.Photo.Life. blog at http://facebook.com/musicphotolife . To encourage participation and likes, I'm giving away a brand new Logitech Mini Boombox to one lucky winner.

The black colour model will be given away (phone not included)

I chose the Boombox as my first giveaway because
1. It works on any modern smartphone (Android phone, Android tablet, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Symbian, etc.) that supports bluetooth. I'm sure you have a smartphone, don't you?
2. It is a convenient audio extension to your device. You can listen to music through a better speaker and answer calls (it has built-in mic) without touching your phone!
3. It runs on internal batteries which lasts about 10 hours and totally wire free operation (except when charging of course).
4. Lastly, it sounds really great for its size. Not some cheapo China-brand crap speakers, this little devil delivers audio quality that turns heads. Believe me, I've tried.

Read the review I wrote at http://music-cornerphoto.blogspot.com/2012/03/logitech-mini-boombox-review.html.

How to qualify:

• Like my new facebook page, http://facebook.com/musicphotolife

Yep, it's that simple, but how do you increase your chances to win? By doing some of the below activities (they are really optional):

1. Participate actively on the facebook page wall when new posts and reviews are up. Even clicking the "like" button counts! 
2. Mention the facebook page by typing the handle @music.photo.life. on your facebook wall (note: I can only track your mentions if your wall post is public)
3. Tweet about my facebook page or my blog! Include my twitter handle @musicdiary so that I am notified about your good deeds.

How I Choose My Winner

The winner will be the one who impresses me with his or her participation on my new facebook page.

All the participation prior to the announcement this contest will count (I know who you are, guys!)

Please do not spam my facebook page: that does not impress me at all.

This is my very first contest giveaway after starting blogging since 2003. So please support my contest by generating some traffic, or provide feedback so that I can improve for my future contests (yes, more to come!). If you have been actively reading my blog, or have already been telling people about my blog, maybe it's time to make yourself heard, and reward yourself with a little great gadget.

Contest ends 8 April 2012 (Easter Sunday)

Contest Terms and Conditions:
1. Winner must reside in Singapore. Winning product will be delivered by registered mail to a Singapore address.
2. Winning product is sealed with warranty card. If product is defective, limited warranty will be provided by authorised distributor.
3. The organiser (myself) reserves the right to cancel the contest, amend the terms, or re-select the winner, with reasonable justifications.