Nikon V1 Discounted to $596 with 10-30 Zoom. V2 on the way in September?

August 27, 2012 Deal of the Day, Nikon 20

Nikon V1 Discounted to $596 with 10-30 Zoom. V2 on the way in September…

So count the Nikon V2 another new camera being announced next month at Photokina. I just hope it is more of an upgrade than the new J1.2 (well, it is really called a J2 but man, it is the same everything as the J1..almost). I am hoping Nikon comes out with a V2 with a sensor similar to what is in the Sony RX100 because that sensor ROCKS and is the same size and format as the 1 series sensor. This sensor and a couple of new fast lenses would take the 1 series from Nikon to the next level I think. BUT they need the glass!!

In any case the V1 is now priced at about where most thought it should have been from the get go (according to those who bashed it out of the gate), at around $596 for the camera and kit lens. This is a great buy as the V1 is still a FANTASTIC camera that is highly capable of shooting whatever it is you need (as long as it is not creamy dreamy shallow DOF). B&H Photo has it in stock in BLACK or WHITE.

If you want to see what this camera can do in capable hands, check out this post. It is a must see and read for anyone thinking of or who already own this camera.

My wish list for a V2: Better lenses to go with it, as in…faster aperture lenses, Sony RX100 sensor, do away with the gimmick modes, make the EVF on instant so we do not miss shots while waiting for it to power on and keep the phase/contrast detect focus modes and snappy speed.

I expect a V2 to come in at much more than the $596 the V1 is costing right now so if you have been waiting for a deal now is the time 🙂 Enjoy!

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20 Comments

  3. Hi Steve, Great site!! Keep up the great posts o the Nikon 1.

    I agree with most of the above. My wishlist for the Nikon V2 is:-

    New Fast Lenses (24 f2, 50 f1.8 a 85 f1.8 and perhaps a couple of zooms 14-24 f2.8 and 24-70 f2.8). I don’t think there is any need to do much at the telezoom end as the 2.7x crop factor turns my current AF-S lenses into great tele zooms. I agree that continuous autofocus with the FT1 adapter would be a great addition to the excellent focussing of the V1.

    Integration of Nikon CLS. It would be great if Nikon could incorporate their CLS commander technology into the V1 and SB-5 flash so that I could control off camera flash through the camera.

    Auto-braketing. Would be nice to have auto-braketing option built in.

    Built in, and improved,GPS would be great as the current GP-N100 take too long to acquire a signal and prevents use of the flash and GPS simultaneously.

    Firmware enhancements. I would like more control of the V2. I would like to be able to disable the image preview after the shot and I want a faster “wake from sleep” time. Both of these have caused me to miss shots before.

    Like SG above I’m not that bothered by the current MP as most of my photos are viewed on screen and rarely do I print bigger that 10″x8″ but perhaps a small increase to 12-14MP with yet further improved noise levels at high ISO would be great. I would always prefer better noise performance at high ISO compared to more MP.

  4. Hi Steve, I love my V1, and am very excited at the prospect of a V2. I’m in the same camp though – the fact is that I’m more interested in seeing an expanded fast lens range (a 10mm f/1.4 and a 100-200mm f/2.8 perhaps would be awesome for me) than I am in seeing an improved camera: I’m actually very satisfied with the camera.

    Nonetheless, here is my list of problems which “need” to be fixed with the V:
    1) loose, rattling eyelets for the neckstrap are obnoxious.
    2) Auto-on viewfinder is too sensitive, by a lot. My shadow often makes the screen come on. Also, no manual way to set only viewfinder or only screen for those times one is needed exclusively.
    3) the main menu should always begin in the shooting submenu, since that’s where 99% of the adjustments are made day-to-day
    4) When using the FT-1, the shutter speed is arbitrarily limited to 1/1.3s, for absolutely no reason. Shutter should always go to the full 2 minutes at my discretion.
    5) the exposure algorithm is intent on producing a “daytime” histogram, where it should be obsessed with eliminating blur. Thus, shutter speed when set by the computer is always too slow (to admit more light), kids running in the house look like smears, and so I end up shooting on shutter-priority a lot. This is because a dark picture is preferable to a blurry picture: a dark picture can be enhanced, a blurry picture is trash.

    That’s not to say that more MP aren’t always welcome (though I understand the speed of the camera in some respects is due to lower MP, so I wouldn’t push it just for numerical superiority’s sake), just that the sensor is not in my top 5 issues.

    I used to lament the lack of a grip. But I’ve come to realize that was just DSLR envy and not a real need; holding the body in my left hand is great for carrying and the extra bulk of a grip would be counter-productive. The form factor is ideal; if anything, shave off a mm here or there and lose an ounce or two and we’re done.

    Wishlist?
    – Buy eye-fi out and put it in all cameras (I love this add-on)
    – Build GPS into the camera. Nikon realizes the competitor for the V1 is not a D3s, it’s an iPhone 4s.
    – Touchscreen like Canon
    – Maybe a flip-out screen

    Bottom line (you’ve probably realized by now): I’m moving up from a camera phone and I love the V1 for its power, speed, and quality. I don’t want an embarrassingly large camera which I can’t use because it has 40 buttons on it, and yes, I love learning about DoF, Bokeh, CoC, Lens Speed, aperture, crop factor, etc, and I enjoy shooting on manual – but I don’t want to have that stuff forced all the time and the V1 gets that.

    Love the site and keep the 1 Series gossip coming!

  6. I just spent a week with the RX100 in Europe. The sensor rocks. But I really miss having a view finder but for framing accuracy as well as stability. Therefore RX100 sensor + V2 AF speed + V2 built-in EVF + zoom + fast glass = light travel camera heaven! Where do I sign up?

  7. If V2 uses the RX100 sensor which is 20 Megapixels, I am getting one. It can turn the 50mm Noctilux into a 135mm f/.95 via the Novoflex adapter. Can you imagine the avenues of creativity this can open up. If it was possible to make a 135mm Noctilux, the aperture leaves would have to have a diameter around, 140mm at wide open, thats how big that lens would be.

    • Hakan, the DOF (and the creativity) that you get from a 50mm f/1.0 on a 1″ sensor is the equivalent of a 135mm f/2.5 on a full-frame body. That lens would be much more reasonable in size. Of course, the low-light performance of the Noctilux would reflect its f/0.95 aperture.

      • Yes Ronald I agree, but DOF of 135mm .95 FF lens would be so narrow at f/.95 that even if somehow focused right, it won’t be of any practical use. But you still have almost 3 extra stops when compared to f/2.5 FF as the Noctilux will gather light the same. You can do interesting telephoto low ISO, low light photography as well as video. I put an example here (taken handheld at ISO200). 135 f/2.5 lens would create similar effect (bokeh wise) but require almost ISO1600. You can’t sneak in a concert a lens over 140mm dia and a tripod but you can put the Nocti in one pocket and the V1/V2 in the other 😉

        http://www.flickr.com/photos/72049239@N05/7758453838/in/set-72157631080002254/lightbox/

        • Hakan, Very nice work man! Totally agree on the 3 f-stop light gathering argument as well as on the compactness argument. That’s why I think that a 20MP V2 with fast glass would also make such a great travel camera. I can see myself roaming the streets of Venice, Paris, Amsterdam, Seoul, Tokyo at night and doing street photography. Unobtrusive, very selective, with great IQ. Darn, hope Nikon follows through on our hopes.

  8. What would actually attract me to the system more than a V1 upgrade would actually be a couple of affordable fast lenses.

    • Bingo!

      They could update the camera and put an amazing sensor in there etc, but, without some nice glass for it (and honestly the 27mm equiv f2.8 doesn’t cut it) its just a dead in the water system.

      I think there needs to be minimum

      An ultra wide zoom

      A fast 28 or 35mm equiv general walk around lens, ideally f2.0, but it was be awesome if fasater

      A 50mm f1.8 (ideally f1.4) normal lens

      A 85-100ish equiv f1.8 portrait lens

      A 70-200ish f2.8 equiv fast zoom. Given the amazing AF ability of this system its really a shame there aren’t some better fast zooms to take advantage of it

      last but not least, make the camera able to use tracking AF with AF-S G mount lenses, which again, would take this system to a whole new level.

      I can only image being able to throw my 200-400 f4 or 400 2.8 with a 2.7x crop for football games, I’d buy one in a heartbeat

      • Nikon already has a list of patents for future 1-series lenses. The fact that a lens is on the list doesn’t mean that it will be produced soon (or ever, really). If a lens is not on the list, it probably means that it is not being considered for the foreseeable future:

        14mm f/2.8 (35mm equivalent)
        18mm f/1.4 (50mm equivalent)
        32mm f/1.2 (85mm equivalent)
        40mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor (105mm equivalent)
        60mm f/3.5 Micro-Nikkor (162mm equivalent)
        7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 (20-35mm equivalent)
        9-43mm f/2.8-5.6 (24-120mm equivalent)

        (This list was copied from a DPreview post, but it’s available at a number of places on the web.)

        • nikonrumors say that an 18.5 f1,8 is coming at photokina.

          probably should be faster but a lot will depend on image quality price and size.

  10. I just saw a Groupon offer for the “PENTAX Q Kit in Black or White – Online Deal $349 for Black or White PENTAX Q Kit with Standard Prime Lens ($799.95 List Price). Free Shipping.”. Crazy times.

    Me I’m waiting on some dropping M prices. 😉

  11. Actual aperture and shutter speed controls wouldn’t hurt. (I know it has that little lever thingy on the back, but that’s just quite “there”)

  12. The Nikon 1’s gimmicky modes like Motion Snapshot aren’t as useless as they first look. Yes, the music is irritating, but on the computer it’s not actually in the video file (unless you are playing it back in ViewNX). You can actually customise the exposure with full manual control even in this mode.

    We used the motion snapshot videos to make up a ‘street style’ fashion feature and it turned out surprisingly well. Definitely going to be utilising this feature again in future!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trPPLIGPB2I

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