There's been a lot of talk about Nikon's new 1 Series cameras, and a lot of disappointment over the CX sensor size, and the perceived lack of quality compared to Sony's larger APS-C NEX cameras. Many enthusiasts have been understandably frustrated by this move, wanting the best of all worlds - D3 quality in a point and shoot body. The J1 doesn't quite hit that mark, but if you understand what you're buying and play to the camera's strengths, it's a great piece of gear for the beginner, enthusiast, and the pro alike.

For clarification, I am primarily evaluating the J1 for its use *as a camera* - I won't touch much on the video or motion snapshot modes.

The Good:

* As a part-time professional, I bought this camera primarily because of its size, and the ability (hopefully) to use my collection of F-mount lenses in the future. In this respect, the J1 is fantastic. My first mirrorless purchase was a Sony NEX-3, and I was overall very happy with it, but the... Read more

I initially preordered the V1, most of the lens, and the flash. I realized I was getting a Nikon 1 camera so that I don't have to carry so much camera equipment. I cancelled the V1, and I purchased the J1 black instead. I am glad I did.

I think for most people the J1 and 10 - 30 mm kit is the best choice. The 10mm pancake lens is nice if you want to do a lot of shooting in low light, but you can't zoom. Most of you are used to zooming, and when you can't get closer with your feet because of some barrier, you won't be happy. Many are posting that the 30 - 100 mm lens is very good too. I would have gotten that one for my J1, but I have Nikon lens for my Nikon dSLR D5100. I plan on buying the adapter so I can use my current dSLR Nikon lenses on the J1 for fun.

The J1 is a great little camera, but you do need to read parts of the manual. If you are someone who likes to capture the moment, this camera is very good in bright light. The colors (white balance) is very... Read more

I've had my new Nikon J1 with 10-30mm lens for one week and have taken about a 1000 test shots with it. A decent compromise between the dSLR and the point and shoot, and I get video. The color is superb. The auto focus has NO problems. The image review has been very accurate. If the images did not get enough light then they were darker on the review screen and I re-shot them. There is some amount of vignetting at the corners, especially at each end of the zoom range. At f/9.0 everything is very nice and clear. I believe there is some distortion at the 10mm end, but perhaps the 10mm /2.8 lens will not have this problem. I also purchased the 30mm-110mm lens and have been very happy with the quality of the pictures. Like any new camera there is an adjustment period and learning how to shoot it. I have learned to shoot in A-mode outdoors and S-mode indoors to get the type of images I want. I wanted something light than my Sony A700 that still took good pictures, especially macro work,... Read more