Nikon 1 J1 10.1 MP HD Digital Camera System with 10-30mm VR and 30-110mm VR 1 NIKKOR Lenses (Red)

I love this camera - it is a perfect combination of:flexibility - interchangable lenses give me a nice telephoto for sports (kids soccer) and a 10-30 lens for everyday. And it takes HD video, so my camera becomes a video camera with telephoto.fast focus - I just point and shoot and the focus is very rapid, so I don't miss an important shot. There is even a special mode that takes 20 shots in quick succession and selects 5 to keep and 1 as a favorite. Great for capturing the moment when the foot hits the ball or other action events.image quality - the image quality is excellent, including when printing a full page (8 x 10). Larger may be fine too, but I haven't done that (yet).portability - the camera is relatively compact (for its features) and lightweight. Compared to a standard DSLR (for example, Nikon D5100 that my son owns) it is tiny and much lower weight. So I don't feel like I have a big weight around my neck.Highly recommended!

Broke quickly. Boo!

Did not realize that you cannot take pics in bright sun. What a disappointment but one needs to do a bit more research before buying an item such as this. Its a mirrorless camera without a viewfinder so you are virtually blind in the sun. spend a few extra dollars and purchase a mirrorless camera, if so inclined, with a electronic viewfinder. They are a charm....

IMAGE QUALITYOwning a number of digital cameras both SLR and compact, this is one of the best as far as picture quality. The low-light color reproduction is especially good. I shot a cathedral AFTER they turned off most of the lights and the pictures were gorgeous. The Nikon 1 has very fast focusing along with everything else it does. The whole package seems aimed at catching action. Between the fast burst mode, Nikon's new Motion Snapshot, Smart Photo, and the high-speed video there is little that escapes its lens.VIDEO QUALITYI have yet to put this up on a big screen but on smaller screens the video seems quite good. Just the fact that it auto-focuses during normal-speed video shooting is a plus point. One quick tip: you will want to change the video format to one of the 60i if you want to view it directly on your iPad. 30p doesn't translate.The high-speed video (an awesome 400 fps and a super slow 1200 fps) is one of my favorite features as this is a rare feature in cameras. It does scale down the resolution so don't expect recreating Discovery's Planet Earth moments but it is fun to play with.SIZEI think Nikon found a happy place between camera size and SLR quality with the Nikon 1. In fact I really, really like the size. However, it is a bit of an awkward shape and by that I mean it is neither an SLR or a compact so finding the right case to hold the camera and a second lens that is not bulky can be a challenge. Holding it feels just right. Shooting with it is easy enough but you do have to make sure you don't cover the auto-focus sensor while adjusting the lens.CONTROLSThe most basic controls (flash, timer etc.) are at your fingertips but this is true of nearly all cameras. SLRs and some compacts tend to have a mode wheel that selects shooting modes but Nikon chose to keep the external interface simple and only the Nikon 1 mode wheel offers only 4: auto, Motion Snapshot, video, and Smart Photo (takes several photos and chooses the best one). This is great for newbies and amateurs who prefer not to know of additional complexities but if you are used to SLRs and being able to rapidly switch between modes you will find this camera lacking. The camera has all the usual modes and manual controls but to change them you must go down to a second level menu. Thankfully the 4-way button is also a wheel which allows you to rapidly traverse the menu. Still I would have preferred at least a dedicated button to instantly switch modes or a 5th option on the mode wheel that you could customize, or the ability to customize the F button which to me is under-utilized.One area in particular is very weak: manual focus. First you have to get the camera into a manual mode, then you have to enable manual focus, and finally you must use the tiny paddle control in the corner to adjust the focus. This is so cumbersome you will not want to do it except as a last resort. That being said, it is rare that you will need it. The auto-focus is very, very good!LENSESThe two primary lenses are 10-30mm and 30-110mm. 10-110 is effectively close to a typical SLR range of 18-200 due to the 2.7x crop factor of the Nikon 1. I noticed the wide-angle (10mm) had notably less of a view field than I was used to but it is good enough for most shots. Changing the lenses is as easy, perhaps easier, than an SLR due to the smaller size but with one issue: the rear caps must be lined up to attach. I wish they would snap on or screw on like every other lens I have. The retraction and locking button takes a little getting used to. It is a good thing that the lens pulls back to make the camera more compact but it IS an extra step and one easily forgotten if you are in a hurry. The camera does warn you if the lens is retracted but by then you have missed your shot. The camera will also turn on automatically if you extend it--a nice feature if you train yourself to use it. It does not currently have the ability to likewise shut off when retracted but maybe a future firmware update will allow this. That being said, you can always just leave it extended. The camera aggressively tries to conserve battery power by featuring a sleep mode and fairly fast on/off times so leaving it on while walking around is perfectly fine.BATTERY LIFEI would recommend an additional battery if you shoot more than 200 pictures a day. The battery gauge has three segments which do not seem to be equal. The first and second ones last a long time. When you get down to the last segment there is little power left and the camera will shut down at any time and no warning. There is no flashing red or other indicators of a very low battery like most SLRs. You can usually squeeze one or two more shots out of it if you let it rest a bit but that's all.

I am in love with this camera. The settings are quick and easy to mess with. You can maneuver through the various settings and options using a spin wheel rather than the usual clicking arrows. The picture quality is great and the camera is just the perfect size for taking on trips. The camera bag is really nice as well.

The only thing I don't like about the J1 is that it only has the LCD screen, no other view finder. If it had a view finder it would completely awesome. It captures great photos and the lenses are wonderful.

I gave this as a gift to my wife for Christmas. We took the camera on our vacation to Southeast Asia. It's light, compact and takes great photos. The additional lens gives it great flexibility and power.

I own several cameras. I use this one when I travel. Pictures are high quality. It is a little heavier than I would like but I love the picture quality. Excellent value and output. A step up for pocket cameras