The J1 does Alton Towers, Halloween, night-time… above, 1/13th at full aperture and 30mm on the 30-110mm ƒ3.8-5.6 zoom, ISO 1600. It’s not perfectly focused on the evil nun, but it’s not bad for a snapshot with a lens at 85mm equivalent focal length.


for a compact 27mm equivalent at ƒ2.8, it’s quite bulky – the CX mount diameter is very close to a full-frame M-mount, despite the compact class contained within.


The 1 is a flawed concept, brilliantly executed. The throat diameter and mount design gives no room for expansion; the CX sensor is half the size of Micro Four-Thirds. Either the 1 will suffer the same ongoing restrictions that are limit- ing the quality APS-C bodies can deliver – sensel size, light gathering ability, dynamic range and indeed, lens resolution and diffraction. For buyers looking at megapixels, it already lags be- hind the highest-quality P-series bodies. It does, comfortably, outperform any Coolpix I have used – and the J1 fits nicely above the Coolpix range.


MASTER PHOTOGRAPHY 10


Zombie bus, 1/5th at ƒ4 with the 10mm ƒ2.8 pancake wide angle (27mm equivalent), ISO 1600. Below, a 300dpi repro 100% section. Photographs © Richard Kilpatrick.


For Nikon’s overall health as a corporation, it makes sense to offer the amateur enthusiast market this simple, compact so- lution; the cost of manufactur- ing a low-price D3100 can’t be much lower than models costing 50-60% more, whilst the small- er, lightweight lenses offer many advantages. For the serious photographer, there are minor benefits to be found in the high FPS and hybrid-AF, but 60fps 1080i HD video is available in a smaller package for less money, with a larger sensor in the form of the Olympus PEN E-PL3. CX is so far removed from the F-mount and established DX/ FX bodies that it’s hard to argue that system integration, brand loyalty or attachment can justify the 1-series alone. www.nikon.co.uk


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