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What’s the Concept Behind this Nikon J1? Who is it For?

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Turns out a lot of folks have been asking me questions about the Nikon J1.  What is it?  Who is it for?  How does it work?  Is it any good?  Thought I’d take just a few moments here to put paper to pen so to speak, and give ya my insight!

Ok, so what is it?

The Nikon J1 is a small interchangeable lens system camera.  These cameras have image sensors that are much bigger and better at gathering light than compact cameras, and add the ability to swap out the optics.  They keep a smaller profile for convenience and are often far less complicated to operate than a traditional DSLR.  For more info on this segment of camera check out our blog post on EVIL (electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens) cameras!

For more on the design of the J1, I put together this little video . . . check it out!

Who is it for?

I think this camera is perfect for the new family photographer who wants easy operation, smokin’ fast performance in a smaller and more portable outfit than a traditional DSLR, but doesn’t want to sacrifice image quality by settling with a compact camera.  This sounds like about 85% of the new mommies and active 30-something’s that surround me in my little slice of the universe.

How does it work?

Well, by shrinking the physical size of the sensor and removing the traditional mirror and pentaprism elements (the guts of a DSLR), the engineers were able to greatly reduce the size.  The CX sensor in use, however, is MUCH bigger than that out of 99% of compact digital cameras so we don’t really sacrifice any image quality.

Also, by removing those mechanical bits we get to greatly increase the frame rate or the number of shots we can take in a second.  It’s actually twice as fast or more than Nikon’s entry level and intermediate DSLRs!

Is it any good?

You bet!  A lot of people get carried away with the idea that it’s “only” 10mP, especially now that we have compact cameras at 16mp or more and DSLRs in the 20s and 30s!!  There is a good reason the engineers went with this sensor . . . BALANCE!  The 10mp CX sensor will certainly allow for you to print upwards of 8X10′s, no worries!  It wasn’t too long ago I was selling prints commercially that were 2 feet by 4 feet from a 6mp camera.  This sensor lets us keep the system smaller without needing to increase the size of the optics or the body and maintain higher quality in low light.  And, a lot of the new family photographers are going to be taking thousands of pictures of first steps and baby pools and what not . . . don’t forget about memory card and hard drive space!

What’s more, High Definition Video!!

Oh, and it comes in different colors so you can keep your stylish edge!

For more specs or to pick one up for yourself, click here!

cheers,

Paul

 

Rugged and Waterproof Camera Gear for Summertime Fun!

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So winter is officially gone!  It’s over and the weather has been gorgeous here in Iowa.  It makes me long for the beach and the river.  I just unpacked and polished up the old kayak last weekend in preparation of the first float trip of the season.  One thing that has always been a concern in my quest to document my summertime fun is this question, “Will my camera survive the brutal punishment a weekend with Paul out in the world may bring?”

If this sounds similar to your experience, or if you are rough in general on camera gear, you may want to check out these super durable cameras available through Porters.  Seems like four out of every five cameras I see come into the shop for repair have damage to the lens assembly.  Turns out these broken cameras are getting dropped or kicked out of hands and they fall right on the lens.  Here is a collection of cameras that have lenses that stay within the chassis of the camera and will likely survive being kicked around.  Another benefit of this construction is that the manufacturer’s are able to seal off the doors, switches and knobs to make them waterproof.  Waterproof also means dustproof, juice proof, soda proof, etc.

Check these bad boys out:

 

 

We sold a handful of cameras of this style to the Fire Department a few years ago here in Cedar Rapids.  Not long after they purchased them, the devestating floods of 2008 parked those cameras underwater at their downtown firehouse for a few months.  Once the water receded,  the fellas came in to buy new battery chargers so they could return the units to service, amazing!

Yeah, so check out the specs on the Fujifilm XP-50.  We have special closeout deals on the Olympus 8010.  The Nikon AW100 is a personal favorite, and this Nikon S30 is also really budget friendly.  The new design for Canon’s offering on the D20 looks pretty cool too!

Oh, and here is another awesome addition for those of you packing your DSLR gear for trekking through the world.  It’s awesome to have tripod, right?  But they can be so darn big and clunky that we often neglect to bring them along and our scenic shots tend to suffer.  Check out this ultra light Carbon Fiber tripod C423W from ProMaster!  It is small, durable and super light like all the other Carbon Fiber pods, but WAY less expensive!

Well, get out there and have some fun this summer, but don’t forget to grab some shots!

cheers,

Paul