One of the things that I’ve been doing each year for a while now is visiting the annual CNE Air Show in Toronto, Canada.
This is the second time that I’ve used Nikon 1 mirror-less camera gear to capture images at the event.
I love the small size and responsiveness of the system, especially when shooting with the CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens.
The small 1” Aptina sensor in my Nikon 1 V2 is challenged when it comes to dynamic range and colour depth. This becomes more noticeable when photographing under very strong sunlight.
That is counterbalanced by the small size and easy handling of the V2. Shooting hand-held continuously for three hours can be a bit physically taxing when using larger, heavier gear.
With my Nikon 1 kit shooting hand-held for long periods of time is a non-issue.
I love shooting at 15 fps in full AF-C with my Nikon 1 V2. It allows me to get more precise captures when photographing smoke trails and formation fly-bys.
While the buffer is not as deep as is found in some other cameras I’ve found that the 45 image capacity of the V2 is sufficient for my needs.
The auto focus is quite reliable and locks on a subject quickly.
It has been over a year since I sold my full frame Nikon D800 DSLR and my arsenal of F-mount lenses and I haven’t regretted selling that gear at all.
I’m having a lot more fun photographing with a smaller, lighter system, and my on-site efficiency when shooting client video projects has also improved.
I know there’s a lot of concern in the market about the future of Nikon 1. Over the past year or so I’ve supplemented my kit with additional V2 bodies and a couple of J5s so I’ll have enough gear to keep shooting with it for quite a few years to come.
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