Nikon 1 J5, adaptor+lenses vs dSLR upgrade

Hi Guys,

 

I am a very beginner into photography ( I don't consider taking iphone photos at photography).

I will be doing a bike trip in South America in coming months and wanted a camera that was easy to carry while mountainbiking and giving me the chance of taking good personalized pictures so a friend of mine advised the Nikon 1 J5 that I got a month ago.

I have been practicing quite a bit, shooting all in manual (I want to get decent manual skills) and I realized I really enjoy shooting landscapes (this is an example The_other_trailmtb_hardtail_wanderlust_newzealand_nikon1j5.jpg by Davide - Photo 207293867 / 500px )

But I have to say, I have been getting more and more into photography and would like to develop good skills.

The camera came with the standard 10-30mm f3.6 lens, so I bought the Fotodiox adapter for Nikkor lenses. I did't buy the Nikon FT1 adapter because it's price is like 75% of what I paid for the camera.

The Fotodiox stoppes any electric connections between body and lens, so I have to shot in manual (all good to me) but when I tried with my friend's lenses did not allow me to modify any aperture that was automatically at closest.

 

Now I am in a bit of dilemma. I am thinking of purchsing the Nikon 1 18.5mm F1.8 lens for better landscapes even with lower light, and that is 250 nz$. but all the other Nikon1 specific lenses are not greatest, so I am not sure if it's actually worthed buyng the FT1 adapter (nz$450) so to use the nikkon lenses, or at this stage buy a used Nikon dSLR body, like the D7000 for about nz$500.

My thought is: for my original plan/necessity (mountainbike international trip) the J5 with 18.5mm-f18 should do the job, and for other situations I would use the dSLR VS. the 1 J5 is a great multy use body and don't really need a dSLR to expand the type of photography, hence worth to purchase the FT1 adapter?

 

I would really appreciate your feedbacks/opinion

 

Cheers

As you mentioned, the Fotodiox adapter does not have any electrical connections so there is no way to control the aperture from the camera. To adjust the aperture you need to use lenses that have an aperture ring.

 

The Nikon 1 18.5mm is smaller and lighter than any DSLR equivalent, which I'm guessing would be important for your planned trip. Have you also considered weather resistance? Neither the 18.5 nor the 10-30 are weather resistant, not to mention the J5.

I urge you concentrate on simplicity of traveling,when roughing it on a mountain bike. (I have done it on a smaller scale myself) If the camera you have is rugged enough and packable enough for you, I say stick with it and one versatile zoom lens. Mainly if it were me I would use this trip not to play too much with gear but with composition and light..tough enough at that. I mean biking trips are bestwith equipment that you are really really comfortable with and can rely on on the road and in rain. You may even want to pack a wee spare body like a simple point and shoot as backup. I learned that a hard way. Have fun. See stuff.

I also go on bicycle trips (not mountains) and carry minimum camera gear - mirrorless, 22mm f/2 'pancake' lens and a 55-250 crop telephoto.

It all fits in a small waist pack

www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless

The Nikon 1 has a small sensor so using FF lenses on it won't be as sharp as using its own lenses. Only if you already have the lenses for the DSLR it doesn't make sense to buy both the adapter and DSLR lenses to use on the Nikon 1. I feel the that 10-30 lens alone should be sufficient for the trip. I use the 24-85mm lense on my FF camera most of the time.

There is no value in shooting manual all the time. I know how. and when to use it, but not often do I want to... I want to use the features that deliver a photo and the settings I trust. In the outdoors: Get the shot before the lizard moves behind the cactus. Or sun dips behind a cloud. I hope I do not overstate, but maybe you are overthinking the gear element at this point re travel camera which is your goal for now....Stick to that theme and go from there. it is all about bring ing home the images. What has been declared important: Lots of batteries. Spare cards. Good bag or backpack. Maybe a small mini pod. Also a spare tube and tools for the bike ( oops, you got that covered I am sure :)) Edited April 16, 2017 by GerrySiegel

I travelled through South America a couple of years ago (admittedly I was hiking, not mountain biking) and was also a beginner so took only my Canon 650D and Tamron 18-270mm F3.5 to 6.3 lens. The only time I really felt lacking was in the mountains around Colca Canyon in Peru as I just didn't have the reach to get a good shot of the famous condors there. I have included a shot below I took in Brazil that was using the wide end of that lens wide open at F3.5 and I didn't have too much trouble capturing in the low light. My suggestion would be to instead get the 30-110mm to go with your Nikon as it means you will have a large coverage and the 10mm end of the 10-30 will cover you off for the early morning/late afternoon sunsets and the long lens will have the reach to get in nice and close for wildlife etc. that you may meet along the way. (picture is of Ipanema Beach in Rio)

I am not familiar with Nikon 1 system. I looked at the AW1 but decided to not really need or want one at that price point. So in general I think a good light DSLR solution should be your better bet. - Maybe look at the 3000 or 5000 series? - Don't go over the top with lenses. Stick to the inexpensive 2 zooms kit or the simplest VR kit lens. That stuff is light and bicycle travel is likely to take it's toll on gear. The vibrations hitting every bit of luggage are considerable. Getting an expensive long range tourist zoom, just to vibrate it into pieces would be saddening.

How unplugged will your trip be? - It is easier to get through a few days with a single battery in a DSLR than in a mirrorless. If you want a lens for your existing adapter: buy an used one with aperture ring. - They should be cheaper than getting that adapter you mentioned.

 

I'm not sure if getting a fast lens for low light landscapes is the smartest idea. Your Nikon 1 prime will render stuff from 9m to infinity acceptably sharp wide open but things will get much worse with a bigger sensor in another camera. - If you want something in the foreground sharp too: Better stick to your zoom and get some tripod solution. - A tiny ballhead somewhere on your bike on it's side stand might be enough or a Gorilla pod wrapped around the handle bar?