Series 1 and adapted lenses

[johnw63]

<p>I just read this article by Thom Hogan:</p>

<p>http://www.sansmirror.com/newsviews/nikon-1-lessons-learned-on.html</p>

<p>Which got me thinking, again, about this series of cameras. For one thing, the FT1 adapter is NOT inexpensive. Something around $250. For another, it seems that mounting BIG lenses on such a small body would be a rather ungainly combination, yet Thom doesn't say anything about it. Have you does stuff like that and found it works well ? What lenses CAN work with this series and lens adapter and what do you lose by doing so ? I have MF, and standard AF lenses. Does it need to be AF-S to work properly ? </p>

<p> </p>

[joe_user3]

<p>I use my Nikon 1 V1 with the FT-1 adapter (purchased new in January for $185) with the Nikon 180mm f2.8. It's a rather large lens and it balances rather well thanks to the tripod mount on the FT-1. I also attach a 2X converter to the FT-1 along with the 180mm lens, and it still works rather well. Yes, AF-S is required if you want AF, but otherwise, the FT-1 does transmit information from an AF or AF-D lens, you just have to manually focus it. </p>

<p> </p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>The FT1 is too expensive for my tastes. Besides, I got the V1 primarily as a P&S on steroids - it's faaassst, something that annoyed me not only about other P&S digicams but some dSLRs as well. In decent light the V1 is as quick as the D2H, and maybe a bit quicker, due in part to the low moving mass and short focus throw of the 10-30/3.5-5.6 1 System lens.</p>

<p>I got the Fotodiox dumb adapter mostly to get more oomph from my manual focus teles, which hadn't seen much use with my D2H. The 300/4.5 AI ED Nikkor was great with the V1, and the camera just dangled from the lens on a tripod mount. But I sold the 300/4.5 last year - wasn't getting much use from it. I don't see myself ever going on safari. I tend to get more up close and personal, so I'd get more use from a 1 System 14/1.2, or constant aperture f/2.8 midrange and wide zooms - but only if they also feature VR.</p>

<p>The 180/2.8 pre-AI Nikkor and 70-210/2.8-4 Vivitar Series 1 also work fine with the V1, although there's a ton of chromatic aberration - easily corrected in Lightroom. But those lenses lack tripod mounts so I'd use them with the V1 only from a sandbag or other makeshift support.</p>

<p>The V1 really shines with my 24/2.5 Tamron Adaptall through 105/2.5 AI primes. Those are easy to handhold, even for me (my hands aren't very steady now), and a great cheap way to shoot stills and video of local theater and music performances.</p>

<p><strong>Battery life:</strong><br /> Regarding battery life, I agree with Thom. On recent outings to a favorite local theater I could easily burn through a new, freshly charged battery in under four hours. I bought a backup generic battery earlier this year and so far having the pair gets me through a long day/night of still and video shooting. One way to extend the V1's battery life is to disable the rear LCD and use only the EVF. That's normally how I carry it when I'll be out all day. Otherwise for impromptu candid and street photography I'll leave the LCD activated since it's quicker to use the LCD than lift the camera to eye level.</p>

<p><strong>VR:</strong><br /> I haven't experienced the problem Thom described - and I've heard others describe that same problem. But I haven't experienced it with the 10-30 VR. The V1 and 10-30 work great. I need VR to offset my sometimes shaky mitts, and I don't experience any jumpiness either in normal or active mode. I do recall seeing that problem with the original 70-200/2.8 VR on the D2H. I'm not sure whether this quirk some V-series owners describe is due to personal impressions or whether there are sample variations or differences in firmware upgrades. But Thom isn't the only 1 System owner to describe it. I just haven't seen it myself.</p>

<p><strong>Settings:</strong><br /> I agree with Thom that it seems like nobody on the 1 System design team actually uses the camera or asked actual photographers for feedback. The 1 System remains a niche product with brilliant potential that's unfulfilled. It smacks of a product of one or two mad scientist design geniuses who never get out of the lab. "Hey, let's make it as fast as possible, but pay absolutely no attention to ergonomics or human interfaces! And let's use a proprietary flash/accessory shoe! And let's completely ignore feedback and all the stuff people like about the Sony RX100! Yay! Sounds like a brilliant plan for success!"</p>

<p><strong>Readiness:</strong><br /> Ditto Thom's impressions. I just set the standby to maximum length, carry an extra battery and live with the battery drain. It's still better on battery life than my other P&S digicams. A minor quibble in my usage. At least the V1 batteries can be charged off-camera.</p>

<p><strong>Ruggedness:</strong><br /><a href="http://www.corbisimages.com/photographer/john-densky"> Photojournalist John Densky</a> sold me on the V1 when I realized he was using a V1 kit for covering the Syrian refugee crisis and some coverage in Africa. If it's rugged enough for a PJ in that environment, it's rugged enough for me. <em>(I don't know whether John is still using the V1 - that was as of 2012.)</em></p>

<p>Sure, it could use some beefing up. The battery/media card cover could be moisture- and dust-proofed - the little flip-out accessory cord doodad is a weak point. But overall it's a tough little camera. Nikon should consider applying the AW1 toughening to the next V-series model as a standard feature.</p>

<p>Thom says: "I still like the Nikon 1 models with EVFs very much. But Nikon doesn't make liking them very easy."</p>

<p>Couldn't have said it better myself.<br /> <br />I really, really want to see Nikon meld the best stuff of the V-series into a flagship level Coolpix, with fast midrange zoom, standard hotshoe and SB-whatever compatibility, and toughened for dust and moisture resistance.</p>

<p>Either that or in-body VR. If Nikon adds in-body VR I might actually buy the next 1 System camera because it'd resolve the only serious issue I have with using manual focus lenses on the V1. My vision is still good enough to manual focus with acceptable accuracy in decent light, even though the EVF offers no focus confirmation other than eyeballing the image.</p>

<p>And I really wish Nikon or a third party maker would produce a simple standard hotshoe adapter for the V1 so I can use my existing flashes or at least the Pocket Wizard for off-camera flash. So far my makeshift solution has been to shoot with slow shutter speeds - 1/2 or 1 second - and manually trigger the flash held in the other hand. Sometimes I've even used a handheld flashlight at night to illuminate people's faces for the V1. Awkward but functional.</p>

[johnw63]

<p>Lex,</p>

<p>That wasn't a response, that was a REVIEW ! </p>

<p>Thanks. </p>

<p>If I can find a V series, on a close out, and then get an adapter like you have used, I might have something I can see using. </p>

<p> </p>

[johnw63]

<p>Follow up question ...</p>

<p>How do you meter with the MF lenses ? The Fotodiox page says " stop down ", but I don't see how that would work without a DoF preview button. </p>

<p> </p>

[lex_jenkins]

<blockquote>

<p>"That wasn't a response, that was a REVIEW !"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I think it was Mark Twain who wrote: "I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead."</p>

<p>The Fotodiox adapter requires guesstimating exposure but that's been pretty easy to do. Set the camera to Manual. Set the ISO to a fixed ISO - auto ISO won't work. Set the shutter speed on the body and aperture on the lens. I normally shoot wide open or nearly so with my manual focus lenses, because I'm virtually always using those lenses in dim lighting.</p>

<p>I take a guess, am usually within 1 stop of the correct exposure, and it takes only one or two more shots to nail it. There's no reliable feedback via the EVF or LCD, so you can't really judge exposure from how it looks on screen. I guess I've been doing this long enough with film and digital that I can guesstimate low light conditions pretty well. But I tend to misjudge daylight exposure conditions - that's where I need a light meter.</p>

<p>The adapter has been very handy with my existing primes for nighttime and available light concert and theater snaps. These are from Hip Pocket Theater this summer/fall, using the 50/1.8D AF Nikkor, wide open or nearly wide open, on the V1.</p>

<hr />

<p><a href="/photo/17569970&size=lg"><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17569970-md.jpg" alt="Bruce Payne at Hip Pocket Theatre" width="680" height="454" border="0" /></a><br /> Nikon V1, 50/1.8D AF Nikkor, Fotodiox adapter, ISO 800, 1/125th, probably f/2.8</p>

<hr />

<p><a href="/photo/17569969&size=lg"><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17569969-md.jpg" alt="Little Prospero and his magic tablet" width="680" height="454" border="0" /></a><br /> Nikon V1, 50/1.8D AF Nikkor, Fotodiox adapter, ISO 1600, 1/80th, probably f/1.8-f/2.8</p>

<hr />

<p><a href="/photo/17569982&size=lg"><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/17569982-md.jpg" alt="Diana and Gary" width="680" height="454" border="0" /></a><br>

Nikon V1, 50/1.8D AF Nikkor, Fotodiox adapter, ISO 3200, 1/40th, probably f/1.8-f/2.8</p>

 

[sem_svizec]

<blockquote>

<p>For another, it seems that mounting BIG lenses on such a small body would be a rather ungainly combination, yet Thom doesn't say anything about it. </p>

</blockquote>

<p>There's plenty of Nikon shooters that'd kill for being able to use their lenses full-functionally on a smaller ILC, regardless of ungainliness of combinations. <br>

Due to the particular crop factor, such combinations with tele lenses still happen to be make sense currently IMHO. They'd definitely look clumsy compared to any high-grade same-long-FL lenses made specifically for N1 if anybody produced them. But I guess such expensive lenses would't sell well, considering the poor overall reception of N1. </p>

[mike_halliwell]

<p>I'd love the P,A S and M wheel from the V2 on my V1, it's truly bonkers not to have one!</p>

<p>I like my 300mm F4 AF-S for reach, but would love VR for aiming stability. It feels balanced OK, and from memory, I used the FT-1's tripod mount, but I could be mistaken. Long range HD vid (on a solid tripod) of wading birds is pretty good....I'd guess the 400mm 2.8 VR would be real fun too!!</p>

<p>I know what people mean about the VR kick. I sometimes experience it when my 105mm VR macro is mounted. Sometimes I think it's as it would be on FX but the 'twitch' is magnified by the cropping factor of almost 3??</p>

[wmervine]

<p>I picked up a V1 as a cheap video option, and really enjoying it as a casual camera. Really enjoy the silent shooting and speed. Also gives me a chance to play with my old M42 lenses. Wish there was a live histogram, but used to metering off camera.</p>

<p>Now to find a V2 at a good price.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>The handling of the V1 is a pain if you want to change anything. If you can get it set up and leave it there, it's not too horrendous. I got one as a cheap 400fps and 1200fps camera, though the flicker of lighting pretty much rules out doing that indoors. Paying more attention to its 60fps abilities, I'm now considering getting an FT-1, not least because I use the system so little that I have no need for many lenses, and I have decent, fast AF-S lenses that I could use with it already.<br />

<br />

Honestly I'd prefer it if my D800 could do the same trick and shoot at very high frame rates with AF disabled, but if a second camera system with an inconvenient crop is the way to get there, so be it. Oh, and the pixel density might be useful for macro.<br />

<br />

Interesting to see what other people are doing with this system. I'm sure the V2 handling is much better, but I'd not seen the price drop to "reasonable" (like the V1 had) when I last looked (*rummage* - still nope). Up until recently I'd ignored the FT-1 entirely, but I'm now warming to it, even if I'm still not a fan of the crop factor.<br />

<br />

As for imbalance... most cameras are "imbalanced" on the back of a 200 f/2 or bigger. I'm sure it'd change the way I handle a 50 f/1.8, but once I'm supporting everything by the lens anyway, I doubt what's on the back makes all that much difference to me. I'm sure I can screw some weights into the bottom of the FT-1 if it really worries me!</p>

[NetR]

<p>I have attached a 150mm (6 inches for people who still use British Imperial measurements) arca swiss plate onto my FT1 and use that to hold the lens/camera combo in my left hand while I use the right to press the shutter of my V1. The kit 10-30mm lens plus a Nikon 28-300mm can take you anywhere.</p>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>Ross - I'm slightly surprised that the 28-300 keeps up with the pixel density of a V1. Do you feel happy with the pixel-level sharpness of the result?</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>My problem with manual focus and older style AF Nikkors on the V1 hasn't been sharpness. It's been chromatic aberration. I'm seeing chromabs I never saw with the D2H using the same lenses. For example, I could use the old pre-AI, non-ED 180/2.8 Nikkor with my M2 extension tube wide open on the D2H and get satisfactory results. But on the V1 everything needs to be run through CA reduction in Lightroom. And if I did enough color photography I'd probably try DxO or other software for CA control.</p>

<p>On the plus side, I like my Spiratone Portragon for the softness and CA, and it really shows on the V1. Great effect within a limited range of photos.</p>

[michael_chuang1]

<p>I've found that the V1 + FT1 + 70-200/2.8 VR handles quite decently despite looking both ungainly and goofy. Of course one supports the whole rig holding the lens barrel with the left hand while the right hand is relegated to just managing the shutter release. I actually bought the 70-200/2.8 specifically to use with the V1* for mostly work-related trips where I might have a few hours free to shoot, but not enough time to make it worth hauling the DSLR, its lenses and tripod. Having a tuck-into-luggage stabilized, fast, roughly 540mm-equivalent FL lens that doesn't take over available space and weight is fantastic in both senses of the word.<br /> I don't have great examples at hand on this computer, but here's an American robin peeping over the edge of her nest taken at max extension handheld with the 70-200 on a V1. For those concerned about subject isolation with the small sensor, it's by no means FX-like, but possible, as I hope the Carolina allspice plant (next) shows.<br /> <br />I had perhaps unrealistic but high hopes for using the V1 with a short mirror lens (250/5.6 or 300/5.6) but found the lack of focusing aids frustrating. Not much experience with other non native or non-AF-S lenses. As Lex has pointed out, you need AF-S Nikkors for the AF to work. Most of my AF lenses are screw-drive, so AF doesn't work with the FT1 on those. In my limited experience with Sigma HSM lenses, an older 100-300/4 HSM cannot AF with the FT1 while a newer copy (I know from the different cosmetics) works fine.<br /> <br /> *I started out with the 55-200 VR lens + FT1 for travel but found myself using it wide open most of the time due to the max f/5.6 aperture at the long end. Although pretty decent and hard to beat for light weight, long-and-wide-open IQ didn't hold up all that well on the 1" sensor.</p><div></div>

[michael_chuang1]

<p>Carolina allspice plant. Subject isolation with a V1 ?</p><div></div>

[johnw63]

<p>Strangely enough, I am considering a Series 1 to use with a Minolta 58mm f1.2 as well as an old Nikon lens or two. The Fotodiox adapters are about $30, I think. </p>

<p> </p>