Nikon 1 series hands on

Nippy autofocus

Our brief hands-on confirms that both the Nikon 1 V1 and J are, indeed, extremely quick in the autofocus department. But faster than the lightning Olympus E-P3? It didn’t appear so, but we will reserve final judgement until our full review.

What’s more immediately noticeable about both cameras is their reassuringly premium magnesium alloy build. Their minimalist approach also stretches to the external controls which, as you can see above, are fairly sparse.

This means the Nikon 1 will, like the Sony NEX series, appeal more to those stepping up from a compact, rather than pros stepping down from a DSLR. Manual exposure control is possible with some digging around in the well-designed menus, but those who like to fiddle with their apertures (so to speak) will prefer the more accessible buttons of the Panasonic GF1 or Nikon’s own P7000.