Bad product? Bad marketing? Predatory pricing? A simple act of desperation? Or all of the above? Nikon has just slashed the price of the Nikon 1 V1 kit (with the 10-30mm VR lens) again, down to $299. A product that sold for $899 exactly one year ago when I reviewed it. Wait, there is more – the Nikon 1 J1 camera, which has far less impressive specifications sells for $100 more. Doesn’t make sense, does it?
How can a product get 3 times cheaper in less than a year? Usually, you don’t see a 66% discount on an electronics product in a 12 month period after its launch. That just doesn’t happen…typically. And when it does happen, there is usually something wrong with the product, or the product fails to sell due to lack of mass adoption. Like Betamax versus VHS or HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray wars. Or many other similar stories. Nikon came a little late to the mirrorless market with its Nikon 1 system. The Micro 4/3 alliance already matured by then, with excellent lens choices, bigger sensor and lots of built-in features. Sony also gathered a big fanbase around its tiny cameras with big APS-C size sensors. Others were pushing hard with innovative designs, great lens choices and more. While Nikon wanted to capture the hearts and minds of many photographers, the product did not get the stamp of approval from the mirrorless community, mostly due to its high price tag. Many reviewers praised the Nikon 1 V1 camera, but could not justify its high price when compared to the competition. Not when Sony was selling its excellent mirrorless cameras like Sony NEX-5N for several hundred dollars less. And with Canon also adopting APS-C sensor size for its new EOS M mirrorless system, it was getting clear that Nikon would have a hard time competing in the mirrorless market. And now here we are – the Nikon 1 V1 is the cheapest of them all (in the high-end mirrorless category).
I know Nikon 1 / CX haters will say that the camera sucks, has too small of a sensor, has bad ergonomics, does not have good lenses, looks ugly or that it cannot compete with other mirrorless cameras in terms of features. Nikon 1 owners will stay defensive about their purchase, which turned out to be a bad investment for those who bought it early. No matter what side you are on, you are seeing something that we have never seen from Nikon before (at least that I know of or remember) – Nikon is basically giving away the Nikon 1 V1. Not because the V1 is a bad or faulty camera. But because Nikon messed up several things and high pricing was one of them. Now we are seeing the act of predatory pricing with some desperation on a product that has been sitting on the shelf for over a year. Nikon wants more people to adopt its CX format and it is willing to give away the camera, in hopes to get a bigger market share. Once people buy the camera, Nikon knows it will sell accessories and lenses to them going forward. Aggressive? Yes. Will it work? It probably will.
And the Nikon 1 V2? Nikon is repeating its mistake again. Instead of introducing it at $899 like it did with the V1 and immediately chopping off $50 in savings now, why not put it out on the market at $499-$599 price range? If the V1 trick doesn’t work out, the V2 will sell for $299 next December anyway.
I am not here to lure you in to buy the Nikon 1 V1. Personally, I would not pick it as a system of choice for my needs today, at least not until Nikon releases good fast primes (the 18.5mm f/1.8 looks promising). But think about the price again – $300 is dirt cheap for a mirrorless system, no matter what you think of Nikon’s CX format. Heck, that’s cheaper than many “advanced” point and shoot cameras out there. If I were in the market for a point and shoot camera today, I would give this deal a very serious consideration…
Picked up V1 body at good price to use manually with telescope for astrophotography. Sensor is nice size and I like mirrorless light weight design for balance better than my heavier F mount Nikon bodies. Surprised there was an adapter to 1.25″ telescope eyepiece size but there was.
Iam a Beginner in Photography………
While searching for a mirror-less camera in OLX, I found Nikon V1 with 10-30 mm lens & 30-110mm lens.
All I got for Rs.15000/- INR.
For a beginner like me it was good deal. I purchased it, I liked it…………
One issue is that. while taking long time video, its body gets heated.
sooc v1 10mm f/2.8.the feel , the size, the weight, the UI : all these combination makes it a wonderful camera to use
Bought one for 200 euros. Refurbished by Nikon. Bargain. Then wide angle lens 10 mm and what is Nikon 1 nifty fifty (18.5).
Aside from changing iso only in the menu (and some functions I don’t use like slow motion video or 20 multiple shots where the camera suggest the best pic) and minor things that could be improved (dedicated aperture dial, viewfinder could wake up quickier) I am very happy.
Mirrorless System camera with 3 lenses (wide, zoom and 50mm) for less than 500 euros! Image quality impressed me considering the sensor size. Together with my Nikon Dslr and Nikon Full Frame is what I was missing. I’d buy it again. And probably buy a newer version. Did I mention that is one of the few N1 that comes with a viewfinder that you don’t have to pay 250 euros extra?
The Nikon 1 10-30mm lens is a piece of garbage. I won’t work on them they’re so bad. The design is garbage, is so fraught with design issues it’s not even funny: trust me, I’ve tried to work on them, they’re impossibly horrific
So, if the 10-30 is the MAIN LENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! for this kit, what does that tell you about the ENTIRE PRODUCT LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve come to this article pretty late in the day, but have some things to say. I bought my first V1 shortly after it was released — a pair of them, actually, to replace a pair of aging P7000s. I do web, multimedia, business presentation photos and video, for myself and clients. Nothing I ever do gets published at more than maybe 1200 pixels, with most posted at 72dpi at 800 pixels or under (images), and video at 720p or 480p. I have never been a professional videographer or photographer. Nor have I ever owned the big system SLR/DSLR cameras from any brand.
I moved up over time from point and shoot, not down from DSLR. So… To me, the V1 is the best thing ever made. I have since bought 3 more along with a pile of lenses. My main two units I keep with the 10-100 video lens attached. These are ideal video cameras for multimedia usage. External mic input, HDMI live monitor output, ridiculously fast and accurate autofocus, great ergonomics, simple controls, easy adjustments for exposure, and great video quality.
Now, due to the wicked out “elitist” camera snobs who beat down the product when it was released, I have been deprived of what is nearly the perfect small format video camera system. The newer “V” models have all drifted away from this barebones perfection to appease the snobs. And, that puzzles me, as Nikon should know that these snobs are not the customers for this camera line. I am the customer for this camera line.
So, I now make a hobby of cruising the web from time to time, picking up delays on V1 bodies, lenses and accessories, buying them, and sticking them in the closet — as I fully plant o use this system as my main rig for many years into the future.
If somebody can point me to another option that is this small and light, has great system lenses, shoots 1080/720 video with this performance, accepts a standard external mic, and feeds HDMI live minor out, I’d love to know about it. Until then, I’ll stick with this amazing Nikon V1 system.
In Germany there is a special offer (because of introducing a new store) selling the Nikon 1 V2 for €242 (311 USD). So the prediction of this article is just 9 month late.
We tried this camera with an FT1 adaptor and a 60mm macro lens for dental (macro) photography. The camera takes great photos. However, in order to get any decent macro images you have to have an appropriate ring flash (with TTL). The proprietary hotshoe on this 1-series is what killed it for me as it means we were unable to use any decent ring flash. We tried using a 3rd party LED ring light (continuous light output), buts its just not the same. If NIkon brought out a 1-series high quality ring flash with a decent guide number I’d consider it.
We have since switched to a FF DSLR and macro lens set up as the 1-series just didn’t cut it for us.
www.drummoynedentalpractice.com.au
Ugh it’s all so confusing. I have a nice big camera but it’s so heavy and bulky I never use it. I want a camera that is compact yet still takes focused nice pictures of my kids running around.
. Is there any camera that will do this that is small enough to fit in pockdt or purse? Under a$100
Hmmm I read here that the camera is down to $299. But when I look at amazon or other online retailers or ebay I don’t see that sort of prices. Can somebody point me to a site that sells it for $299? I might actually buy another one as a gift for wife. =)
Cameta Camera has refurbished kits available for $289 this morning. Nikon Store is out of stock but had them previously.
Thanks for the info. I am not a big fan of refurbished products but I will look into it.
Before I could even attempt to buy it price went up =/