Nikon 1 J1 [Review][HD]

Hardware The J1 is cute. Like, fluffy white kitten cute. It brightens your day just by hanging around and being fun to play with, but you probably won&be impressed when it comes time to capture some serious photos (like trying to get that tiny kitty to snatch up a family of mice). The rounded edges, well-disguised components and overall clean finish make it clear that Nikon designers put a lot of care into this camera&physical appearance. It&just as much a fashion accessory as it is a relatively capable imaging device, and, depending on which color you choose, it&likely to make quite a statement. There&no flip-up LCD, as there is on Sony&NEX series, so you&be spending a lot of time holding the camera at eye level. Fortunately, the 460k-dot, three-inch LCD has a decent viewing angle, which will come in handy if shooting from below or above is an absolute must. The display occupies most of the two-tone plastic J1&rear, and is complemented by a healthy selection of dedicated controls. A mode dial lets you switch between Motion Snapshot, Smart Photo Selector, movie and still image modes (the latter of which enables exposure mode selections like the default Scene Auto Selector, programmed auto, shutter- and aperture-priority, along with the ever-so-critical manual). You&find a playback zoom rocker above the main dial, which also doubles as the shutter speed control in manual mode. To the left is a function button, which serves a variety of purposes depending on your mode -...