Time to Move On

As I said yesterday I've been having a bit of a clear out of photographic equipment.  I'm now contemplating whether to retire my Nikon 1 system.  I had hoped that Nikon would create a v model that would excite me and feel it was worth keeping it as my lightweight kit.  Well we are at v3 and the design decisions they made in there latest iteration of the top of the line model leave me scratching my head.

And I love the v1.  It was my most used camera in 2012, only lately having been resigned to the cupboard as other cameras have taken over.  I created an image back then that was selected for the Landscape Photographer of the Year book.  A photographic magazine were so interested that it was taken with a mirrorless camera that they asked me to do an article for their next edition.  I also have an IR converted J1and the v2 (which I still use with the FT-1 adapter and my 70-200mm lens giving me a very respectable 540mm f2.8 lens).  They are probably not worth selling given the second hand values but I have hardly used the system in the last 6 months.

Don't think for one second that I don't consider it a good camera.  To be honest there are very few dud cameras out there these days.  My thought process now is about choosing a camera based on my required output resolution and image quality allied to the needs of capture.  In capture terms it usually falls into the camera's ability to capture such things as fast action , or low light performance.  It is a product of the sensor, ergonomics and functionality of the camera and the lenses, flashes and accessories that support the system.

Still while Nikon has muddled on with the upgrades to their 1 system other mirrorless camera manufacturers have stolen a march.  I am probably at a crossroads in my photography and I have heard from a number of other blippers who have abandoned larger dSLR cameras in favour of smaller CSC systems.  We have reached a rubicon where quality is not the preserve of the dSLR systems (I know it has probably been thus for some time).  If your photography doesn't warrant the extra weight of the larger cameras and lenses there are lighter alternatives that produce stunning results.

I'd be interested to hear from others what they think.