Nikon 1 V3 Comparison Review

The Nikon 1 V3 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was officially introduced in March 2014 and is equipped with an one-inch sensor. It offers a resolution of 18.2 megapixel.

Is the Nikon 1 V3 a good camera? The V3 has a Camera Elo of 2021. This rating puts the V3 below average of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (one inch cameras), the V3 also ranks below average. – Well, the Nikon 1 V3 is more than 7 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2014.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Nikon 1 V3 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Nikon 1 V3 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Nikon 1 V3	111 mm	65 mm	33 mm	381 g	310	n	Mar 2014	799
2.		Canon G5 X	112 mm	76 mm	44 mm	353 g	210	n	Oct 2015	799
3.		Canon 100D	117 mm	91 mm	69 mm	407 g	380	n	Mar 2013	549
4.		Fujifilm X-T10	118 mm	83 mm	41 mm	381 g	350	n	May 2015	799
5.		Fujifilm X-M1	117 mm	67 mm	39 mm	330 g	350	n	Jun 2013	699
6.		Nikon D5500	124 mm	97 mm	70 mm	470 g	820	n	Jan 2015	899
7.		Nikon 1 J4	100 mm	60 mm	29 mm	232 g	300	n	Apr 2014	549
8.		Nikon 1 V2	109 mm	82 mm	46 mm	278 g	310	n	Oct 2012	799
9.		Nikon 1 V1	113 mm	76 mm	44 mm	383 g	350	n	Sep 2011	799
10.		Panasonic G6	122 mm	85 mm	71 mm	390 g	340	n	Apr 2013	599
11.		Panasonic GF6	111 mm	65 mm	38 mm	323 g	340	n	Apr 2013	499
Notes: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Nikon 1 V3 was launched in the US market at a price of $799. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Nikon 1 V3 features an one-inch sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.7. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Nikon 1 V3 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Nikon 1 V3	1-inch	18.2	5232	3488	1080/60p	20.8	10.7	384	52
2.		Canon G5 X	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	1080/60p	..	..	..	..
3.		Canon 100D	APS-C	17.9	5184	3456	1080/30p	21.8	11.3	843	63
4.		Fujifilm X-T10	APS-C	16.0	4896	3264	1080/60p	..	..	..	..
5.		Fujifilm X-M1	APS-C	16.0	4896	3264	1080/30p	..	..	..	..
6.		Nikon D5500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.1	14.0	1438	84
7.		Nikon 1 J4	1-inch	18.2	5232	3488	1080/60p	20.8	10.7	426	53
8.		Nikon 1 V2	1-inch	14.2	4608	3072	1080/60p	20.2	10.8	403	50
9.		Nikon 1 V1	1-inch	10.0	3872	2592	1080/60i	21.3	11	346	54
10.		Panasonic G6	Four Thirds	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	21.3	11.5	639	61
11.		Panasonic GF6	Four Thirds	15.8	4592	3448	1080/60i	20.7	10.6	622	54

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The V3 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the V3 can use is 1080/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Nikon 1 V3 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Nikon 1 V3	optional	n	3.0 / 1037	tilting	Y	1/4000s	60.0	Y	n
2.		Canon G5 X	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/2000s	5.9	Y	Y
3.		Canon 100D	optical	n	3.0 / 1040	fixed	Y	1/4000s	4.9	Y	n
4.		Fujifilm X-T10	2360	n	3.0 / 920	tilting	n	1/4000s	8.0	Y	n
5.		Fujifilm X-M1	none	n	3.0 / 920	tilting	n	1/4000s	5.6	Y	n
6.		Nikon D5500	optical	n	3.2 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0	Y	n
7.		Nikon 1 J4	none	n	3.0 / 1037	Fixed	Y	1/4000s	60.0	Y	n
8.		Nikon 1 V2	1440	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	15.0	Y	n
9.		Nikon 1 V1	1440	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	10.0	n	n
10.		Panasonic G6	1440	n	3.0 / 1036	swivel	Y	1/4000s	7.0	Y	n
11.		Panasonic GF6	none	n	3.0 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	4.2	Y	n

The LCD screen on the Nikon 1 V3 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD can be tilted vertically to facilitate odd-angle shots in landscape orientation. This tilting design is often preferred, for example, by street photographers to a fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment, as it is more unobtrusive during shooting than a screen that flips out to the side.

One convenient feature of the V3 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Nikon 1 V3 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Nikon 1 V3	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
2.		Canon G5 X	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
3.		Canon 100D	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Fujifilm X-T10	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
5.		Fujifilm X-M1	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
6.		Nikon D5500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
7.		Nikon 1 J4	-	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
8.		Nikon 1 V2	-	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Nikon 1 V1	-	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Panasonic G6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-
11.		Panasonic GF6	-	stereo / mono	-	-	mini	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the V3 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of technical specifications can provide a useful overview of the capabilities of different cameras, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the V3. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Nikon 1 V3	3/5	..	..	76/100	4.5/5	4/5	Mar 2014	799
2.		Canon G5 X	5/5	+ +	..	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2015	799
3.		Canon 100D	4/5	+	..	78/100	4/5	4/5	Mar 2013	549
4.		Fujifilm X-T10	4.5/5	+ +	..	80/100	5/5	5/5	May 2015	799
5.		Fujifilm X-M1	3/5	+	..	77/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2013	699
6.		Nikon D5500	5/5	+	..	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2015	899
7.		Nikon 1 J4	3/5	..	..	..	4.5/5	4/5	Apr 2014	549
8.		Nikon 1 V2	3/5	..	..	..	4.5/5	4/5	Oct 2012	799
9.		Nikon 1 V1	..	+	..	69/100	4.5/5	4/5	Sep 2011	799
10.		Panasonic G6	4/5	+ +	..	..	5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2013	599
11.		Panasonic GF6	..	+ +	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2013	499
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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