J5 First impressions

Darn it!

I was gonna offer you $1.73 for it and let you talk me up to $2.12.

Drat!

Thanks André
Your settings recommendations are always useful. I remember using your suggestions on my P7100 and still use them today. I do find the J5 very small, but it has some qualities that are beginning to outweigh that.
Regards
Gary.

Thanks for that, Andre. You anticipated my questions. After viewing your recent, superb church interior photos, I was going to inquire what settings you use. You might be interested in one little trick I've implemented to increase stability of the J5 at waist-level. One of my J5s is always mounted on a tiny Manfrotto Pixi Evo tripod, which I hand-hold, with the legs extended flat. Two legs rest against my belly. Camera movement can then oome only from breathing, so I set a 2 second shutter delay, tap the screen and quickly exhale. This stabilization technique also minimizes camera shake suring video captures.
A question: Had you shot those interior church scenes with the J5 in .jpg (with no secondary post-processing) rather than RAW (with your usual pp), what would be the major differences in the images?

Hello,
Thanks for your trick, which certainly works.
As for me, I want to minimize the gear I use, in order to keep my hands free.
The problem when I'm traveling is that I'm not alone, and I have to take photos rather quickly.
My wife, or my friends tell me:"Wow, did you see that?, and that? etc." so that I can't take all the time I would like to compose and set the camera according to the subject.
That's why my goal is to be able to take a picture almost instantly, which means I must be able to change settings quickly.
That's the reason why I've set the J5 like this. In fact, I use 2 settings: outdors (good light) / indoors (low light). Works fine for me with the 6.7-13 (95% of my pictures)
Whith the 10-100, I tend to use S mode, to choose quickly the SS adapted at the FL I use and the shooting conditions. For still subjects, I trust the great Nikon's VR engine, which allows much slower SS than usual (3 stops).
Regarding your question about jpeg or raw, since I began digital in 2004, I've always used only raw with all my cameras. I'm far from being a pro, but I like to extract maximum details of my files.
I use DxO PL6 to process every image one by one, just for my pleasure. For me, it gives the best results.
Compared to jpeg SOOC: more details, better color (particularly at high iso), much more latitude in highlights recovery. Regarding noise, DxO Deep Prime XD noise reduction engine is incredibly effective at preserving details while eliminating noise.
Hope this helps.
I'll post some more images in another thread.
Best
André

So, the outcome is unexpected. It put me in mind of a camera I have coveted for many years. As a result I decided to invest in a Sony RX100 mkV. So many things I like about the J5 made me realise that the small form factor did not warrant changing lenses, the options being very limited anyway, so I have decided to go with the pocketable Sony with built in zoom lens (same sensor). As I have stated I have been tempted by the Sony for many years (it is so expensive) but it fulfills my needs for travel as I will never be happy with just a phone.

Just one other observation which may be helpful. Shooting at waist level is much better with the non PD 10-30. You can see the focal distance scale which the PD does not have and it is difficult to control.(over or under zooming) Hope this is helpful.

I went exactly the other way ;-) By the time I got J5 with 10-30 DP, I already own a RX100IV for about a year. At that time, RX100IV was my go everywhere, travel/walk-around camera. But after I got J5, I just found myself reaching for J5 more than RX100IV and eventually gave my RX100IV away. With both J5 and RX100, I shoot both photo and video with them. For photo is largely, street, landscape/cityscape, and macro when I go hiking/dog-walk. Video is a mix of short video clips and slow-mo (and edit together later). From IQ standpoint, they are pretty closed. RX100 is more compact and pocket-able with built-in zoom. I found I can grab focus of macro and busy scene much better with J5 (my take rate of bees in the flower in the bush with RX100 is very low, like less than 25%, while with J5 is 90% or better. The experiences are a lot like this: With, RX100, I kept trying until my dogs get inpatient while with J5, I take one or two and move on...). While video shooting, RX100 focus tracking works far better, RX100 menu system does not make sense to me, even with over a year of use. Since I don't do slow-mo (or any of the less use features) often enough, with Sony, I miss alot of shooting opportunities while fiddling around with the menu (which never happen to me with J5). Shooting with one hand (which I do a lot while walk the dog(s) ), with RX100, the video record button is in a bad location that I frequently pressed it mistakenly. From ergonomic standpoint, I think it's a draw; they are equally bad ;-)

I just found J5 more pleasurable to use while RX100 frustrated me a lot. With J5, I can grab it and run out to shoot any day. With RX100, I found myself having to "re-familiarize" it if I have not used it for a month or two. And after Tord inspires me to get a loupe, I also started to use J5 with FT1+55-200 (or 70-300) as a scope while out doing birding. By then, almost every time if I need to grab a pocket camera to go, I found myself reach for J5.

Thank you for your interesting comparison. I am keeping my J5 for the moment so I will be able to do my own comparisons.
Regards
Gary

This is a very interesting discussion. Thank you both. Like you, Gary, I was always tempted by the RX100.
I never took the plunge because I found it very expensive (and I still do).
On the other hand, it's true that having a high quality 24-200 in such a small format seems really handy, even though the 6.7-13 goes down to 18mm equivalent, which is fantastic for my use.
I tried an RX100 in a store, but I didn't like the ergonomics. Maybe it's a matter of habit.
Keep us posted on your experiences.

André

Hi André. Your comments about ergonomics have always been the big ? (Apart from the price). The seller of the camera I agreed to buy has withdrawn his offer price, very annoying. However, it made me search for one locally and I found one in a City photography store not too far from me (about 30 miles) I am going tomorrow to view and handle it instore, will keep you updated.

Interesting thread and also this statement about RX100 vs. N1.
I was investigating CX to reduce bulk further down from EOS M APS-C system but among other topics I stumbled across lens issues (durability) and now your statement about changing lenses made me think again.
As I have already RX 100 VII, I will abandon my CX quest.
How does the image quality from 24-200mm compare between CX and RX? Any comments here?

PS: The RX need the extra little rubber grip for better ergonomics!

Hi André, I am sure you know this, the focal range is 24-70. I have no problem with this as I think it makes for a better lens throughout the focal range.

Like Kim Seng in the Facebook group Nikon 1 Enthusiasts, I think the loupe solution is excellent.

Kim made his own out of balsa and a pair of reading glasses.

For photos of his set-up see Kim Seng's own pictures in that group, posted today.

Sure, I know about the lens. I was thinking of the M7. I'm not sure the 24-70 is much better than the 24-200. But it is much faster, which allows lower iso, and better subject isolation.
The 24-200 has a 2.8 aperture only at 24 mm. So, it's slower than one could think when reading the specifications.
Let us know your choice.
André

An update.
I went to the store to try the M5 RX100, After five minutes handling I was still unsure, mainly because of the price. Adam, the very helpful owner suggested I have a look at a new condition M3 he had in stock, with a Sony grip fitted. At less than half the price of the M5 I bought it immediately. After 10 days I am absolutely delighted, even though it will be a steep learning curve.
Main points:
The grip is absolutely essential, it totally changes the handling.
The pop up viewfinder is just delightful, no other description!
The flip screen is on a par with the J5, maybe a simpler flip up motion.
The 24-70 lens is fast and sharp, well within my usual range of shooting.
The customisable lens ring is really helpful, I have it set for ‘step zoom’

Apologies to my N1 friends for posting this here, but it is a follow up to a discussion. Any further comments I will make in the Sony forum.

Regards
Gary

Hi Gary - thanks for posting your experience - it is very valuable information. As our N1 cameras are ageing, there'll come a time when a replacement will become necessary. It will then be a tough decision: get a used, already aged N1 replacement, or look elsewhere. The RX100 wouldn't have been my first idea, so it's good to know that it can be a feasible choice.
Happy shooting!
Holger

Use as fast cards you can afford, it helps a lot with the J5!

My wife loves her RX100 mk V and has progressed to it's big brother the RX10 IV for she has developed an interest in shooting birds mostly in the garden, The RX10 IV is a wonder and gives great results as does the RX1OO range. My only real issue with them is the tiny size and fiddly controls but I am a bit ham fisted my wife has no problems