I’m a bit of a creature of habit so when I’m presented with something new, I often resist it for as long as possible. And so, after wanting a new, more petite camera for the longest time, when I finally got one at the end of last year, I popped it on my shelf and barely touched it for months. This last weekend, whilst gallivanting with various bloggers at Norbury Manor I said to myself; ‘Sarah. This is ridiculous. Use your new camera!’ And I did. And then felt really stupid for not using it sooner.
I’ve been coveting the Nikon 1 for absolutely ages – I love my Nikon D40 to bits and have no plans to get rid of it, but it’s rather large and when I’m out all day, it just seems to get heavier and heavier. I’ve had little point-and-shoots in the past, but the photo quality is never great, and I have a nasty habit of killing them. Never take your camera clubbing, kids.
So when the Nikon 1 popped up on Groupon in December, I couldn’t resist whipping out my credit card. The Hut were selling it for £250 – not cheap, but considering everywhere else was around the £500 mark, I was excited. Plus, I had a Groupon voucher burning a hole in my inbox – no brainer, really! I love that Groupon vouchers can be used for anything – not just for money off an item like this but also for a day out or a meal, even a holiday! I am a mega Groupon addict.
It’s SUCH a good camera. When I did, finally, get to grips with it this weekend, I felt rather silly for not doing so sooner. I’ve been mostly using the smart photo feature, which takes 5 pictures when you hit the button and shows you the best one. It’s excellent in low light, and the depth of field is just as good as a DSLR – for just about half the price! It has interchangeable lenses, but the default lens is pretty great for now (although I said that for ages about my D40, then when I got a 35mm I never looked back!). There are lots of settings and features I haven’t even played with yet though – I really need to!
Although it’s small, it’s pleasantly robust so I don’t feel like it’ll fall apart when I use it. Even better, as it’s another Nikon, it works with my remote too – I actually used it to shoot these outfit pictures last year! I’m so used to shooting without an LCD viewfinder that it makes quite a change, but it does make life easier – especially for photos like this snowdrops one (they were on top of a 6 foot wall!).
The only downside is that this, the V1, does not have an inbuilt flash (unlike the other versions of the Nikon 1), which rather scuppers its planned use for nights out. I do have this camera which I could take out, or I could invest in an external flash. It’s not really been an issue so far though as I’ve been using it in the day, and it’s actually pretty excellent in low light.
Disclaimer: Groupon provided me with a £40 voucher to spend on the item of my choice, the remainder of the camera cost came out of my own pocket. And it really is a pretty awesome camera.
Outfit Credits 1) Hat - H&M, Hoody - GAP, T-Shirt c/o Skip 'n' Whistle | 2) Dress - Dorothy Perkins via Ebay (details here), Cardigan - Red Herring, StylistClick Boots c/o Spartoo Shoes
Ooooo such pretty picture Sarah!
ReplyDeleteSophie
X
These photos are gorgeous. I so need a new camera - I haven't had one for months and months now, since October! - and maybe I should look into this one. :)
ReplyDelete▲ WOLF WHISTLE ▲
You girls were staying less than a mile from me, isn't Norbury Manor gorgeous?! The photos are fabulous - so it looks as though the camera is definitely working for you :-) But I'm the same way - I have a lovely DSLR and yet sometimes it overwhelms me a bit and I fall back to my iPhone
ReplyDeleteJem xXx
That's camera looks great. I recently got a Nikon cool pix for my birthday and love it so much . Great pictures . http://beautybottle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/evening-make-up-look-origins-make-up.htm
ReplyDeleteI've been using a similar kind of camera to this lately (A Sony NEX-5) which also doesn't have a flash - I've been finding this a lot more useful for indoors/evening blog events when you don't want to be flashing away every 5 seconds.
ReplyDelete(hehehe flash)
These are such beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteMaria xxx
Gorgeous photos, very impressive camera though I'd have to get one with a flash. Xx
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful photos x
ReplyDeleteShop Kittenish Behaviour & Kittenish Behaviour Blog