How does the Nikon 1 series achieve very high burst rates and fast autofocus compared with Nikon DSLRs?
Asked 10/28/2011
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I came across the Nikon 1 V1 and noticed it seems very different from Nikon’s DSLR lineup. What design or technical features let it shoot at very high frame rates (up to 60 fps) and claim extremely fast autofocus? How does it differ from a DSLR in the first place?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
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- The Nikon 1 series (including V1 onwards) are not DSLRs. They do not have a reflex mirror.
- The 1 series has a smaller sensor with 2.7X crop compared to full-frame.
- The previous two points make it much smaller than a DSLR, particularly when including lenses.
- It does not have an optical viewfinder, instead it uses an EVF with 1.4 megapixels. This gives it a larger and brighter view than most cropped-sensor DSLRs (D3100, D5100, etc) but smaller than a full-frame (D3X, D3S). Like professional models, it gives 100% coverage.
- The V1 uses both an electronic shutter and a mechanical one. Since it has no mirror to move either, it can shoot continuously without any moving parts. As you noted it can do so at up to 60 FPS but also does 30 FPS and 10 FPS with continuous AF.
- The electronic shutter allows a maximum shutter-speed of 1/16000s, twice as fast as the best DSLRs on the market. It is also completely silent.
- It uses a different lens mount called Nikon 1 mount with 4 lenses available at launch and 13 available by the end of 2014. To use Nikkor F-mount lenses an FT1 adapter was introduced in 2011.
- It can use fast phase-detect autofocus while recording video. No DSLR can do that which is one reason AF for video is quite disturbing (contrast-detect forces the lens to move back and forth to determine focus).
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
15y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The Nikon 1 models are not DSLRs. They are mirrorless cameras, so there is no reflex mirror or optical viewfinder. Instead, the V1 uses an electronic viewfinder and a smaller sensor than Nikon DSLRs.
Those design differences help explain the speed:
- No mirror movement: a DSLR’s mirror must flip up and down for each shot, which limits burst speed. The Nikon 1 can shoot without that mechanical delay.
- Electronic shutter operation: the sensor can be read electronically, allowing very fast bursts.
- Burst mode limits: the highest burst rates are achieved with focus locked on the first frame; it is not continuously refocusing at 60 fps. Lower burst rates can support continuous AF.
- Fast hybrid autofocus: it combines phase-detection AF (fast) with contrast-detection AF (precise). This helps it acquire focus quickly.
- Smaller sensor and lenses: the system uses a smaller sensor, which gives greater depth of field for a given framing/aperture and allows lighter lens elements, both of which can make focusing feel quicker.
So the Nikon 1’s speed mainly comes from being a mirrorless design with electronic shuttering, a fast buffer, and hybrid autofocus—not from DSLR-style mechanics.
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