Nikon V1 Flash

Nikon V1 Flash

A significant difference between the Nikon V1 and its more compact sibling is to be found in their provision for flash. Perhaps surprisingly, given that it's the larger of the pair, the V1 lacks a built-in flash strobe, something offered by the J1. (With that said, Nikon is targeting the V1 at enthusiasts, who tend to look down on underpowered, popup flash strobes, so the omission is maybe not so surprising as it might first seem.)

Instead, the Nikon V1 provides for an optional, proprietary SB-N5 external flash strobe which mates into its Multi-Accessory Port, just to the left of the electronic viewfinder (as seen from the rear). A small cover must first be removed before the accessory port can be accessed, and obviously only one accessory can be used at any given time, so use of flash precludes simultaneous use of any other accessory.

The SB-N5 Speedlight flash strobe has a guide number of 8.5 meters (27.9 feet) at ISO 100, making it around 70% more powerful than the built-in flash on its sibling. It supports both i-TTL flash exposure metering and manual exposure control, has a bounce head and a locking shoe, doesn't require a separate power supply, and includes an illuminator that can provide six-second bursts of light during Smart Photo Selector or Motion Snapshot-mode capture. Pricing for this accessory is set at around US$150, with availability currently unknown.

X-sync is at 1/60 second when using the electronic shutter, and 1/250 second with a mechanical shutter. (The J1, by contrast, is limited to 1/60 second X-sync at all times, since it lacks a physical shutter mechanism.)

Since the SB-N5 flash unit is an optional accessory, we don't have any test results with it.