Nikon 1 J2 vs Nikon 1 J3

Camera to replace

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Nikon 1 J2

10 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Nikon 1 J3

14 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon 1 J2 vs Nikon 1 J3 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing 1 J2 and 1 J3, two Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by Nikon. Both cameras have 1" sensors but Nikon 1 J2 has a 10.0 MP and Nikon 1 J3 has a 14.0 MP resolution.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon 1 J2 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-08-09

10MP - 1" CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400

Nikon 1 Mount

3″ Fixed Type Screen

10 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

238g. 106 x 61 x 30 mm

Replaced Nikon 1 J1 Compare

Nikon 1 J3 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2013-11-30

14MP - 1" CMOS Sensor

ISO 160 - 6400

Nikon 1 Mount

3″ Fixed Type Screen

15 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

1,200 fps High-Speed Video

201g. 101 x 61 x 29 mm

Replaced Nikon 1 J2 Compare

Nikon 1 J3 was replaced by Nikon 1 J4. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon 1 J3
Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon 1 J2

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J2 over Nikon 1 J3

Battery Life	230 shots vs 220 shots	10 more frames with a single charge
Color Depth	21.3 vs 20.4	higher color depth
Sensor Pixel Area	11.57µm² vs 8.20µm²	41% larger pixel area

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J3 over Nikon 1 J2

Max Sensor Resolution	14 MP vs 10 MP	39% more pixels
Continuous Shooting	15.0fps vs 10.0fps	5 fps faster
Weight	201 g vs 238 g	37 g lighter
Dynamic Range	11.0 vs 10.8	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	420 vs 363	better High ISO performance

Common Strengths of Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
LCD Screen Resolution	921k dots vs 921k dots	Higher resolution screens
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting

Common Weaknesses of Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3

Image Stabilization	Unknown vs Unknown	No Built-in stabilization
Articulating Screen	No vs No	No flexible viewing angles
External Flash Shoe	No vs No	Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder	None vs None	No eye-level shooting option
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing	No vs No	Not good for multi-exposure HDR

Nikon 1 J2 vs Nikon 1 J3: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3.

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3.

Nikon 1 J2 vs Nikon 1 J3 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J3 is significantly lighter (37g ) than the Nikon 1 J2 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3 have the same 1" sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

1 J2

1 J3

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

1 J2

1 J3

Min

Average

Max

Nikon 1 J2 vs Nikon 1 J3: Sensor Comparison

Nikon 1 J2 has a 10.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 3 processor. On the other hand, Nikon 1 J3 has a 14.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the 1 J2 and 1 J3 sensor size comparison.

Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3 have sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Nikon 1 J2 has 41% larger pixel area compared to Nikon 1 J3, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.

What types of Photography are Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon 1 J2 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Nikon 1 J3 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Nikon 1 J2 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon 1 J3 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Nikon 1 J2 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon 1 J3 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/16000s
135 Focus Points
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 230 shots
Read the details

Fast Continuous Shooting: 15.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/16000s
41 Cross Type Focus sensors
135 Focus Points
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Read the details

Nikon 1 J2 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon 1 J3 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

238g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details

201g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details

Nikon 1 J2 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon 1 J3 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon 1 J3 vs Nikon 1 J2 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3 have the same Nikon 1 lens mount and currently there are 13 native lenses available for these cameras.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 7 lenses with Image stabilization for Nikon 1 mount.

Lens Type	# of Nikon 1 J2 Lenses	# of Nikon 1 J3 Lenses
Standard Zoom	4	4
Standard Prime	2	2
Wideangle Zoom	1	1
Wideangle Prime	2	2
Telephoto Zoom	2	2
Telephoto Prime	n/a	n/a
SuperZoom	2	2
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	n/a	n/a
Macro Prime	n/a	n/a
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	n/a
TOTAL	13	13

Nikon 1 J2 vs Nikon 1 J3: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon 1 J2 and Nikon 1 J3 scores compare:

Nikon 1 J2

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #99 out of 117 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #401 out of 1175 in all Cameras

Nikon 1 J3

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #86 out of 117 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #368 out of 1175 in all Cameras

Nikon 1 J3 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon 1 J2 in all criterias.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Nikon 1 J2

Nikon 1 J3

Nikon 1 J3 vs Nikon 1 J2 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon 1 J2	Nikon 1 J3
Brand	Nikon	Nikon
Announced	2012-08-09	2013-11-30
Body Type	Rangefinder-style mirrorless	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	1"	1"
Dimensions	13.2 x 8.8 mm	13.2 x 8.8 mm
Area	116.16mm²	116.16mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	14 megapixels
Max Resolution	3872 x 2592	4608 x 3072
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	160 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	135	135
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon 1	Nikon 1
Number of Available Lenses	13	13
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3″	3″
Resolution	921k dots	921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	None
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed	1/16000s	1/16000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Unknown	Unknown
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	5.00 m	5.00 m
Max Flash Sync	1/60s	1/60s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	10.0 fps	15.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	Optional
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	238g	201g
Dimensions	106 x 61 x 30mm	101 x 61 x 29mm
Battery Life	230 shots	220 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	54	52
DxO Color Depth	21.3	20.4
DxO Dynamic Range	10.8	11.0
DxO Low Light ISO	363	420
	Report a correction	Report a correction

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