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Nikon 1 J4 vs Leica X1 Comparison

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Nikon 1 J4

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

Nikon 1 J4
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Leica X1

12 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

Leica X1
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Nikon 1 J4 vs Leica X1 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon 1 J4, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP 1" sensor whereas Leica X1, which was introduced in December 2009 is a Large Sensor Compact camera with a 12.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, X1 is 5 years older than 1 J4. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-10
  • 18MP - 1" CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • 60 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 1,200 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 232g. 100 x 60 x 29 mm
  • Replaced Nikon 1 J3 Compare

Leica X1 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-12-18
  • 12MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • 35 mm f2.80 Prime Lens
  • 2.7" Fixed Type Screen
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 306g. 124 x 60 x 32 mm

Leica X1 was replaced by Leica X2. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Leica X2 vs Leica X1
Leica X2 vs Nikon 1 J4

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J4 over Leica X1
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Max Sensor Resolution
18 MP vs 12 MP 50% more pixels
Max ISO
12.800 vs 3.200 300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
171 vs 11 160 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" 0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
1.037k dots vs 230k dots 350% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/4000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
60.0fps vs 3.0fps 57 fps faster
Weight
232 g vs 306 g 74 g lighter
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs None Higher Resolution Video


Reasons to choose Leica X1 over Nikon 1 J4
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Sensor Pixel Area
30.56µm2 vs 6.36µm2 380% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Common Weaknesses of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No No flexible viewing angles
Viewfinder
None vs None No eye-level shooting option
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.7" Small display
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Nikon 1 J4 vs Leica X1: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon 1 J4 has external dimensions of 100 x 60 x 29 mm (3.92 x 2.36 x 1.12″) and weighs 232 g (0.51 lb / 8.18 oz) (including batteries). Leica X1 has external dimensions of 124 x 60 x 32 mm (4.88 x 2.36 x 1.26″) and weighs 306 g (0.67 lb / 10.79 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1. Nikon 1 J4 is 24mm narrower and 3mm thinner than Nikon 1 J4 but they have the same height of 60mm. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Leica X1 has a built-in lens but Nikon 1 J4 doesn't. Once you put a lens on 1 J4, its thickness will increase significantly.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Leica X1 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1.
Nikon 1 J4 vs Leica X1 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J4 is significantly lighter (74g ) than the Leica X1 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on 1 J4, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon 1 J4 nor Leica X1 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon 1 J4's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Leica X1's 2.7" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Nikon 1 J4 vs Leica X1: Sensor Comparison

Nikon 1 J4 has a 18.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Leica X1 has a 12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Nikon 1 J4's sensor provides 6MP more than Leica X1's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the 1 J4 and X1 sensor size comparison.

Nikon 1 J4 vs Leica X1 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1 Cameras


As seen above, Leica X1 has a 3.2x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J4. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon 1 J4 and Leica X1 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 J4 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Leica X1 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
External Flash Shoe
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Leica X1 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
35 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Leica X1 for Sports Photography

POOR
Fast Continuous Shooting: 60.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
105 Cross Type Focus sensors
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
External Flash Shoe
11 Focus Points
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
35 mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Leica X1 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
232g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Compact Body
306g
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Leica X1 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
35 mm - Poor Wide Angle Coverage
Read the details

Nikon 1 J4 vs Leica X1: 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 J4 and Leica X1, 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 J4 and Leica X1 scores compare:

Nikon 1 J4
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #70 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #327 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Leica X1
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #49 out of 61 in Large sensor compact cameras
Ranked #614 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Nikon 1 J4 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Leica X1 in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Nikon 1 J4
Nikon 1 J4
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Leica X1
Leica X1
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Leica X1 vs Nikon 1 J4 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon 1 J4 Leica X1
Brand Nikon Leica
Announced 2014-04-10 2009-12-18
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large sensor compact
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size 1" APS-C
Dimensions 13.2 x 8.8 mm 23.6 x 15.8 mm
Area 116.16mm2 372.88mm2
Megapixels 18 megapixels 12 megapixels
Max Resolution 5232 x 3488 4272 x 2856
Max Native Light sensitivity 12,800 ISO 3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 100 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 171 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon 1 fixed lens
Lens Focal Range no lens 35 mm (1×)
Max Aperture no lens F2.8
Macro Focus Range no lens 30cm
Screen
Type Fixed type Fixed type
Size 3" 2.7"
Resolution 1,037k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/2000s
Max Electronic Shutter 1/16000s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.00 m (ISO 100) n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 60.0 fps 3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 None
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 232g 306g
Dimensions 100 x 60 x 29mm 124 x 60 x 32mm
Battery Life 300 shots n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
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