Nikon's dive into 4K starts with the 1 J5 mirrorless camera
Nikon's bread-and-butter business may be its entry-level and high-end DSLRs, but the point-and-shoot and mirrorless models are equally as important to the company. This is particularly true now more than ever, as these cheaper cameras begin to lose ground to smartphones with great photography features -- like the iPhone 6 or Galaxy S6. Still, Nikon isn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. Today, it is introducing the J5, a compact, yet powerful camera that's part of its 1 series of mirrorless hardware. The J5 comes with a brand-new 20.8-megapixel, VFI CMOS sensor (DC format), an XP5A image processor, ISO range of 1600 to 12,800 and support for NFC and WiFi.
Additionally, the J5 is sporting a 3-inch, high-res LCD that Nikon says is perfect for selfies, since it can tilt up to 180 degrees vertically. In terms of video, it can record 1080p at 30/60 fps and, similar to its V3 cousin, there's also an option for 120 fps, though that's limited to 720p. Interestingly enough, Nikon made the J5 capable of capturing 4K movies, but it can only do so at 15 fps -- sure, it's not the greatest, but the company claims this is more about dipping its toes in the water. The continuous-shooting mode, meanwhile, isn't bad: up to 20 fps with focus enabled, or 30 and 60 fps if it's locked. If all of that is enough to tickle you're fancy, the J5 will be available "soon" starting at $500.
