T4i is outside the price range. Actually, all the cameras I'm looking at are outside the price range. But the T4i is too far out to stretch to.
The durability of the value of the investment is something that has occurred to me as well. Either of the DSLR cameras would hold up well on my scale (lenses, certainly). The V1 less so, probably.
But I've got to say, the V1 has me excited in a way that neither of the other two do. My big concern is focusing, frame rate and usability overall. Any of these cameras will be a dramatic step up from what I've got now. But here's some snippets from the
V1 review at cameralabs:
This approach inevitably leads to a camera with two different autofocusing personalities. Under bright conditions the Nikon 1 cameras are very impressive, with their AF frames turning green almost the instant you half-press the shutter release. Indeed at times there's virtually no visible focusing -Â the subject just eerily becomes sharp almost immediately. Even when it has to move from one end of the scale to the other, it's a very swift and confident process. This is particularly impressive when you're also talking about using the bog-standard kit lenses, and not exotic luxury models.
...
With the Nikon 1 cameras you'll never interrupt the video while capturing stills, but you will need to be in the right mode to maximise their resolution. With the camera set to 1080p or 720p, the still photos will measure 1920x1080 or 1280x720 pixels, essentially doing nothing more special than frame-grabbing from the video. But set the video to 1080i and you can uniquely capture up to 20 stills at 9 Megapixels (or 15 with the J1); these are effectively the maximum 10 Megapixel resolution, but cropped to a 16:9 shape. There's more details in the movie mode section below, but just briefly, the ability to capture high resolution stills and HD video simultaneously without interrupting the latter is a unique capability of the Nikon 1 system and one of the major highlights.
...
Continuous shooting is another highlight of the Nikon 1 system with both the V1 and J1 boasting 10fps with autofocus, or a massive 30 or 60fps with the focus locked at the first frame. These speeds employ an electronic shutter which sets the ISO automatically and offers shutter speeds up to 1/16000. The V1 and J1 additionally offer slower 5fps options where you can set the ISO; at 5fps, the V1 also gives you the choice of using a mechanical or electronic shutter, whereas the J1 is limited to an electronic shutter only.
So, if I'm launching Der Red Max on an E15W, I'd hit the 60 fps! Routine BP launches, probably 10 fps with autofocus tracking as the bird lifts away, then hit the video record on the descent while snapping up to 20 stills of the thing under the chute, with the 1080i video as sort of a backup story.
I'll sleep on this and await further input from more knowledgeable folks, but it looks like this camera is optimized for bright light motion photography/videography, which is my exact application. It's freaky that the V1 doesn't have a built-in flash (!! but the cheaper J1 does), but my application for this camera is outside. We have regular P&S cameras for flash use inside.
I'm still digesting the cameralabs review and another one (less complimentary due to the uniqueness of the feature set), but there are good deals on a 2-lens set (10-30 plus 30-110 telephoto) kit. For a novice like me, who's not really interested in learning the ins and outs of photography beyond what I need to get decent shots, this might (just might!) be the thing.
Let me sleep on it... I'm sure my mind will change overnight.
Marc
