Nikon 1 V3 Compact System Camera Premium Kit - Black (18.4 MP, Wi-Fi) 3.0-Inch Vari Angle Touch Screen

Firstly the image quality is top class and I'm happy to use it at iso1600. At night I go to iso 6400 but noise is starting to be an issue. Auto focus performance is about the same as my canon 7d mk1. 20 fps burst is great for getting just the right wing angles for birds in flight shots. Focusing by tapping the rear screen is also great. As you would expect the electronic viewfinder is not a patch on an SLR optical viewfinder but it is acceptable. It is definitely a must have to improve pointing accuracy when using a long lens like the stunning 70-300mm. The grip also improves handling. On a recent safari I got stunning images with this rig and the size and weight advantages over a 35mm SLR set up are incredible - I could take it out on walks in the bush with ease.Now the disadvantages. Handling is not as good as an SLR and if you have large hands you will struggle. There are no custom settings on the mode dial which I really miss. I love to be able to just turn the mode dial to switch between regular, action and night set ups. Also, although there is a rear focus lock button it can't be used like on an SLR to focus with your thumb so isolating focus and exposure locking. The grip improves handling immeasurably but it has to be removed to change the battery, doesn't contain extra batteries and has an annoying habit of coming lose. The biggest flaw with this camera is speed. To save battery the camera automatically turns off after a minute or so of inactivity, unfortunately it takes 2-3s to come back on again resulting in me missing several shots - animals don't wait. Whilst in single shot mode shutter lag isn't noticeable, it is in burst mode. You press the shutter button and wait what seems like an eternity for it to start taking pictures, and that's with it pre-focussed as well. In reality the lag is probably about 0.5s but it cost me many lost shots of birds taking off from branches.Overall I'm happy with the camera and it's advantages easily outweigh it's disadvantages but an updated model is definitely needed to sort the start up and shutter lag issues.

Much improved from the V1 which I lost some time ago