Nowadays, Nikon’s penchant for retro flair is well known, thanks to the Nikon Zfc and Nikon Zf. But back in 2015, the Nikon 1 J5 was a huge departure from the legendary manufacturer’s bulbous DSLRs and even the sleek, modern look of its own family of ultra-compact mirrorless cameras that made up the Nikon 1 system. The Nikon 1 J5, then, stands out as a vintage throwback among the rest of the system’s colorful array of avant-garde bodies such as the Nikon 1 S1. Squint a little and you’d be forgiven for thinking the Nikon 1 J5 is an OM System / Olympus or Fujifilm camera. And in fact, it shares a lot of similarities with, say, Olympus’ PEN range, but with an even smaller sensor.
And it was that small 1-inch sensor that drew the most criticism during the 1 system’s short reign. Nikon designated these 13.2 x 8.8mm sensors as CX, to fit neatly alongside its DX (APS-C) and FX (full-frame) cameras. With the release of the Nikon 1 J5, it’s obvious Nikon was attempting to shift the narrative because the J5 was the first and only Nikon 1 camera to boast a backside-illuminated sensor. This 20.8MP CMOS sensor was powered by the, then, new EXPEED 5A image-processing engine. And the J5’s image quality really is admirable and arguably the best in the 1 system line-up, so long as you manage your expectations. This is a tiny sensor after all.
