Nikon 1 J2 vs Sony ZV-E1

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon 1 J2 and the Sony ZV-E1, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon 1 J2 was introduced in August 2012 and Sony ZV-E1 was introduced in March 2023. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon 1 J2 over Sony ZV-E1.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony ZV-E1 over Nikon 1 J2.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon 1 J2 and Sony ZV-E1 have 3.0" screens with 921k dot and 1,037k dot resolutions respectively. Nikon 1 J2 has a Fixed screen Sony ZV-E1 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Sony ZV-E1 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Sony ZV-E1) allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Nikon 1 J2 features a 10.1 megapixel 1-inch CMOS sensor with dimensions of 13.2 x 8.8 mm and a total area of 116.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400. Sony ZV-E1 features a 12.1 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.6 x 23.8 mm and a total area of 566.4 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 102,400 and expands to 40 - 409,600 in boosted mode.

Sony ZV-E1 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Nikon 1 J2 is equipped with EXPEED 3 processor and can take pictures up to 3872 x 2592 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3840 x 2160, 2896 x 1944, 1936 x 1296 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Sony ZV-E1 is equipped with BIONZ XR processor and can take pictures up to 4240 x 2832 resolution.

Lens Mount

Nikon 1 J2 has Nikon 1 lens mount and Sony ZV-E1 has Sony E lens mount. Due to 1-inch sensor in Nikon 1 J2 its crop factor is equal to 2.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.7. Due to Full Frame sensor in Sony ZV-E1 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Sony ZV-E1

Sony ZV-E1 has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS) with 5 stops of compensation. This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sony ZV-E1

Sony ZV-E1 has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth on Sony ZV-E1

Sony ZV-E1 has a built-in Bluetooth which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC on Sony ZV-E1

Sony ZV-E1 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Nikon 1 J2 has a Type C HDMI and Sony ZV-E1 has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon 1 J2 comes with EN-EL20 battery pack with battery life of 230 shots and Sony ZV-E1 comes with NP-FZ100 battery pack with battery life of 570 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon 1 J2 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Sony ZV-E1 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slot.

Shutter

Nikon 1 J2 has Electronic shutter. Sony ZV-E1 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/16000 sec with electronic shutter and up to 1/4000 sec with mechanical shutter on Nikon 1 J2, and up to 1/8000 sec on Sony ZV-E1. Cameras can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon 1 J2 has Hybrid autofocus (phase detection/contrast-detect AF)
AF-assist illuminator system with 135 focusing points and Sony ZV-E1 has Fast Hybrid AF (Phase-detection / Contrast-detection) system with 759 focusing points. Sony ZV-E1 has detection range from +6 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Sony ZV-E1 ranges from +3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±3 range on Nikon 1 J2 and ±5 EV range on Sony ZV-E1. You can also do exposure lock and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon 1 J2 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony ZV-E1.

Flash

Nikon 1 J2 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 5.00 m. Sony ZV-E1 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Intelligent Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/60 sec on Nikon 1 J2.

Nikon 1 J2 body has dimensions of 106 x 61 x 30 mm (4.17 x 2.4 x 1.18") and Sony ZV-E1 body has dimensions of 121 x 72 x 54 mm (4.76 x 2.83 x 2.13"). Nikon 1 J2 weighs 238 g (0.52 lb / 8.40 oz) and Sony ZV-E1 weighs 483 g (1.06 lb / 17.04 oz).

Nikon 1 J2

Sony ZV-E1

106 mm

61 mm

121 mm

72 mm

61 mm

72 mm