Nikon 1 10-30mm Power Zoom lens review: the refreshed 1-Series kit zoom offers good quality, small size and electric zoom
posted Monday, October 6, 2014 at 3:54 PM EDT
The Nikon 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-Zoom Nikkor VR, the new kit lens for Nikon's 1-series cameras, was introduced in March of 2014 alongside the new flagship V3. We've just published our full review of the Nikon V3 itself, so it seemed like a great opportunity to test the updated lens as well.
The new 10-30 mm lens features an electronic zoom, as denoted by the "PD-Zoom" in the model name, and is smaller than the original 10-30mm lens. Designed to fit the Nikon CX mount, and offering the equivalent of a 27-81mm field of view, thanks to the 1-series sensor's crop factor of 2.7x. Unlike the original lens, it now does not have a lens cap, but rather a built-in lens cover like many point and shoot cameras. This design change also eliminates filter threads.
Image quality is very good and CA is well-controlled, however, there are some noticeable issues with vignetting and moreso with distortion. Autofocus speed is very fast, though, with the all-electric design and lack of manual focus ring, and so manually focusing is therefore a bit clunky. To get all the details, head on over to SLRgear to read the full Nikon 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-Zoom review, complete with our in-depth report, final conclusion as well as our full range of test results and sample images.
The Nikon 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 PD-Zoom lens is currently available now for $296.95, and can be purchased at one of our trusted affiliates: Amazon, Adorama and B&H. Purchasing this lens, or any other item, at one of these retailers helps support this site and keeps the reviews coming!
In the meantime, check out some sample photos shot by our senior lens technician Rob Murray using the Nikon V3. You can view more sample photos, plus download the full-resolution files, over at our Flickr page.
