On this page you’re again comparing cameras with different aspect ratios: the Panasonic GX1 employs the Micro Four Thirds standard with a squarish aspect ratio of 4:3, while the Nikon V1 and Sony NEX-5N deliver slightly wider 3:2 shaped images. Where aspect ratios differ, I always match the vertical field of view in comparisons, which may penalise models with wider ratios, but is standard practice in camera and lens testing.

As such on this page, I’m only effectively comparing 4:3 crops from the middle of the Nikon V1 and Sony 5N images and am ignoring thin strips on either side. This means the V1 and 5N are effectively operating like 8 and 14.2 Megapixel cameras in this test, compared to 16 for the GX1. Note minor focusing inconsistencies with the E-P3 prevented me from also including it on this page.

Starting at the top, the three cameras set to their base sensitivities deliver detailed and noise-free images as you’d hope. As you saw on the previous page, the Sony NEX-5N delivers slightly punchier-looking images than the Panasonic GX1, and that’s apparent here with greater colour saturation and slightly crisper edges. But in terms of real-life detail, the 5N and GX1 are very close here. Meanwhile the Nikon V1 with its smaller and lower resolution sensor may show a larger area in the crop, but one which still contains a decent degree of detail. In some respects it’s impressively close to the higher resolution models, but you don’t have to look too far to find areas which lack the detail, such as in the flowerpot.

With the sensitivity increased to 200 ISO, there’s no compromise on detail from any of the three cameras, although pixel-peepers may notice the finest evidence of noise textures creeping into the V1 and GX1 images while the 5N remains completely clean.

At 400 ISO the NEX-5N is still noise-free and packed with detail and there’s only a very minor increase in noise on the GX1. We’re really talking pixel-peeping here. Technically the 5N is cleaner, but up to 400 ISO these two are essentially neck in neck. The Nikon V1’s image is also similar to the one previously with only very subtle deterioration in noise levels. Again it’s not as detailed or vibrant as the other two models here, but it’s still not bad.

With the sensitivity at 800 ISO, the NEX-5N continues to deliver a very clean image and one which looks remarkably similar to the first one in the sequence here. The Panasonic GX1 is also looking good, although the quality has dropped a tad from 400 ISO with softer details and slightly higher noise. It’s nothing to be concerned about and still a great result at 800 ISO, but this is definitely the point where it and the 5N begin to diverge. Nikon has also started to increase the noise reduction on the V1 at 800 ISO, but thankfully there’s not much compromise in detail compared to 400 ISO

At 1600 ISO, the Nikon V1 and Panasonic GX1 are gradually deteriorating with greater noise and processing artefacts along with reduced saturation. AGain it’s only a subtle drop from the previous sensitivity, but it’s visible none-the-less, especially next to the Sony NEX-5N, which is still hardly showing any impact of the higher sensitivity.

At 3200 ISO both the Nikon v1 and Panasonic GX1 are beginning to suffer quite visibly, with lots more noise and softened details. In isolation, the GX1 image actually looks pretty good for 3200 ISO, but it’s no contest for the Sony 5N now. Likewise at 6400 ISOwhere the Nikon V1 image bows out with some undesirable artefacts and the GX1 is becoming overrun with noise. AT last the NEX-5N is also beginning to visibly suffer now, but remains in the lead.

The Nikon V1 has no 12,800 ISO option, and perhaps the GX1 shouldn’t either. The NEX 5N ain’t looking pretty either, but again is the best of the two. The GX1 bows out at this point, leaving the 5N to bravely offer a 25600 ISO option, which while not looking great, is still as good as the GX1 at 6400 ISO.

Unusually neither the Nikon V1 or Panasonic GX1 offer any kind of composite noise reduction modes. Sony however has its Handheld Twilight mode which stacks a burst of images to reduce noise. The ISO is set automatically in Handheld Twilight mode and here selected 800 ISO. Since the single exposure 800 ISO image from the 5N was already pretty clean though, there’s no real benefit from Handheld Twilight in this example. But at higher ISOs it can effectively reduce noise without smearing out fine detail. It’s a useful string in the 5N’s bow, although I’d ultimately prefer the NEX-5N to share the multi-frame NR options of the SLT models, which act like Handheld Twilight, but let you choose the sensitivity yourself.

Ultimately this page confirms what most of us already knew: that a sensor with a larger surface area still enjoys an advantage in sensitivity and therefore noise levels. Modern sensor technologies can certainly improve matters, but there’s still no arguing with sheer real-estate. As such it’s no surprise to find the Sony NEX 5N with its large APS-C sensor performing best of all here, but even that doesn’t diminish how impressively clean it looks up to 1600 ISO.

Meanwhile the Panasonic GX1, like the G3 before it, delivers some of the best results I’ve seen from the slightly smaller Micro Four Thirds format. It keeps up with the NEX-5N up to 400 ISO, looks very similar at 800 ISO and only begins to really diverge at 1600 ISO.

As for the Nikon V1, its smaller CX format sensor was never going to compete with the bigger boys at higher sensitivities, but at 100-400 ISO it delivers good results and the 800 ISO sample is very usable. It’s only at 1600 ISO and above, or when compared directly against models with bigger sensors that it struggles.

So in terms of image quality at high sensitivities, the Sony NEX 5N wins this particular battle, and if this is paramount to you then it’s a tough ILC to beat. But the other models have other tricks up their sleeves which might make them better for you overall, such as the control of the GX1 or the speed of the V1, not to mention the smaller lenses available for both of them. As always, it’s important to weigh up all the factors, but again if you want an ILC with the best quality at high ISOs, the NEX 5N is the one for you.

Check out more photos in my Nikon V1 sample images gallery. Alternatively skip to the chase and head over to my verdict!

Nikon V1		Panasonic Lumix GX1		Sony NEX 5N
100 ISO		160 ISO		100 ISO
200 ISO		200 ISO		200 ISO
400 ISO		400 ISO		400 ISO
800 ISO		800 ISO		800 ISO
1600 ISO		1600 ISO		1600 ISO
3200 ISO		3200 ISO		3200 ISO
6400 ISO		6400 ISO		6400 ISO
12800 ISO not available		12800 ISO		12800 ISO
25600 ISO not available		25600 ISO not available		25600 ISO
No composite NR mode available		No composite NR mode available		Handheld Twilight mode at 800 ISO

The V1 and G3 were fitted with their respective kit lenses: the 10-30mm and 14-42mm. The lenses on all three cameras were adjusted to deliver the same vertical field of view. Since the Nikon 1 V1 records slightly wider 3:2 shaped images, we’re effectively only using a 4:3 crop from the middle and ignoring thin strips on either side. As such when matching the vertical field of view with a camera sporting a 4:3 aspect ratio, we’re only using approximately 9 of the 10 total Megapixels on the Nikon frame. As such the Nikon 1 V1 has the lowest resolution of the three cameras tested here, which means its crops below show a slightly larger area when cropped to the same size and viewed at 1:1. Next comes the PowerShot S100 with 12 Megapixels and the Panasonic G3 with 16 Megapixels. I’ve arranged them below by sensor size though, with the Nikon V1 in the middle, flanked by the S100 and the G3.

At first glance, the most obvious difference between the three cameras are their processing styles. The Canon S100 looks a little soft, while the Panasonic G3 has opted for a warmer white balance than the other two. Looking beyond these processing styles to actual noise and detail, the Nikon V1 crop exhibits minor noise textures at 100 ISO, but is crisper and arguably more pleasing than the S100. Meanwhile, the Panasonic G3 enjoys the cleanest, most detailed image of the three.

At 200 ISO, all three cameras exhibit similar characteristics to the previous crops, although pixel-peepers may notice the S100 beginning to deteriorate very slightly. At 400 ISO though, noise textures have become more apparent on the V1 crop, and while they’re minimised on the S100 image, there’s some evidence of noise reduction at work. Meanwhile the Panasonic G3 again looks fairly unperturbed.

At 800 ISO, the Nikon V1 looks almost the same as it did at 400 ISO, but while the Canon S100 is still showing lower visible noise, it’s now visibly doing so at the cost of higher noise reduction with an already soft image becoming softer still. As for the Panasonic G3, it’s now also beginning to show some faint noise speckles, but remains impressively clean none-the-less.

With the sensitivity doubled again to 1600 ISO, the noise levels gradually increase on both the V1 and G3, but both are still delivering good-looking images, again with the G3 enjoying a lead. Meanwhile the S100 is struggling with an image becoming marred by high noise reduction and a gradual loss of both fine detail and overall saturation.

At 3200 ISO, edges in the Nikon V1 crop are becoming indistinct with noise levels ever-increasing. The G3 image is also becoming pretty noisy at this point, but still holds onto reasonable detail. Meanwhile the S100 bravely continues, but its image is really falling apart now.

All three cameras max-out at 6400 ISO and none are looking pretty. Unsurprisingly the G3 fairs the best of the three, followed by the Nikon V1 and as you’d expect the S100 is having the worst time of it.

Overall this page confirms what you’d expect from traditional sensor technology: that the bigger the sensor, the better its light-gathering capabilities, which in turn means lower noise, so long as the real-estate isn’t squandered on too high a resolution of course. Most of us would expect the G3 to out-perform the V1, which in turn should outperform the S100 and that’s exactly what you see here.

Drilling-down, it’s revealing to find visible noise on the V1 images from 200 ISO, although to be fair, Nikon has never been one to shy away from noise, preferring to reveal a few fine speckles in favour of smearing them and fine detail away with noise reduction. I prefer this approach, and while the V1 may not deliver clean noise-free images across most of its ISO range, the images are at least crisp and detailed.

So while the Nikon 1 CX-format sensor may be relatively small compared to rival mirrorless ILCs, it really does deliver superior results in low light to point-and-shoot models – even top-of-the-range ones like the Canon S100. But there’s equally no denying that cleaner results at high sensitivities can be achieved with a camera sporting a bigger sensor, such as a Micro Four Thirds or Sony NEX model.

Which leads me to my next comparison. The Nikon V1 is pitched against other ILCs, so to see how it compares at high sensitivities, check out my Nikon V1 vs Sony NEX-5N vs Panasonic GX1 noise results page. Alternatively if you’d like to download some photos to check out for yourself, head over to my Nikon V1 sample images page, or if you’ve seen enough proceed directly to my Nikon V1 verdict!

Canon PowerShot S100		Nikon 1 V1		Panasonic Lumix G3
f4, 80 ISO		80 ISO not available		80 ISO not available
f4, 100 ISO		f5.6, 100 ISO		f5.6, 160 ISO
f4, 200 ISO		f5.6, 200 ISO		f5.6, 200 ISO
f4, 400 ISO		f5.6, 400 ISO		f5.6, 400 ISO
f4, 800 ISO		f5.6, 800 ISO		f5.6, 800 ISO
f4, 1600 ISO		f5.6, 1600 ISO		f5.6, 1600 ISO
f4, 3200 ISO		f5.6, 3200 ISO		f5.6, 3200 ISO
f4, 6400 ISO		f5.6, 6400 ISO		f5.6, 6400 ISO
Handheld Night Scene at 3200 ISO		Composite or low light modes n/a		Composite or low light modes n/a