Exploring an Elora ruin

After working through the weekend on an intensive client project I decided to take a day to relax by touring in the Kitchener Ontario area and creating a few images. My travels took me to the town of Elora where I spent some time exploring a ruin.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, efov 27mm, f/8, 1/400, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, efov 27mm, f/8, 1/400, ISO-160

These types of sites always intrigue me as they simply ooze with character.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, efov 27mm, f/8, 1/200, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, efov 27mm, f/8, 1/200, ISO-160

I usually start my exploration with images of the entire structure then gradually narrow my focus to sections of the building.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, efov 27mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, efov 27mm, f/5.6, 1/800, ISO-160

I recently purchased a Nikon 1 J5 and was eager to try it out under extremely bright conditions as the camera does not have an EVF.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 52m, efov 140mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 52m, efov 140mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-160

While I don’t like having to compose images from the rear panel of a camera, I bought the J5 to take advantage of its 20.8MP BSI sensor. It has better dynamic range and colour depth than the Aptina sensors in my trio of Nikon 1 V2’s and this was very apparent to me when I was processing these images in post.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 11mm, efov 29mm, f/8, 1/320, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 11mm, efov 29mm, f/8, 1/320, ISO-160

There was simply a lot more details I could lift from the shadows and I didn’t notice any issues with blown out highlights even though I was shooting under extremely bright sunlight.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, efov 27mm, f/6.3, 1/500, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, efov 27mm, f/6.3, 1/500, ISO-160

I was also quite pleased with the colours that the Nikon 1 J5 combined with the 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 produced.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 20mm, efov 54mm, f/8, 1/800, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 20mm, efov 54mm, f/8, 1/800, ISO-160

For the most part having to compose from the rear screen wasn’t a problem at all since I could angle the rear screen to help reduce reflections on it.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 52mm, efov 140mm, f/6.3, 1/640, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 52mm, efov 140mm, f/6.3, 1/640, ISO-160

I did miss catching a few lens flares that I would have noticed with a V2 when using the EVF, but it really wasn’t a big deal. I ended up using the image anyway by cropping it a bit tighter than originally planned.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 20mm, efov 54mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 20mm, efov 54mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-160

The added resolution of the J5 compared to the V2 does come in handy as it provides a lot more latitude to crop images. For the most part I was able to frame images exactly as I wanted. There were a few times  when I couldn’t see quite as well as I would have liked and it did affect my image framing. Since I knew that in advance I allowed a bit of cropping latitude with my framing at the time of image capture.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 41mm, efov 109mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 41mm, efov 109mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO-160

The handling of the J5 is significantly better than the J4 as it has a PASM dial and both shutter and aperture can be adjusted with external controls. I have the function button on the front of the J5 programmed for ISO, making that adjustment quick and easy as well.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-160

The 1 Nikon 10-100 mm f/4-5.6 is a great choice to match up with the J5 when doing this type of casual photography. With an equivalent field-of-view of 27 mm to 270 mm it is a great all-in-one walk-around lens.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 52mm, efov 140mm, f/6.3 1/250, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 52mm, efov 140mm, f/6.3 1/250, ISO-160

I really like the comparatively short minimum focusing distance of the 1 Nikon 10-100 mm f/4-5.6 lens as it allows easy close up captures of details.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 75mm, efov 202mm, f/6.3, 1/640, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 75mm, efov 202mm, f/6.3, 1/640, ISO-160

I found it interesting that I found a Grinnell logo on one of the fire valves on the building. My first full-time job after leaving high-school was with this company. That was over four decades ago.

The logo-bearing plate was actually installed upside down. Rather than flip the image in around in post I decided to experiment with the Nikon 1 J5 by shooting with it upside down and using the tilt screen at a 90-degree angle. It worked like a charm and I was able to get the framing and image orientation I wanted.

Technical details
All images were captured hand-held using a Nikon 1 J5 and a 1 Nikon 10-100 mm f/4.-5.6 zoom lens. All images in this article were processed from RAW files using my standard post process of DxO OpticsPro 10, CS6 and Nik Suite. Some perspective control adjustments were made to some of the images in OpticsPro 10.

Overall I was very pleased with how the Nikon 1 J5 handled and performed during my Elora ruin exploration.

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Article and all images are Copyright 2016 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. If you see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use.

10 thoughts on “Exploring an Elora ruin”

  1. Thank you for all the work you have shared with us. I bought a J5 in Sept last year as a lightweight alternative to my D750 and I’m delighted with it. It has great image quality, it’s fun to shoot, and I carry it with me all the time.
    By the way, when shooting outdoors during the day I set the display to plus 3 in the set up menu and have no problems seeing it very clearly even in bright sun.
    I hardly shoot my D750 anymore. I’m sorry the 1 was discontinued but I plan on getting a Second one on eBay. I got all the 1 lens and am contemplating selling the 750. Your work has meant a lot to me because it proves what a little gem the 1 is.
    I’ve read almost everything you have written, studied your photographs, and am buying “the Little Camera that Could” this evening after work. I look forward to more.

    1. Hi Sharon,
      Thank you for your positive and supportive comment – much appreciated! Unfortunately the Nikon 1 system was not well understood by many people and its strengths were seldom recognized. As you have discovered it is quite a capable, little system. I haven’t seen anything official from Nikon that the Nikon 1 system has been discontinued, although the V3 apparently has been listed as such on Nikon’s corporate website. I’ll continue to shoot with Nikon 1 gear for as long as my equipment remains serviceable. Hopefully that will be for many years to come.
      Tom

  2. Very nice shoots.

    How do you like the way the 10-100 mm renders images compared to the 30-100 mm and 70-300 mm?

    The 70-300 mm have become my favorite lens on my Nikon V1 (due to the view finder) together with the 32 mm on my J5, but it is not always so good for a “tight” shooting environment due to the large magnification.

    1. Hi Anders,

      The 1 Nikon CX 70-300 is by far my favourite lens as I love the focal length and the image quality is excellent.

      As far as the 10-100mm f/4-5.6 and the 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 I like them both, but for different reasons. I think the 30-110mm is a bit sharper than the 10-100mm and the VR may be a tad better. Other than that I haven’t seen any material difference in image quality.

      In terms of use, the 10-100mm is my go to lens for an all-in-one general purpose lens. It has a very practical focal length range and it will likely be permanently mounted on one of my Nikon 1 J5’s. I also like the comparatively short minimum focusing distance as it extends the use of the lens even further.

      The 30-110 is my preferred lens for use with extension tubes, especially when I shoot hand-held with them (which is most of the time). Its small size, light weight, sharpness and fast focus make it a terrific lens for macro-type work. Since I do quite a bit of photography with extension tubes my 30-110 gets a lot of use. It has recently developed a bit of a chatter which likely means the VR motor is starting to go and I’ll need to take it in for warranty repair.

      Tom

      1. Thanks for the detailed answer Tom. I’m considering the 10-100 mm because it seems to be such a nice allround lens as you also say.

        1. Hi Anders,
          Glad to be of assistance! The 10-100mm f4/5.6 would also be a great travel lens. Many people match it up with the 6.7-13mm, or the 10mm and 18.5mm primes, finding that the combination gives them everything they need in a small kit for travel purposes.
          Tom

  3. Loved the textures and colors of these shots, especially the last three. Shoots like this stimulate the mind to travel to the past when this was a busy enterprise, and wonder what the story was.

    Also, I appreciated your testing the J5 and tips re bright shooting with it.

    1. Thanks Pam – glad you enjoyed the images! As I was walking around the building, or what is left of it, I also wondered about its story and those of the people connected to it. I’m really enjoying the J5…still getting used to it of course. There’s no doubt in my mind that it will become my main camera for landscape, flowers, etc. I just picked up a second J5 this week.
      Tom

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