Tripod mount for CX 70-300mm, TR-N100

I think the new CX 70-300mm lens is very good. See my review here, and further example images with the V3 here.

However, one problem, especially when using the lens on the Nikon 1 V3. I guess most serious users of the V3 will want to have the grip mounted. That leaves you with a thin, flimsy tripod mount which is not capable of supporting a long lens like the Nikon 1 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6.

You could remove the grip, but that leaves the problem that there is very little room to mount a tripod, as the lens is large and takes up space which is normally needed by the tripod head.

However, the obvious solution is to get the optional tripod mount for the lens itself, TR-N100. I think this mount should have been included with the lens, but it needs to be bought as a separate item. The availability was poor, so I bought it from Japan via Ebay. Here is the box, with a Nikon 1 10mm f/2.8 for size reference:

AF comparison, V3 vs GH4

The Lumix GH4 and Nikon 1 V3 are similar cameras. They are both the high end mirrorless cameras from Panasonic and Nikon, respectively.

Also, both cameras have some specific technology aimed to improve what has been the achilles' heel of mirrorless cameras so far: The autofocus performance during video recording, and for moving subjects.

Nikon CX 70-300mm tested on V3

In my review of the Nikon 1 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 lens, I was testing it with the Nikon 1 J1 camera, with a 10MP sensor. Since this time, I have acquired the Nikon 1 V3, which is a more suitable camera for a long lens, with the extra hand grip, and the EVF.

With the V3 camera, I have re-run the sharpness tests. For the rest of the lens review, see my previous article.

I'm not sure if the image quality is better with the 18MP sensor in the Nikon 1 V3 camera. But the resolution is higher, which should make it better for an evaluation of the sharpness.

For a point of reference, I have compared the images from the 70-300mm lens with the Lumix G 100-300mm f/4-5.6 on the Lumix GH4.

Both cameras with lenses are pictured below:

As you can see, the Nikon system is much smaller, and should be easier to bring along for trekking.

Nikkor 1 VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 Review

For years, I have used and written about Micro Four Thirds. However, when I first saw the Nikon 1 VR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6, I knew it had the potential for being the perfect compact, lightweight birders lens. Prior to this lens, I honestly didn't see the point of the Nikon 1 system, beyond the mildly interesting fast frame rates.

Since I already have Panasonic's answer to this lens, the Lumix G 100-300mm f/4-5.6 (my review), I found it natural to compare the two.

I have also written about real life use of the lens for photographing birds in flight (BIF).

Physical

Here are both the lenses, collapsed, with hoods and cameras connected:

Nikon 1 70-300mm with Nikon 1 J1 (left), and Lumix G 100-300mm with Lumix GM1