(news & commentary)
One of the big complaints by many Nikon 1 users is that the Nikon 1 system can’t use the standard Nikon DSLR flashes and related items (such as Pocket Wizards). Indeed, the whole “proprietary” nature of the Nikon 1 coupled with Nikon’s absurd pricing and availability issues are the most frustrating things about the Nikon 1. As cameras, they’re pretty darned good, though a bit more attention to UI detail and some more lenses would be nice.
A Swedish engineer introduced a hand-made accessory early on to adapt DSLR flash to the Nikon 1, but that disappeared for awhile. Now it’s back in version two: the V2-F1A (apparently Swedish engineers are as bad at naming things as Japanese engineers ;~). While expensive—US$91 plus shipping—the V2-F1A does give you the ability to run the big flashes and radio triggers off a Nikon 1 camera that has the standard Nikon 1 accessory port (currently V1, V2, and V3). Note that TTL is not supported, so the flash has to be run in Manual or Automatic mode. Also note there’s a weight limit of 4.2 ounces (120g), which rules out directly using some of the bigger Speedlights (the SB-300 works, the SB-500 is a bit too heavy). It’s suggested instead that you run the bigger flashes using a radio trigger or via the PC Sync Socket on the side of the V2-F1A.
