I've been looking at waterproof and tough camera for over a year now... and I eventually chose this one!About me: I'm a techie, over 20 years in photography (started early), played with very many DSLR and compact cameras. I buy best-of-breed and I'm not very brand loyal (SLR I've used/owned include: Leica, Nikon, Pentax, Canon; Compact camera I've used/own: Canon, Panasonic, Olympus, and now Nikon).
I did a lot of research (including Canon, Pentax, Olympus) and eventually narrowed down to: Panasonic TS3 (aka FT3 in Europe), Nikon AW100, Sony TX10
** Sony TX10 I love its image sensor, its rugged yet sleek ultra compactness. Unfortunately the lack of GPS killed it. For an all-weather sports camera, you expect to travel everywhere and often in areas you find difficult to mark on Google Maps.
** Panasonic TS3 vs Nikon AW100 There are many forum that compare the specs of these two cameras so I won't bore you. Both have great specs for a rugged compact; and both have similar setbacks (e.g. no RAW or manual controls, but don't forget they are not suppose to be high-end compact cameras)
Panasonic TS3/FT3 is one of my final 2 because:
1. Panasonic makes exceptional compact cameras (well-designed, and they're heavily invested in compact cameras, including their m4/3).
Nikon's compacts are hit or miss, and more miss actually, when compared to Panasonic or Canon seems lagging behind.
2. Panasonic's TS3 is the third generation of rugged compacts... so Panasonic must have refined it and nailed everything.
Nikon has no rugged compacts and AW100 is the first risky!
3. Panasonic seems to produce very good underwater images (e.g. fishes, corals) seem more natural straight off camera.
Nikon seem to require you to set to underwater mode to ensure it corrects the color hues and color balance.
4. Panasonic has a tough, metal (and seemingly more durable) feel, but that also (unfortunately) makes it heavier!.
Nikon has an aluminum-like faceplate that gives color, but overall seem to be a tough lump of plastic.
Nikon AW100 ultimately won me over because:
I'm a risk-taker, and take the path less traveled (or camera less proven). It's got great specs like the Panny, PLUS some advantages:
1. Lightweight For traveling, hiking, water sports, having a light camera is good. The plastic looks tough and durable.
2. Greater ISO range with ISO 3200 I can take photos in darker situations than with a Panny
3. Screen is larger and higher res 460k instead of Panny's 230k means I an see more and clearer (especially sports can be lots of misses)
4. Image is higher res can be good or bad (I hate large files), but for sports, allows me more flexibility to crop and still retain enough resolution
5. Action button this sounds gimmicky, but it actually works! It serves as a large button for GPS tracking, and changing modes without having to fiddle with buttons
6. Video format I'll save the technie talks, but safe to say, it's Apple-friendly (I use both iMac and PC), high def (1080p) at lower file size.
7. Stereo sound useful in videos where you're filming cyclist/athletes zooming past and creates more realistic feel
Additional bonus that I found very useful in practice as a sports/travel camera:
8. Clock It's clock can synchronize with your location (so don't need to worry about adjusting the clock while traveling internationally
9. GPS it actually works! It can log your route at intervals for period of 6 72 hrs, embed POI info, and select different levels of details
10. VIdeo HS high-frame rate slow motion video are possible with this little camera. Initially, it sounded silly but as a sports and all-weather camera, I can certainly see great uses for this feature.
11. Movie light This gives additional light to dark subject at close distance when its very dark
12. Smile trigger Kids love this... We use this instead of self-timer so that when we take a family photo, the camera detects a smile and clicks it for us.
Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying NIKON AW100 is BETTER THAN Panasonic TS3. It's just better for my use (light to carry around in bag or even board shorts, versatile and travels to different country in sea, rain, mud etc). Honestly, I'm just pleasantly surprised Nikon can get so much right this time!
*Added tip: I bought this case and find its a good snug fit Lowepro Dublin 20 Slim Profile Pouches for Cameras and Compact Video Cameras (Black/Bordeaux Red)... I posted some pics here to let you see the fit.
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See the pics yourself. I've uploaded few pics intentionally provided them straight out of camera no photoshop.
* PANORAMA Quick and easy... no cropping/aligning. Just swing your camera slowly (~5sec) from one left to right or vice versa. Auto-stitched.
* SNORKELING Tried "underwater" and auto modes. Both work well. I did some injustice to the camera as I wasn't stable swept by current and the fishes were all over me
* CLOSE-UP See the white flower and aphid closeup. All handheld, Auto mode, Auto flash. You can go as close as about 1cm or closer.
* DYNAMIC RANGE See the pelican photo. Backlight but still some details on the flying birds. Camera is fast/easy. I just picked up the camera and shoot.
Pls click "Was this Helpful Yes/No" so I know whether it helps in your decision making, and if it does, it can help more people. (I'll post updates soon and refine this review I get more use out of it). Good luck!
Overall Build
This is a small camera in your hands which is a good and bad thing. It's great because it means it's easy to slip in your pants or shirt pocket and always keep with you. It weighs little enough that you hardly notice it's there. I see where some people could see this as an issue because the buttons on it are very small in order to have the back LCD as large as possible. It does not feel cheap even though it's made out of plastic and although I don't plan on doing a drop test, I am confident it would survive a drop from chest high.
Picture Quality
With an 8GB SD card I don't see a reason to shoot at any other setting than the highest resolution, so all my playing around with it was done at this setting. The JPEGs that come out look great. The images are sharp, have good color and the auto whitebalance has done an amazing job. The main thing I was worried about was having to do difficult WB corrections after the fact if it wasn't right on with the WB, but so far it has been spot on in full sun shots, shady shots, indoor with incandescent and indoor with fluorescent lights. I honestly think the 16MP is a little overkill, but will keep shooting at full resolution as I don't know when I'll need those extra pixels. Lastly, low light shooting has definitely exceeded my expectations. I thought with a sensor as small as this one there would be lots of noise in the final result but even at the higher ISO levels the pictures are very clear and useable.
Video
I don't really plan on using this for video too much but have tested it out nonetheless. It is very smooth while shooting at 1080p and looks great when run to my TV to view it. The microphones pick up the noises very well and even have a setting that reduces wind noise (I tested by blowing on the microphone while recording). To shoot video you don't have to change modes or anything you just press the red circle button on the back and you're off.
Button Placement/Menu
Everything seems to get in the right place as far as buttons go. Most can be reached with either your right thumb or right index finger while you're holding it up to shoot without adjusting, although if you are a lefty you will need to get used to holding it in your right hand. I also shoot a Nikon d5100 and had no trouble figuring out what everything did without looking at the instruction manual, so if you've used a Nikon in the past few years this should be a breeze. The menu is fairly uncomplicated and not overloaded with useless features. It is quick to get to the setting I want without too many annoying clicks. This is important to me as I had missing shots while I fumble with the buttons.
Vibration Reduction
I tested this out by holding the camera at arms length with one hand while shooting some test shots. Even from the LCD I could tell the image was doing a lot less shaking than my hand was, and was very impressed by the pictures when they came out. This will definitely come in handy on the boat.
Auto-Focus
Having not used a point and shoot in a few year, I was very pleased with how far the autofocus has come. It quickly locks on to an object, highlights the object and will keep it in focus even if you start swinging the camera around. Going from objects ~1 foot away to 30 feet away has been focused quickly and accurately. No complaints here.
Water-Proofness
The main reason I got this camera is so I could take it out with me when I go fishing. This means the first chance I got, I took this camera in a pool to start testing it out. It worked as expected, shooting at the 10 foot deep end of the pool with no problem. The color correction for shooting underwater was also quite effective. After taking some test shots, I put the camera in my pocket for the rest of the time in the pool just to keep it submerged for as long as possible. After a quick towel off out of the pool, it looked good as new. The battery/SD card door has a foolproof way of shutting and remaining watertight so unless I puncture something I'm not worried about water getting in there.
GPS
I have loved the performance of the GPS even when indoors. This is something that will be very useful when I either go fishing or go out in the woods and want to take a picture of something that is in a location I want to come back to. The GPS data is written to the metadata so I can punch it in googlemaps after I get home to see where things were. It also has an electronic compass which is handy for a few reasons and has worked great so far.
Flash
It works and it lights things up. I've sort of grown to love to hate flashes for snapshot while using my dSLR so I try not to use it often. It is significantly better than some of the old point and shoots I've used, so in a pinch I will rely on it.
Battery Life
Don't let the tiny battery fool you it lasts a long time. After the initial charge, I've spent close to an hour just going through all the menus playing with things, testing out the GPS, taking dozens of pictures and videos and reviewing them on the camera after the fact and am still above 50%. I couldn't imagine a situation where I would feel the need to purchase or bring a second battery along unless I was going to be out of civilization for a week or so.
I would highly recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for an outdoor/waterproof camera, or someone who needs a slightly more durable camera due to butterfingers.
I've been nothing but impressed with it so far and will update this review after a few months and a few fishing trips.I tend to replace my point-n-shoot about every 3 years. I normally shoot a Nikon D90 but last year upgraded to a D7000.
[UPDATE Feb 2012] The original camera was replaced by Nikon since it failed on the 2nd use in water. This one worked through our Caribbean holiday for 4 full days before it started overheating and would not shut off. It stayed on until the battery drained. Leaving it "sit overnight" and then removing and recharging the battery got it working again, however I could feel the heat the longer it was in use.
The disappointing thing is this camera takes such great photos and now that we got it to work underwater, we know it takes fairly good underwater photos and video. But there's something wrong with either its design or the manufactured batch that we received. Had it too long to return to Amazon for a refund, so I'm probably going to send it a 2nd time back to Nikon. Note their repair service is great, but you have to be proactive and follow up or your repair/replacement will just sit there until you call them and ask for a status update. Once I did that after two weeks of hearing nothing and no status changes they said they'd check and the replacement was shipped out the next day.
[/end-update]
I took it to the Bahamas in order to test out the underwater capabilities. I also took along the D90 for "good" photos. After some fumbling with the crappy menu system, (its just me) I found that the AW100 photos were at least as good as the D90. The default color settings were wonderful. The video was better than expected above water, and much better than the Kodak PlaySport below water. The still photos (above water) were so good in fact, that I left the D90 in the hotel room safe for the rest of the trip.
It has a 16Megapixel sensor that is back-wired. This moves the connections to the rear of the sensor which supposedly gives less noise and lower-light sensitivity. My testing at night showed this to be true for me.
The bad things about it: The buttons are VERY touchy, the "use it in the snow with big gloves on" feature is a bit goofy, but then I haven't used it in the snow.
The battery life is no where near as good a any CANON point and shoot I've owned, but with the GPS off it was acceptable.
Speaking of the GPS, what a cool features. Not only do you geo-tag your photos, after you take a picture, it shows you the POI (point of interest) aka, the name of your location right on the screen. Not sure how that translates into the photo's meta data yet, but hopeful it will.
All-in-all I really don't care for the menu structure which is rather limited and requires that you be in a specific MODE in order to change a setting. This is just silly IMHO.
But the photo and video quality is about the best I've seen to date. So if you're looking for a simply camera, keep looking, but if you're reasonably comfortable fumbling with context menus, this may be the best imaging camera on the market today.
[UPDATE]
People are asking why "3 stars"? Because the controls are VERY touchy. While the camera image quality is beyond what I would ever have expected, the controls are difficult to use because they are so sensitive. Making use annoying.
WATER PROOFING FAILED: On my second trip to the Bahamas with the camera this month, it failed as soon as I hit the water. It was working fine for the two months that I've owned it, and was even working on the Beach. But then when I went into the water, it worked for a few minutes and then DEAD... Since it is more than 30 days old, I am sending to Nikon Service for repairs. If it comes back fine, I won't post again, but it something happens, I'll update this review again. With the U.S. holiday coming up and the timing of it being returned, I really don't expect to see it for at least 3 weeks.Picked this camera up at the Maui Costco for a family snorkeling vacation on the way to the beach from the airport. This camera replaced my aging Sony T7 and it's water proof case. I liked that it had built in GPS and that I wouldn't need to use my Eye-Fi card to add geo-tags to my photos.
Much to my dismay the quick reference guide makes no mention of how to turn on the GPS (off by default). It only refers to the reference manual on CD (who carries a laptop with CD drive when travelling anymore?). I finally found it here on page 85:
Here are the steps for anyone googling how to turn on GPS on their Nikon CoolPix AW100:
turn on your AW100 camera (push the small rectangle button at top of camera)
push the GPS/Action large rectangle button on the left side of the camera (screen should show a world map)
push the MENU rocker button on the lower right corner of the camera (bottom right from the screen)
you should see the choice for GPS options. Use the OK button to turn it on (off by default).
you can then turn on "Record GPS data" to add the GPS data coordinates to your JPEG images.
while you are here you should also have your camera sync time/date stamp with the GPS satelitte (you have do to this everytime you change time zones).
Important note: The GPS data is added to your JPEG image file as EXIF data (date photo taken, camera model, camera settings, etc) so if you post these photos online the GPS data can be revealed something to be careful of when posting photos publicly from places you may not want people to know about (like your home's location).
Now when you press the GPS button on the side of the camera you will see markers wherever the photos have been taken. This setting only works for new photos you take, it can't be added retroactively to previously taken photos. GPS data is only stored on photos where the camera was actually able to see 3 or more satellites. All of my underwater photos did NOT have GPS info added to them, so be sure to take a few surface shots to get your location recorded for future reference (ie favorite dive spot).
I've posted a few snorkeling photos so you can see the image quality underwater as well as read the GPS info from where the above water boat photo was taken in Maui.
Couple of notes on product improvements: Although the strap says it is to be removed for use in water it holds up fine. Make sure you soak camera for 10 minutes in fresh water after use in the ocean to remove the corrosive ability of salt water. Would be nice if Nikon included a float with the camera or at least a bright colored water proof strap so you can find it after it sinks to the ocean bottom. be sure to move camera slowly in water and never spray water on the camera both cause increased water pressure which can exceed the 10m pressure it was designed to resist.
Software like Apple iPhoto and Google Picasa can display your JPEG GPS info along with the image. If this review helped you setup your GPS please vote for it to help others find it.First, a few things to know before you buy, since Nikon doesn't tell you these things until you get your owner's manual:
Regardless of the size of memory card, single videos are limited to 4 GB of space (The manual says about 35 mins at the highest quality setting; the camera itself usually says 28 minutes. I haven't come close yet to maxing that out, so I don't know which is more accurate).
The user manual indicates that the waterproof packing in the camera may deteriorate after a year, so it is recommended that you have it serviced yearly to replace the waterproofing (at your expense).
The camera strap is supposed to be removed for underwater use. So be prepared to hold on tight, or buy your own waterproof strap!
Speaking of waterproof, the camera seems to live up to its billing as such. I tested mine in perhaps the dumbest way ever: I set it down on the wet sand in the surf zone at a local beach, held on tight and let an incoming wave surge over the camera. The video turned out very cool, but I had a huge, tedious cleanup job on my hand. The sand churned up by the wave worked into every crevice on the camera. Nothing got inside (the battery and SD card were clean and dry), but every button was jammed with fine grains of sand that had to be laboriously worked out. Worst was the wheel to open the battery door. It still scrapes a bit weeks later. Bottom line, I would seriously not recommend performing this test yourself. Just take my word for it, it doesn't leak. Using it underwater is fine, but you'll want to minimize the exposure to sand.
Battery life: Good but not great. At Disneyland, I started the day with a fully-charged battery and by that night it was depleted to the point where the camera shut down. I did have the GPS and compass turned on most of the time the camera was on, and did lots of chimping and deleting of photos. I left the power-off setting at the default of 5 minutes. All in all I shot 65 photos and eight videos, the longest of which was 2 minutes and 48 seconds. You will want to buy a second battery for multi-day trips or if you plan to shoot all day with GPS enabled. Battery life with GPS off seems pretty good.
Still image quality: Decent to good, but not great. It is a point-and-shoot, after all. The camera performed better than I expected in low light, but I wasn't expecting a lot. I should note that it's been about five years since I last used a point-and-shoot, and my reference point for image quality is a Nikon D700 SLR. I would say the image quality is about the same or a little better than the Canon Powershot A540 that was my last point-and-shoot. The camera does tend to overexpose, so I've taken to shooting at -0.3 or -0.7 exposure compensation.
Video quality: Good. I shot on the top quality setting, and the video looks smooth and sharp on my 47" HDTV. Like most small video cameras, every sound you make, including pressing the zoom and other buttons, will be recorded.
Performance: Vibration reduction and autofocus work very well and there's virtually no perceptible shutter lag. I am very impressed by the Subject Tracking AF area mode. It follows the subject better than the 3D tracking on my D700.
Recording formats: JPG only for photos (no RAW); MOV for video (Quicktime).
Features: If you want a lot of control over your settings, this is not the camera for you. You can turn off the flash and autofocus assist, and you can adjust exposure compensation. But you can't manually dial in your own shutter speed or aperture, and there is no bracketing, although the camera does have an HDR scene setting (an option on the Backlit setting). I tried the HDR setting and it does make a notable difference in dynamic range. You will need a tripod or somewhere stable to set the camera for best HDR results; handheld, you'll get blurring. In Auto mode (which ironically gives the most control over settings) you can select white balance, continuous shooting modes, ISO sensitivity, autofocus area and autofocus mode.
Additional observations: One omission that would be really nice to have is a histogram. Since you're forced to shoot jpg, it would be nice to be able to assess the exposure with a histogram. Mine does tend to blow out a lot of highlights and I've taken to knocking down the exposure compensation to -.3 or -.7
Bottom line: A decent point-and-shoot. Buy an extra battery if you shoot a lot.
If you have any questions I didn't answer, feel free to leave a comment and I'll respond.
UPDATE: Interestingly, another AW100 user pointed out to me that the best image quality appears to come not at the full 16MP size, but 12MP. I've started shooting at 12MP and found it to be at least as good as the 16mp setting. I've also experimented with a lens hood and filters with good results. The hood and filters can be attached using the filter holder included with the camera. The holder takes 40.5mm filters. If you stack filters or use the hood and filters together, you will get some vignetting. Zooming in a bit (to approximately the 35mm film equivalent of a 36mm field of view) eliminates that. The hood I bought is the EzFoto 40.5mm Wide Angle Metal Lens Hood Shade for Leica, Contax Zeiss, Voigtlander and other Lenses. I also picked up a Hoya filter kit with UV, ND and circular polarizer filter, and Nikon's LC-N40.5 lens cap, which works with the filters (but not with the hood, which needs a 58mm lens cap). The polarizer is very handy and helps curb the camera's tendency to blow highlights. Filters and particularly the hood do make the camera a little bulkier. I leave the filter holder and polarizer on the camera with a lens cap, and carry the hood in my pocket for the times when it's necessary. I've uploaded photos of the camera with the filter holder and hood. I highly recommend at least getting a polarizer if you do a lot of outdoor shooting.
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