Nikon AW100

[chip_chipowski]

<p>Can anyone share experience with the Nikon AW100? I didn't find many compelling reviews online, so I would like to know if there are any satisfied or unsatisfied users here on the forum. I will be using it mainly for wet or action situations, not for diving photos. Thanks in advance for any feedback.</p>

[ShunCheung]

I have the AW 110, which can go deeper. It is an ok camera. It only captures JPEG, no RAW. The lens is not up to SLR

standards, but that is expected. I like the GPS feature.

[pge]

<p>Ok so this response is one of those "I have never used that camera but..."</p>

<p>But I have a competitors waterproof camera and I have a Coolpix camera (P7700) and I would say without any hesitation that you will not be able to use any P&S camera for "action situations" with satisfactory results. They just do not shoot fast enough.</p>

<p>That said, waterproof/bombproof cameras are great. On two consecutive vacations my best photograph was taken with my terrible little waterproof camera, not because its a great camera but because it was there at the critical time. I don't really think you can judge this type of camera too harshly by comparing photos online, by looking at high iso performance, they aren't that type of camera.</p>

[constance_cook]

<p>I like mine and haven't found it to be slow but I don't use it in the water. My husband kept using mine so I got one for him. He carries it on his day-long walks, often in the rain.</p>

<p>We'd buy them again.<br>

Conni</p>

[chip_chipowski]

<p>Thanks folks.</p>

<p>Shun - I noticed that about JPEG only. I am not expecting SLR image quality, just want something for snapshots in wet or messy situations. </p>

<p>Phil - that is a good point about capturing action. When I mentioned "action situations" above, I just meant that I would be in the action and want a camera that can take a knock or two.</p>

<p>Shun and Constance - my biggest user experience questions concern responsiveness and battery life. I read the AW100/110 start up quickly for a point-and-shoot - is that your experience? How about battery life? Oh, and have you used/liked the Action Control function??</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>I don't use my AW110 very often. As far as I can tell, it starts up reasonably fast, but I have never pushed the battery all that hard. Typically, the GPS feature is a battery killer. If you want long battery life, switch off GPS or bring an extra battery (or two).</p>

<p>Keep in mind that there is now an even newer AW120.</p>

[constance_cook]

<p>It seems to start instantly and battery life is better than usual. It is far better than my Canon AW.<br>

Conni</p>

[john_harper9]

<p>I bought one for my wife who likes the pocketable and waterproof body for kayaking and carrying around all the time. I carry the camera when we are kayaking together. The camera GPS is OK - enough to retrace a route through featureless sloughs and marshes here on the Eastern Shore. With GPS on, expect 6 hrs max on the battery. We haven't done much with GPS tracks we download from the camera, but possibilities for using that data for presentation of a trip story are appealing. Images take a lot of post and saturation/vibrance always needs a boost for my taste. But on or in the water, the camera you have with you is always good, and the AW100 fulfills its promise as a compact camera. I have spent far too much time trying to figure our the "best" scene mode and explain the mode to to my wife, but I guess that is the compact camera world. My biggest complaint is the time the camera is unavailable for the next photo after taking a shot and lack of display on the LCD while the previous shot is saved. Had a grizzly bear pop up on the shore as I was drifting on the Snake in GTNP, and the camera's speed for rapid shooting was disappointing. Not having a live image on the display in this situation was most annoying while I had the camera in front of my face and the bear was making noises. In addition, the camera was zoomed to max telephoto and the images are soft. Sharpness on wide angle images is OK. In my quest for better IQ and faster response than the AW 100, I have started carrying my old D40x in a dry bag but that is a clumsy solution, so the AW1 may be a camera in my future.</p>

<p> </p>

[john_harper9]

<p>Here's an AW100 shot at the wide end. No complaints about sharpness.</p><div></div>

[john_harper9]

<p>Here's the bear (AW100 zoomed to max). The acuteness isn't there, although camera shake may be part of the problem. The bear could have easily covered the distance between himself and my boat in the time the AW100 was taking to save an image.</p><div></div>

[leicaglow]

Get a GoPro Hero 3 and be done with it.

[chip_chipowski]

<p>Thanks Shun, Constance and John. John, the rear part of that bear looks better to me than the head - I wonder if your subject was moving its head? Interesting comments re speed. I'll have to judge that one for myself now, I just ordered a refurb AW100 for a reasonable $140. </p>

<p>Michael - I'm not much of a video user, so I didn't look at the GoPro.</p>