Nikon Coolpix AW100 Features

The AW100 has an internal 5x optical zoom lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of 28 - 140mm, as well as a 16 megapixel sensor. It is also waterproof to 10m, shockproof to 1.5m and freezeproof to -10°C. The camera also comes with a built-in GPS to record the location which your images were taken and electronic compass to check your location on the built in World map display.

To help take sharp, blur free photos the camera has Hybrid VR, which combines lens-shift and electronic vibration reduction. ISO can be set up to ISO 3200 and Best Shot Selector (BSS) selects the sharpest of up to 10 sequential shots. If you like to shoot in low-light settings there are a number of modes which help even without a tripod including Backlight scene mode with Auto HDR, Night Portrait and Night Landscape.

Other features found on the AW100 include High speed continuous shooting up to 7.1 fps, Easy Panorama 360°/180°, Action Control and Underwater mode. There are also a number of digital filters available: soft, nostalgic sepia, high-contrast monochrome, high-key, low-key and selective colour. When viewing your images there are a range of editing options available. These include quick retouch, d-lighting, glamour retouch and filter effects which include colour options (vivid, black and white, sepia and cyanotype), soft, selective colour, cross screen, fisheye, miniature effect and fog removal.

Videos can be recorded in full 1080p HD with optical zoom, autofocus and stereo sound available. You can also capture a picture while video recording is in process and the camera can be connected to a HD TV for video playback.

Nikon Coolpix AW100 Digital Camera Review: Nikon Coolpix AW100 Top
Nikon Coolpix AW100 Top

Key Features

Nikon Coolpix AW100 Digital Camera Review: Nikon Coolpix AW100 Rear
Nikon Coolpix AW100 Rear

Nikon Coolpix AW100 Handling

The camera has a similar look and feel to those rugged cameras released by Olympus and Panasonic, such as the Tough TG-610 and Lumix DMC-FT3. The AW100 is lighter than both of them but retains a very solid design. On the rear of the camera is a 3 inch LCD screen with 460,000 dots which has Nikon’s Clear Color Display technology that minimizes reflections whether underwater or in bright sunlight.

Access to the battery and memory card is via the chunky round dial on the side of the camera. You have to press the central button and turn the dial 90°. The buttons are typical for a compact camera, with buttons for video recording and selection of scene mode, but on the opposite side to the battery area is a button which switches to the World map and Action Control. If you activate Action Control in the camera menus you simply need to press it and a menu comes up on the screen. You simply flick the camera up and down to go through the menu and press the Action Control button again to make your choice. Options available are mode selection, start movie recording, and playback. This makes it easier to operate the camera even when underwater or wearing gloves. The buttons are easy to press although you do have to give the shutter release of really firm press which may add to camera shake when shooting.

The camera menus are clear and easy to navigate and the camera is ready to take photos within a couple of seconds of switching on. Focus speed is good, continuous shooting H allowed 3 frames at 5fps and continuous shooting L managed 1.3 fps during testing. The battery has a CIPA rating of 250 shots which is good although constant use of the GPS will reduce it.

Nikon Coolpix AW100 Digital Camera Review: Nikon Coolpix AW100 Battery
Nikon Coolpix AW100 Battery

Nikon Coolpix AW100 Performance

Detail is good in images, although soft around the edges and better when shooting wide than using the full optical zoom. There is some purple fringing on occasions, but colour reproduction is excellent, as are macro shots with a close focusing distance of just 1cm.