Nikon COOLPIX AW100: Full Review

The Nikon COOLPIX AW100 is a rugged and durable compact digital camera designed for outdoor use. Released in 2011, it features waterproof construction up to 10 meters, shockproof durability from drops up to 1.5 meters, freezeproof down to -10°C, and dustproof sealing.

Key features and specs of the AW100 include:

• 16MP CMOS sensor
• NIKKOR 5x optical zoom lens with 28mm wide angle
• Full 1080p HD video recording
• Built-in GPS with mapping and electronic compass
• 3 inch LCD screen with anti-reflective coating
• Waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, and dustproof construction
• ISO range up to 3200
• In-camera editing effects
• Secure Digital and SDHC memory card support

With its rugged build and design focused on outdoor activities, the Nikon COOLPIX AW100 aims to deliver decent image quality and performance for the active photographer or casual user.

Design & Build Quality

The Nikon COOLPIX AW100 is a compact point-and-shoot camera with a rugged, waterproof exterior. It has a durable body made of metal and hard plastic that allows it to withstand falls from up to 5 feet, as well as water submersion down to 33 feet.

The camera has a simple, rectangular shape that fits nicely in your hand or pocket. The front contains the lens, AF assist lamp, microphone, and flash. On the top is the power button, shutter release, zoom lever, and movie record button. The back houses a 3-inch LCD screen and a multi-selector wheel for menu navigation. Ports on the side include HDMI out and USB/AV.

The buttons are well-sized and easy to press, even when wearing gloves. The battery/memory card compartment has a double lock mechanism to prevent accidental opening when underwater. Overall, the AW100 feels very solid and durable, capable of withstanding bumps, drops, and water exposure during active outdoor use.

Image Quality

The Nikon COOLPIX AW100 features a 16 MP CMOS sensor, which captures detailed images with vibrant colors and good contrast. The sensor performs well in a variety of lighting conditions. Images shot outdoors in daylight have accurate colors and sharp details. The camera also handles low light and indoor conditions quite well, producing images with low noise levels.

The AW100 includes Nikon's EXPEED C2 image processor, which contributes to the overall image quality. The processor helps produce images with faithful colors, reduces image noise, and improves camera performance speed.

Overall, the image quality from the 16MP sensor is quite good for a compact point-and-shoot camera. While image quality may not match higher-end interchangeable lens cameras, the COOLPIX AW100 delivers pleasing results for casual everyday shooting and travel photography. The image quality is more than adequate for sharing vacation photos online or making mid-sized prints.

For those looking for more zoom capabilities in a compact camera, the Nikon Coolpix L340 is a great alternative. It features a 20.2 MP CCD sensor, paired with a 28x optical zoom lens. The L340 allows for capturing distant subjects with clarity and ease. This camera is particularly suited for those who need versatility in both landscape and close-up photography. With its user-friendly interface and robust feature set, the L340 is ideal for both beginners and more experienced photographers.

Zoom & Focus

The Nikon COOLPIX AW100 has a 5x optical zoom NIKKOR lens with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 28-140mm. This provides a nice versatile zoom range that lets you capture wide landscapes as well as getting reasonably close to distant subjects. The lens has a maximum aperture of f/3.9 at the wide end and f/4.8 at full telephoto.

Autofocus performance is good in most lighting conditions. The camera uses contrast-detect autofocus and features Nikon's Target Finding AF, which determines the main subject and focuses on it quickly and accurately. Focusing is fast and accurate in bright daylight. In low light the AF slows down a bit but still produces sharp results. The COOLPIX AW100 also has macro focusing capabilities, allowing you to focus as close as 3cm from your subject.

Overall the zoom range and autofocus capabilities make this a very capable point-and-shoot camera in terms of focusing and zooming. It handles most everyday shooting situations well. The fast and accurate autofocus allows you to capture sharp shots of moving subjects too.

If you're looking for something more advanced, consider the Nikon D500. The D500 is a professional-grade DSLR that offers incredible speed, accuracy, and 4K video recording capability. It features a 20.9-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor, EXPEED 5 image processor, and a 153-point AF system for impressive low-light and action photography. With robust build quality and extensive customization options, the D500 is ideal for serious photographers.

Video Recording

The Nikon Coolpix AW100 shoots full 1080p HD video at 30fps with stereo sound. You can choose lower resolutions like 720p and VGA if desired. Overall, video quality is quite good for a compact camera. Footage shows nice color and detail, and the image stabilization helps keep videos steady.

The zoom is usable while recording, but the motor noise will be picked up by the microphone so it's best to choose your composition beforehand. Autofocus and exposure adjust smoothly while filming. The major downside is that the maximum clip length is limited to about 10 minutes even at the lowest quality setting. But for short clips, the Nikon AW100 produces nice looking HD videos. Slow motion and timelapse options add creative possibilities.

Features

The Nikon COOLPIX AW100 has a robust feature set that makes it well-suited for outdoor adventures and underwater photography. Some of the key features include:

GPS, Altimeter, Compass, & Barometer

The AW100 has built-in GPS that automatically geotags your photos and videos with the location data. It also has an altimeter to track elevation, an electronic compass to show what direction you are facing, and a barometer to provide short-term weather forecasts. These tools allow you to track precisely where your photos were taken.

Underwater Modes

For underwater photography, the camera has multiple scene modes optimized for different conditions. The Underwater mode boosts color reproduction for natural-looking photos and videos underwater. Underwater Face Framing helps track and capture human faces underwater. The Underwater Self-Portrait scene mode makes it easy to frame yourself in the shot. And the Underwater Snapshot mode applies settings for quick underwater photos with reduced blur.

Connectivity

The Nikon COOLPIX AW100 camera offers a good range of connectivity options. For transferring photos and videos, it has a mini HDMI port to output high definition video and images to an HDTV. There's also a standard USB 2.0 port for connecting the camera to a computer.

For sharing photos wirelessly, the AW100 has built-in WiFi which allows you to transfer images to smartphones, tablets and other WiFi enabled devices. The free Wireless Mobile Utility app is used to enable this wireless transfer functionality.

The camera also has built-in GPS with mapping and location logging abilities. It can geotag images with the longitude and latitude co-ordinates of where the photo was taken. The location data can be displayed directly on the camera or by using Nikon's ViewNX 2 software on a computer.

Battery Life

The Nikon COOLPIX AW100 is powered by a 1030 mAh Lithium-Ion battery. Nikon claims the battery can provide up to 250 shots per charge.

In real-world testing, the battery life is quite good for a compact camera. With moderate use, including shooting stills and videos, you can expect the battery to last a full day of casual shooting. For more intensive use, especially shooting a lot of HD video, the battery may drain faster, but should still provide at least a few hours of usage.

Factors like having GPS enabled, using the LCD display frequently, shooting in cold weather, and using zoom will impact battery life. To maximize battery life, use power saving features like turning off GPS when not needed, minimizing LCD use, and turning the camera off between shots. Overall the AW100 has respectable battery performance for this class of camera. Just be sure to have a spare battery on hand for all-day excursions.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Rugged and durable waterproof, freezeproof, shockproof, and dustproof design
• Great image quality with 16MP, Nikon lens, and backside illumination CMOS sensor
• Sharp 3-inch OLED display performs well in bright sunlight
• Full HD (1080p) video recording with stereo sound and video effects
• GPS automatically geotags images
• Wide range of shooting modes for optimal photos in different environments
• Fast performance with quick start-up and autofocus
• 5x optical zoom gets you closer to the action
• Built-in maps and location data functions
• Altimeter and depth gauge record elevation and depth info

Cons

• Mediocre low light performance
• Images can be noisy at high ISO levels
• Slow burst mode shooting speed
• No manual exposure controls
• No RAW image capture
• Menus can be confusing
• Battery life could be better
• No hot shoe for external flash

The Nikon COOLPIX AW100 is a versatile digital camera that excels for outdoor adventures, with a rugged build and features like GPS and a maps display. It captures high-quality images and video and has a long 5x zoom. Drawbacks include mediocre low light performance and no RAW support. But overall, the AW100 is a great choice if you need a waterproof, freezeproof, shockproof camera.

Conclusion

Overall, the Nikon COOLPIX AW100 is a solid waterproof point-and-shoot camera that delivers good image quality and a robust set of features for its class. Its rugged design allows it to be used in wet environments and the GPS tagging is useful for travelers and outdoor enthusiasts who want to track their adventures.

The 16MP sensor captures sharp images with accurate colors and good detail. While image quality isn't on par with higher-end compacts, it's very good for a rugged camera in this price range. The 5x optical zoom lens provides a versatile focal range and does reasonably well in low light. Autofocus is fast and accurate.

Video quality is quite decent, able to record full HD 1080p clips. The camera also packs in a good range of shooting modes, filters, and manual controls that advanced users will appreciate. WiFi and GPS connectivity round out the feature set nicely.

Battery life is rated at 250 shots per charge, which is lower than average but understandable given the GPS. All in all, the Nikon AW100 hits a sweet spot of price, performance and ruggedness. For those seeking an affordable waterproof camera with strong image quality and GPS tracking, it remains a recommended option even now as an older model.