Among the many cameras in the range designed for adventurers and explorers, the Nikon Coolpix AW100 stands out because, all things considered, it packs in the highest number of useful and interesting features.
We want to highlight the features that matter most and are most interesting for mountain hikers.
A tough, compact body designed for every outdoor activity
Waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof. For the mountain hiker it may not matter much that this camera works underwater, but the "freezeproof" (down to -10°C) and "shockproof" features will certainly seem important.
Waterproof down to 10 metres
For total peace of mind when snorkelling and on your first shallow dives; for hikers, of course, this feature comes down to resistance to water and damp, which is no small thing when you are moving over snow or walking in the rain.
Easy 180° or 360° panoramas
This feature, which not even Sony had come up with, is one of the most useful for the hiker. The
panorama, however, uses fewer shots than Sony's similar technology. While shooting, the camera recalibrates the brightness, with the result that it shows up (sigh!) the seams between the different shots. In this case you need to pay attention to the exposure of the whole panorama.
Built-in GPS with electronic compass and a world map with maps of the whole planet
It records the position where each photo was taken as well as the direction of the shot. Finally, you can record your own route in a dedicated route log. Handy for anyone who wants a track of their route to replay on Google Earth.
NIKKOR 5x wide-angle zoom lens
This lens, besides allowing magnifications from 5 to 25 mm with an angle of view of 35 m. This lens gives sharpness equivalent to a 28-140 mm lens.
16-megapixel CMOS RGB image sensor
It increases sensitivity and reduces noise, features that make it attractive to more savvy photographers who care about the quality of contrast and colour saturation. We are not talking about the quality of the CMOS sensors used by Canon, but we are really starting to get close.
Full HD (1080p) movie recording with optical zoom and autofocus
Slow-motion or fast-motion filming is also possible, for shooting moving subjects. HDMI connector for playback on HDTV sets.
There really are a great many features of this camera that convinced me to buy it:
- Technology to eliminate blur and reduce vibration;
- ISO sensitivity up to 3200;
- Backlighting scene mode to capture images even in poor lighting conditions;
- Full HD (1080p) movie recording, fine or compressed, with stereo sound;
- 7.5 cm, 460,000-dot LCD monitor for perfect visibility in very bright surroundings or underwater;
- "Action control" (one-handed) for the camera menus, which makes it possible to take photos even while wearing winter gloves, another feature the most hardened mountain folk may find interesting.
All in all the Nikon Coolpix AW100 camera is extremely satisfying... recommended to all hikers who are still looking for the ideal camera for their adventures.
Photo gallery
