I used to be a very happy Nikonos user. But film died and time passed and my Nikonos lives in a closet. I was excited about this new waterproof camera. I've used several compact waterproof cameras from Olympus, Pentax and Nikon. They've all been ok, but picture quality just wasn't there. The first disappointment was the 45 foot depth rating. Ok, so this will be a snorkeling camera only, or for shallow dives.
Having read through many reviews, I was leary of the waterproofing. Having used the camera a bit now, I'll go through my impressions.
Optics & Photos - very good. You will likely want to use the distortion compensation in-camera or as part of a raw workflow. Oh yes - raw!!! So much better for color compromised images such as underwater. This isn't a top end DSLR but it has solld photo performance. The primary lens is a good focal length for general underwater scenics. The zoom works well, although it isn't a particularly wide zoom range.
Video - leaves the gopro in the dust except for framerate. Much better videos and much less distortion.
Battery life - mediocre. If you use the display at higher intensity such as for tropical snorkeling, battery life is pretty miserable. I really miss the rangefinder on the Nikonos. Use minimum display settings and turn off what you don't need (add gps in during postprocessing if you want to geotag while snorkeling). Flash makes a big difference. With flash, I run out after about 40 pics and about 40 minutes of snorkeling. Without flash, I seem to get a bit better than 100 shots.
Construction - good o-ring seal on the lens to body interface. The zoom feels good and hasn't leaked after 5 snorkel trips, but the non-replaceable o-ring for the zoom mechanism worries me. The sealing on the battery compartment and connector doors is similar to that used on the compact cameras I've had, which have had mixed results. The door hinges easily attract sand, which gets into those compartments. The seal area for those is very, very sensitive, unlike more beefy o-rings. Unless you live in Arizona, it will take forever to dry all the water from around those doors and seals and some drops will always be there waiting to create condensation problems, or to lead in a bit of sand to break the seal. To make the camera more robust, Nikon really needs to come up with a better mechanism than those doors and seals. Having said that, 2 of my 3 compact cameras with similar seals have lasted several years. The one that didn't was used while boogie boarding. Oops - sand.....
The flash is of mediocre value underwater - it's not really strong enough and despite the pop-up is still too close to the lens which creates reflections off any crud in the water. A separate underwater flash is available (Nikon SB-N10), but you'll need some adapters to make it work. I had good luck getting better color with a strong dive light. And then you can make adjustments easily if you shoot in raw and use Lightroom or similar.
For care, I can just say rinse, rinse, rinse. Swish gently in fresh water. Drain, do it again, let it sit a while, swish some more. Dry thoroughly. It will take forever to get the water out of the small spaces in the battery compartment door and sand likes to hide in the hinge. Be prepared for it. Don't open the camera outside in the tropics or any hot humid area if you can avoid it. That will be instant fogging on immersion. Change your battery in the driest air you can find.
Finally, if you really want a waterproof camera, consider other options, for example the WP-N3 waterproof housing that goes past recreational dive limits and relies on solid o-rings all over. It's bigger and heavier, but can go deeper. I will still use the AW1 for snorkeling, for size and convenience, but I won't take it diving.
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Customer reviews
Great photos, battery door opens when exposed to vehicle vibrations or small shocks.
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2015
Well I'm going to start with 3 stars.. Why 3... well on the first use of the camera the battery compartment opened (yes I did check it was closed multiple times) and the battery fell out into the water - sploosh. Oh great. What I figured out was that the vibration had worked the latches open over a period of about 1/2hr. The camera was never submerged (thankfully), so no damage to it there. But now I'm down a perfectly good battery.The photos were wonderful. Great quality excellent focus, I was really starting to get the hang of it.I think if I rig up some sort of wedge that prevents those latches from opening, the camera will work just fine. I'll also try not to expose the camera to too much vibration. I'm pretty sure if nikon did a few tests of low impact shock (minimal) bumping, that over time the battery compartment would come undone all by itself. I will update review if I figure out something worth sharing.So, waterproof, yes. Shockproof, not really. While the camera may survive a shock, the compartments wont stay shut. I've got an old sanyo waterproof camera that has a battery door compartment that is bulletproof compared to this one.Update: Upgrading to 4 stars. Well, I did a pretty low tech solution that works wonders. I made some small plastic wedges that fit into the small depressions that appear when locked. I think use electricians tape to hold it in place. Now it's impossible for the compartments to work their way open. The replacement battery pack I got is also working well. I've now got the waterproof lens and I got the silicone protection sleeve. I'm also putting a screen protector on the back. I plan to ensure this guy lasts a long time!
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2015
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Top reviews from other countries
Vikas singh
kit lens provided are useless, they can work under water I was provided ...
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on October 26, 2016Antoine Levesque
Had water damage ! 😡
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 5, 2020
Had water damage ! 😡
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 5, 2020
I already own a AW1 since it first came out. Still using it without problem.Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 5, 2020
This second hand AW1 I bought was not advertised as having been water damaged, I would not have bought it had I known ! Very disapointed ! Salt water damage ( old previous exposure ) visible on right memory cluster near lower left resistor...
It did not hold waterproofing in a inch an a half of tap water during initial testing ( after carefull inspection of seals and silicon grease applied per Nikon's instructions | Same procedure and care I follow on my first AW1, that is still waterproof since 01/18/2014 ... ! )
I would give no star if it were possible, negative 3 stars for robbing me 😡
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