Nikon Coolpix AW110 Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification


The Nikon Coolpix AW110 was announced in January 2013 and is an update to Nikon's first all weather camera, the AW100. It is now waterproof to an impressive 18m. You can buy the AW110 in blue, black, camouflage and orange for £270.

Nikon Coolpix AW110 Features

The Nikon Coolpix AW110 is an extremely robust camera. It is waterproof to 18m, shockproof to 2m and freezeproof to -10°C. It has a 16 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor and internal 5x optical zoom lens, a 35mm equivalent of 28-140mm. To help keep your images sharp there is Hybrid VR which combines lens-shift and motion blur reduction

The built-in Wi-Fi allows you to transfer your images and movies to a mobile device for sharing to social network sites. The device can also be used as a remote control. The AW110 also has built-in GPS and an electronic compass. There is a World display map so you can see where you took your pictures and view your route. The altimeter gives you your exact altitude and the hydro-barometer shows you how deep underwater you are. Action Control makes it easy to use the camera underwater or when wearing gloves.

Key Features

• 16 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor
• 5x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 28-140mm)
• Hybrid VR (lens-shift and motion blur reduction)
• 3.0 inch 614k dot OLED screen
• Waterproof to 18m
• Shockproof to 2m
• Freezeproof to -10°C
• Built-in Wi-Fi
• Built-in GPS, altimeter, hydro-barometer and electronic compass
• Action Control
• Full 1080p HD video recording
• ISO 125 - 3200
• 1cm minimum focusing distance
• Auto HDR
• 8 fps continuous shooting
• Easy Panorama 360°/180°
• Available in blue, black, camouflage and orange

Nikon Coolpix AW110 Handling

The Nikon Coolpix AW110 has a mostly plastic body with a metal front and its shape makes it easy to grip. On top of the camera is an on / off button and shutter release. The rear has a zoom rocker with movie record, scene mode, playback, menu and delete buttons. There's also a d-pad for cycling through the menus, this also gives quick access to exposure compensation, flash, self-timer and macro mode.

Also on the rear of the camera is a 3 inch screen with an improved resolution of 614k dots and is easy to view in all light. 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 camera menus are clear and easy to navigate.

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.

To make use of the Wi-Fi you need to download the Wireless Mobile Utility app to your smartphone or tablet (iOS or Android). This allows you to use your mobile device to download pictures from the camera to edit and share them. You can also use it as a remote release. A preview appears on your mobile device, you can control the zoom or set a timer. Other information appears on the screen, such as shutter speed, aperture, number of shots left and battery life.


Battery life is rated at 250 shots according to CIPA test results, this may reduce with a lot of GPS and Wi-Fi use, so you may want to consider carrying a spare. We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.

Shutter Response		0.2 secs
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response		0.25 secs
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response		0.3 secs
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo		1.75 secs
Shot to Shot without Flash		1.2 secs
Shot to Shot with Flash		1.3 secs
Continuous Shooting H		7.1 fps
Continuous Shooting L		2.0 fps
Continuous Shooting H: 120 fps		122.8 fps
Continuous Shooting H: 60 fps		60 fps

The continuous shooting H & L modes record at full 16 megapixel resolution, with the 120 fps restricted to VGA and 60 fps limited to 1 megapixel images.

Nikon Coolpix AW110 Performance

Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Nikon Coolpix AW110 Sample Photos

Sample Photos - The AW110 takes colourful pictures that are well exposed, with good performance when shooting underwater as well. Portraits have good skin tones, while being free of red-eye.

Nikon Coolpix AW110 Lens test images

Lens Performance - Detail is good at both ends of the lens, although they are softer in the corners. There is little sign of purple fringing. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 1cm, this allows for detailed macro shots.

Nikon Coolpix AW110 ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - Noise is low at ISO 125, 200 and 400, with a slight softening at ISO 800. The noise causes a loss of detail in the images at ISO 1600, with even more detail lost at ISO 3200.

Nikon Coolpix AW110 White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Under the incandescent lights, the auto white balance (AWB) and incandescent preset perform well, taking identical images. Under the fluorescent lights the AWB performs well, with a magenta cast when using the fluorescent preset.


Panorama 1 | 1/1600 sec | f/3.9 | 5.0 mm | ISO 125


Panorama 2 | 1/800 sec | f/3.9 | 5.0 mm | ISO 125


Panorama 3 | 1/640 sec | f/3.9 | 5.0 mm | ISO 125

Panorama mode - Panoramas have a decent amount of detail and are stitched together well. There are options for 180° and 360° panoramas, you can also shoot in four directions, left, right up or down.

Nikon Coolpix AW110 Digital filters

Digital Filters - There are some filters to help you take creative shots, with examples above.

Video - Below is a video recorded in full 1080p HD, optical zoom is available during recording, an example of which can be seen on the ePHOTOzine Youtube page.

Value For Money

The Nikon Coolpix AW110 is available for £270. Other waterproof cameras include the Pentax WG-3, available for £305, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5, available for £295, the Canon Powershot D20, available for £260 and the Sony Cybershot DSC-TX30 for £299.00. For more waterproof cameras, have a look at the Top 10 Best Waterproof Cameras.

You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Nikon Coolpix AW110 Verdict

The AW100 was Nikon's first all-weather camera and the AW110 proves to be a steady upgrade, adding Wi-Fi to its wide set of features and almost doubling its waterproofness to 18m. Image quality is good and the images are less noisy than the AW100's at lower ISOs. Images are softer in the corners, but this is generally the case with cameras that have internal zoom lens. Overall, we are happy to recommend the Nikon Coolpix AW110.

	The Nikon Coolpix AW110 adds Wi-Fi to its impressive set of features and image quality is good.

Nikon Coolpix AW110 Pros

Waterproof to 18m
Good picture quality
Decent macros
Built-in Wi-Fi and GPS
Auto HDR
8 fps full resolution continuous shooting

Nikon Coolpix AW110 Cons

Quite short battery life
Images are softer in the corners
Noise effects image quality at ISO 1600 upwards

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Nikon Coolpix AW110 Specifications

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