Nikon AW100
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 125 - 3200
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 28-140mm (F3.9-4.8) lens
- 178g - 110 x 65 x 23mm
- Revealed August 2011
- Replacement is Nikon AW110
- Read full specs
- Alternatives
- Size Comparison
- FAQ
93 Imaging
39 Features
28 Overall
34
Nikon AW100 summary
Nikon AW100 is Nikon's Waterproof camera initially introduced on August of 2011. The camera comes with a 16MP, CMOS 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a full resolution of 4608 x 3456.
Nikon launched the updated Nikon AW110 (Read Full Comparison) in an effort to replace this camera.
The AW100 comes in at #54 out of 75 in Waterproof cameras & over all #953 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. Please look at our Smart camera search to find camera listings based on your personalized factors.
The following is a diagram of specific factors used in the rating system.
Nikon AW100 family
The Nikon AW100 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can view the full range underneath.
F3.9-4.816MP1/2.3"2011
Nikon AW100 Gallery
You can see the AW100 from several angles in the gallery underneath.
Nikon AW100 Pros and Cons
Below is a selection of positives and negatives of the Nikon AW100 based on criterias which are often regarded as necessary in a camera.
Nikon AW100 Sensor info
The sensor dimension in the Nikon AW100 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can capture 4608 x 3456 pixels .
Photography GlossaryThe CMOS sensor has 16MP and gives a native ISO range of 125 - 3200. Sadly, RAW photos are not supported so you have less margin for error.
The picture underneath shows the AW100's sensor dimensions in comparison to other common sizes. The AW100 sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is displayed in green.
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsTo get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.
Nikon AW100 dimensions
Nikon AW100 weighs around 0.39 pounds (178 grams or 6.28 oz) & has external proportions of 110mm x 65mm x 23mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 0.9"). The weight of average Waterproof camera is 195 grams so the Nikon AW100 is similar compared to other competitors.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoDown below is a shot of the Nikon AW100 next to a soda to help you to get a feel for its scale.
The top view under will show the button design on the AW100.
Nikon AW100 Lens info
The AW100 offers an inbuilt lens providing a focal range of 28-140mm making it a 5.0 x zoom which is not at all huge however it may be helpful in a few cases.
At the widest 28mm, the lens has an aperture of f3.9 and that's somewhat slow and not the best for low light circumstances and you might find it difficult to get a shallow depth of field. You could also need to up the ISO producing noisy pictures. At the tele end, 140mm comes at f4.8 making it quite sluggish and you might need to utilize slow shutter speeds.
Nikon AW100 Connectivity
The AW100 has the following connectivity:
- USB Yes
- HDMI Yes
- GPS Yes
Digital cameras which have NFC or Bluetooth compatibility can be controlled wirelessly with smartphones. You can easily send photos and usually change camera settings without the hassle of connecting straight to the camera.
A few applications even give a Liveview and release the shutter in case you are not close to the camera. If the camera has a HDMI port, it can be hooked up to an external display. Almost all cameras enable you to charge the battery pack through the USB socket.
Nikon AW100 Video info
The highest possible video quality in the Nikon AW100 is 1920 x 1080 and you can capture in MPEG-4 and H.264 format. 1080p quality delivers a great balance for quality versus file sizes but 1080p won't give you any room to crop. The camera does not offer a microphone or headphone port so you get no control over the audio. It is probably a better idea to shop for an alternative model in case you need good audio for your video clips.
Nikon AW100 Weather Sealing
Nikon AW100 provides environment proofing which makes it a fantastic choice for use for rough environments. This is especially helpful in case you are unsure about the conditions you might encounter for outdoor photography.
Nikon AW100 Display and Viewfinder
The Nikon AW100 comes with a 3" fixed screen boasting a resolution of 460k dots.
Sadly the screen is not a touch screen.
Photography GlossaryThe ViewFinder specifications for Nikon AW100 are the following:
- ViewFinder None
For sunny outdoor conditions which make the camera displays washed out and tough to see, viewfinders will be rather valuable.
Nikon AW100 Shutter info
Nikon AW100 continuous shooting rate is 3.0 frames/s. The max shutter speed is 1/2000s.
Nikon AW100 Flash and Hot shoe info
Nikon AW100 has only integrated flash without external flash support.
Nikon AW100 Autofocusing info
Nikon AW100 has just Contrast Detect Autofocus & is missing Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection autofocusing is a lot more faster and exact when compared with Contrast Detect autofocusing.
Nikon AW100 doesn't have manual focus. Manual focus option is useful for low light occasions or you want to have more precise control on focusing.
Nikon AW100 Battery life
The average Waterproof camera battery life is 275. Olympus TG-4 has got the best (380) battery life for this class of cameras.
Below is a number of Waterproof cameras that have the strongest battery life:
Nikon AW100 for varying types of photography
The following chart presents a outline of the Nikon AW100 for varying types of photography. To check out more, scroll to the specific paragraph underneath.
Nikon AW100 Portrait photography advice
The Nikon AW100 has a score of 30 which is really bad, meaning that it is just not suitable for portraits. Shooting portrait photos leans heavily to sensor dimensions, support for RAW photos & potential to use off-camera flash.
Nikon AW100 as a Street photography camera
Getting a reasonable score of 55, the Nikon AW100 is fairly suitable to use in street photography. A decent street photography camera offers a perfect balance of image quality plus portability.
Nikon AW100 Sports photography factors
A really bad sports photography points tally of 33 suggests the Nikon AW100 is just not suitable for shooting sports. A camera needs good autofocus and shutter speeds for sports photography.
Nikon AW100 Travel photography highlights
Portability is pretty important in choosing a travel camera. In general, the Nikon AW100 gets a nice 67 for a travelling camera which makes it a respectable option to take with you on your travels.
Nikon AW100 Landscape photography features
For anybody who is looking to buy a camera for landscape photographs, the most significant aspect will be image quality. The Nikon AW100 with it's really bad rating of 41 as a landscape camera is just not suitable among its competition.
Nikon AW100 Vlogging info
A camera for vlogging preferably should come with a articulating display screen, mic port and if possible IBIS. Considering all things, the Nikon AW100 is just not suitable as a vlog camera as it comes to a really bad score of 29.
Nikon AW100 Alternatives
If you are shopping for replacements to the AW100, here is a number of the top ranked cameras that fall under the class of Waterproof.
The line graph followed below will give you a summary of the AW100 compared to it's highest ranked rivals shown earlier.
Here are a handful of other cameras you may have a look at as alternate options. To check out a detailed comparison, visit the "compare" link.