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Nikon AW100

 
Nikon Coolpix AW100 front
 
  • 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
Portability
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.

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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.

ModelVisualizeLensResolutionSensor SizeReleased
Nikon-Coolpix-A1000 front thumbnailNikon A1000
AW100 vs A1000
24-840mm
F3.4-6.9
16MP1/2.3"2019
Nikon-Coolpix-A900 front thumbnailNikon A900
AW100 vs A900
24-840mm
F3.4-6.9
20MP1/2.3"2016
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Nikon-Coolpix-AW130 front thumbnailNikon AW130
AW100 vs AW130
24-120mm
F2.8-4.9
16MP1/2.3"2015
Nikon-Coolpix-AW120 front thumbnailNikon AW120
AW100 vs AW120
24-120mm
F2.8-4.9
16MP1/2.3"2014
Nikon-Coolpix-AW110 front thumbnailNikon AW110
AW100 vs AW110
28-140mm
F3.9-4.8
16MP1/2.3"2013
Nikon-Coolpix-AW100 front thumbnailNikon AW10028-140mm
F3.9-4.8
16MP1/2.3"2011
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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.

built-in flash
environment proof
fairly wide (28mm)
good resolution (16MP)
good sized screen (3 inch)
good zoom range (28-140mm 5.0 x zoom)
has HDMI out
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic support
doesn't have headphone support
doesn't have Time Lapse function
does not have image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
does not have RAW files
external flash not possible
lack of aperture priority mode
lack of manual focus
low resolution screen (460 k dots)
max zoom aperture not good (f4.8)
no manual mode
no shutter priority
screen is fixed
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
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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 Glossary

The 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.

Nikon Coolpix AW100 sensor size Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

To get a sense of specific aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

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.

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Down below is a shot of the Nikon AW100 next to a soda to help you to get a feel for its scale.

Nikon Coolpix AW100 dimensions scale

The top view under will show the button design on the AW100.

Nikon Coolpix AW100 topview buttons dials

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Nikon Coolpix AW100 screen and viewfinder Photography Glossary

The 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.

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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.

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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.

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resolution is good (16MP)
focusing manually not possible
manual mode not available
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support

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.

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environment proofing
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files

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.

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MP count decent (16 megapixels)
weather proof
max frames per second low (3.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus

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.

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environment proofing
MP count good (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
no Timelapse mode
does not feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.9)

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.

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decently wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
weather proof
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.9)
lack of manual exposure
no image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
no Timelapse recording

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.

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fairly wide (28mm)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f3.9)
does not feature selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
no external mic jack

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.

Photography Glossary

Specifications

General Information
Brand
Nikon
Model
Nikon Coolpix AW100
Category
Waterproof
Revealed
2011-08-24
Physical type
Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CMOS
Sensor size
1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions
6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area
28.1mm²
Sensor resolution
16 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Highest Possible resolution
4608 x 3456
RAW data
Maximum native ISO
3200
Lowest native ISO
125
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Cross focus points
0
Lens
Lens mounting type
fixed lens
Lens focal range
28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture
f/3.9-4.8
Focal length multiplier
5.8
Screen
Display type
Fixed Type
Display size
3 inch
Resolution of display
460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology
TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
None
DXO scores
DXO Overall score
not tested
DXO Color Depth score
not tested
DXO Dynamic range score
not tested
DXO Low light score
not tested
Features
Minimum shutter speed
4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed
1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate
3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions
1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720 (60 fps),640 x 480 (120 fps), 320 x 240 (240 fps)
Maximum video resolution
1920x1080
Video file format
MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight
178 gr (0.39 lbs)
Dimensions
110 x 65 x 23mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 0.9")
Other
Battery model
EN-EL12
Time lapse recording
Type of storage
SD / SDHC/SDXC
Card slots
Single
Retail price
$299