Nikon AW130

Nikon AW130 is Nikon's Waterproof digital camera initially released on February of 2015. The camera has got a 16MP, CMOS 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a peak resolution of 4608 x 3456.

Nikon introduced this model in order to upgrade the older Nikon AW120 (Read Full Comparison)

The AW130 ranks at #9 out of 75 in Waterproof cameras & all around #614 out of 1465 for cameras in our list. You can try out our Advanced camera search to find camera ratings based on your custom requirements.

The following is a diagram of multiple criteria used in the scoring system.

The Nikon AW130 has a history of related cameras. Listed below, you can find all older and latest models alongside key features.

You can check the AW130 from various angles in the gallery here.

Below is a selection of good and bad points of the Nikon AW130 based on factors that are typically seen as useful in a digital camera.

The sensor specification in the Nikon AW130 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can resolve 4608 x 3456 pixels and aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9. The camera has Image Stabilization (Optical). Optical stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization as the latter can cause cropping.

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The CMOS sensor has 16MP and provides a standard ISO range of 125 - 6400. Unfortunately, RAW photos are not saved therefore the user has less margin for error.

The graphic below displays the AW130's sensor dimensions compared to other popular sizes. The AW130 sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is outlined in green.

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To get a sense of various aspect ratios, you can refer to the graphic below.

Nikon AW130 weighs in at 0.49 lbs (221 gr / 7.80 ounces) & has outer proportions of 110mm x 66mm x 27mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 1.1"). The weight of general Waterproof camera is 195 gr so the Nikon AW130 is heavier when compared to other competitors.

Photography Glossary

The following is a pic of the Nikon AW130 alongside a soda to help you to get a sense of its scale.

The top view here will provide the button design on the AW130.

The AW130 has an inbuilt lens featuring a focal range of 24-120mm giving it a 5.0 x zoom which isn't amazing but it may be handy in certain scenarios.

At the widest 24mm, the lens has an aperture of f2.8 which is rather slow and not good for low light events and you will probably find it hard to get a shallow depth of field. You will also have to raise the ISO setting which causes noisy photos. For the tele end, 120mm comes with f4.9 which is quite slow and you might need to choose slower shutter speeds.

The AW130 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• Wireless Yes
• HDMI Yes
• GPS Yes

Cameras with NFC or Bluetooth connectivity can be controlled wirelessly by smartphones. You are able to send files and at times change settings without connecting physically to the camera.

Several applications even give a Liveview and press the shutter whenever you aren't near the camera. If the camera has a HDMI port, it can be attached to an external display. The majority of cameras will allow you to recharge the battery with the USB port.

The highest video quality in the Nikon AW130 is 1920 x 1080 and you can shoot in MPEG-4 and H.264 file format. 1080p quality offers a decent balance between video quality versus file sizes but FULL HD is not going to give you any room to crop. The camera doesn't include a microphone or headphone jack which means that you have got little control over the sound. It is perhaps best to consider an alternative camera if you need better sound for your videos.

Nikon AW130 features environment sealing which makes it a good selection for use during challenging locations. This is especially useful when you are uncertain about the conditions you may face during outdoor photography.

The Nikon AW130 has got a 3 inch fixed display supporting a resolution of 921 thousand dots.

Unfortunately the display isn't a touch screen.

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The ViewFinder details for Nikon AW130 are below:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders can be really helpful during bright outdoor conditions which might make the camera screen washed out and hard to see.

Nikon AW130 continuous shooting speed is 7.0 fps. The max shutter speed is 1/4000 sec.

Nikon AW130 has only built in flash without external flash ability.

Nikon AW130 has just Contrast Based Autofocus & lacks Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is more quicker & precise when compared to Contrast Based focusing. The camera has got Face detection making it valuable for people photography.

It also boasts Tracking Autofocus for moving things. Nikon AW130 does not have manual focusing. Manual focusing is useful during low light conditions or you want more precise focus control.

The battery power (EN-EL12) on the Nikon AW130 is built to last for 370 shutters according to the CIPA specifications which is above average ın comparison with its category. The typical Waterproof camera battery life is 275. Olympus TG-4 comes with the highest (380) battery life within this category of cameras.

Listed below is a listing of Waterproof cameras which have the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Olympus TG-4
AW130 vs TG-4380 yesnono

Panasonic TS6
AW130 vs TS6370 noyesno

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Panasonic TS5
AW130 vs TS5370 noyesno

Nikon AW130370 nonono

Olympus TG-1 iHS
AW130 vs TG-1 iHS350 nonono

The following bar chart provides a analysis of the Nikon AW130 for specific kinds of photography. To learn more, check out the specific section below.

The Nikon AW130 gets a points tally of 36 which is really bad, meaning that it is just not acceptable for portrait photography. Shooting portrait images favors heavily to sensor dimension, support for RAW files along with the flexibility to use external flash.

Having a above average points tally of 62, the Nikon AW130 is a very decent pick for street photography. A good street photography camera comes with a good balance of picture quality and portability.

A average sports photography score of 51 means the Nikon AW130 is reasonably suitable for photographing sports. A camera should have very good tracking and fast continuous shooting for sports photography.

Weight is super critical when picking a camera for travel. Overall, the Nikon AW130 gets a nice 73 as a travelling camera which is a fine fit to buy for your vacations.

For those who are looking to buy a digital camera for landscape photographs, the most essential factor will be image quality. The Nikon AW130 at it's average score of 50 as a landscape camera is reasonably appropriate within the current marketplace.

A vlogging camera really should come with a articulating screen, microphone port and ideally IBIS. Considering everything, the Nikon AW130 is just not acceptable for vlogging as it comes to a really bad score of 33.

If you are in the market for alternatives to the AW130, here is a collection of the top ranked cameras that fall under the family of Waterproof.

The chart below gives you a summary of the AW130 versus it's top rated rivals mentioned earlier.

Here are a few more cameras you may take into account as alternative options. To see a extensive comparison, click the "compare" link.