Nikon AW1 User Experiences and Samples

Gareth

There is not much information available about the AW1 so I will share a few things people might find useful.

If you have experiences and/or samples too post them here.

First impressions;

Build Quality
The AW1 feels kind of like you would expect out of the box. It's much more compact than a larger DSLR, but because of this it can cramp your hand after a while. My D700 just feels right in my hand, the AW1 really feels good and solid, but not "right".

Memory Card
When I got my AW1 it came with a free Lexar 8GB 400x Speed SDHC card. The formatted card holds 437 RAW, 830 Fine L or 286 RAW+Fine L images.
I also bought a 64GB 633x Speed microSDXC (the one with the USB3 adapter). At first I thought this wasn't going to work, but after a bit of troubleshooting worked out it was the microSD to SD adapter. I bought a new adapter and bingo, problem solved. The 64GB card holds 3.4k RAW or 6.6k Fine L images.

FPS
This camera is capable of taking images of up to 60fps. Yes, you saw right, 60fps. However it should be noted (from the manual) that the maximum number of shots you can take in a single burst is 20. That means only 1/3 sec capture at 60fps, i.e. bugger all. I don't know why Nikon put this restriction in, and I wish that they would remove it with a firmware update. The 400x card gets 27 shots in a 15fps burst. The 633x card gets 29. So not much in it. You really do want to use a good card though. My cheap generic class 10 card is just not up to it.

Dynamic Range
I'm not going to get all scientific on this. The dynamic range is far less than my D700. You can get a lot out of the sensor, but you need to plan your lighting and composition carefully to get good shots. In some very high contrast situations the sensor just goes crazy and blows everything out. This is not a lens issue, as it happens even with my pro lenses with the FT1 adapter. If it's your backup/muck around/waterproof camera it's probably not that big of a deal, but if it's your main body it could be an issue. I have no experience using entry level DSLRs and this may also occur with them.

Condensation
Probably the only real issue with the camera is condensation inside the body. Now you may hear this and freak out, but think about it. The body is completely sealed. That means water can't get in or out. Nikon knows about this and clearly states in the manual that visible condensation (both on the lens and on the rear monitor) can occur when the camera is exposed to sudden changes in temperature. In the real world this happens quite often, and not always straight away. It usually occurs after the battery warms up from use. Luckily the manual also gives the solution. Remove the battery and the SD card and leave the door open until the camera equalizes to ambient temperature. This is necessary with the underwater lenses, and usually takes about 15-20 minutes. With the other lenses I think the water vapor can escape, so the issue may resolve itself just by continuing to shoot and waiting for it to clear up. I never had the lens fog up under water, but Nikon make a filter that is supposed to lessen this if you find it an issue.

Battery
The battery doesn't last that long, but it's small. You can't have your cake and eat it too. If you were shooting for a whole day you would want 2 or even 3 batteries. But if you were shooting all day you most likely wouldn't use this camera, or would take spare batteries anyway. The battery icon only shows on the shooting display when it is almost empty. This is annoying. It can always be seen on the play/review screen however.

Underwater
The camera has it's own underwater mode, which essentially just puts the camera in Fine L jpg with adjustable underwater white balance. It does work well, but it's jpg. Having little experience with underwater photography I didn't know what to expect from this camera. I bought it because we were going on a family trip to Vanuatu, it works underwater, and it's not a point and shoot. In the bright clear waters of Vanuatu it did amazingly well. The seals need checking when the doors are opened. Hold it underwater and check for bubbles before fully committing. If there is fine debris/particles in the water these have a habit of coating the front of the lens. If you notice less than sharp images, it may pay to give it a wipe. I just did it with my wet finger.

Panorama
The panorama mode is quite cool, but the output quality is not very good. It's jpg, with about the same amount of pixels you would get from simply cropping an image. That said, you would need a very wide lens to get the same capture.

FT1
The camera works well with the FT1, the only issue being the main waterproof seal for the lens is exposed even when the adapter is connected. This leaves it free to gather dust and particles and needs to be cleaned and possibly greased before the camera is used underwater.

Gareth

Samples
Here are some samples (DNG exported from LR5 in case you don't have it);

Underwater 1 JPG
Underwater 2 JPG
Land 1 NEF
Land 1 DNG
Land 2 NEF
Land 2 DNG
Land 3 NEF
Land 3 DNG
Panorama 1 JPG

This is pretty much everything I have learnt so far. If I think of/learn more I will add it.

Manual here

[Deleted User]

Thank you Gareth, good and helpful information.

Gareth

I'd like to buy this camera, but I'm not sure yet. I've got 3 questions for you guys:
1) In this camera there isn't the VR; could it be a problem according to you?
2) are there just 2 waterproof lens? or are there more?
Thank you guys

1) It depends how and what you shoot. The kit lens is slow and needs good light. Most likely you will be taking pictures of moving subjects, e.g. fish, people, etc. VR will not help stop them being blurry if what you really need is a faster shutter speed. VR might help occasionally, but it is really only useful for subjects which don't move (or move very slowly) in low light. This camera is not designed for these situations, so I don't see a lack of VR as an issue.

2) Yes, ATM there are only 2. Many have stated they would like a waterproof ultrawide. I would like one too. But I also know that it would be very hard to get good images with one as you would have to get incredibly close to your subject underwater.

nikonpixx

Good advices, thanks a lot. I do often snorkeling but I'd like use this camera for anything, anywhere, not just underwater consider that the price is around 700. So it will happen that I will be taken pictures of subjects which don't move.
I'm not sure yet, but I think that for snorkeling it's perfect.

Gareth

If that is the case then you can buy any of the non waterproof Nikon 1 VR lenses for out of water use if you feel the need.

nikonpixx

yea, it could be a solution

Gareth

It's also worth mentioning that the fastest shutter speed you can dial in when the flash is up is 1/60. This seems to be some limitation of the electronic sensor and I'm not sure why this limit is in place. The D70 does not have this limitation and it has an electronic sensor. In fact the D70 can sync all the way to 1/8000, so I would have thought the AW1 would be able to too.

As there is no way to trigger any flash without the pop up this seriously limits the AW1s low light usage where flash is needed.

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Nikon1-Flashes/SB-N10-Underwater-Speedlight.html