AW1 success or failure? How soon will we see an AW2 or next gernation of this camera?

Snowleopard

I have been looking at the AW1 for under water work because I don't want to buy a under water case for the D810. I feel like the AW1 is a first generation camera in its realm. It had some bumps in the road, most seem to be ironed out now. When and will we see an AW2 with a better sensor (low light, etc).

NSXTypeR

I would sure hope Nikon carries through with the modified Nikon 1 mount. There's no better camera to carry on the Nikonos name than the AW1 system.

It is concerning that Nikon doesn't realize they have a hit on their hands, as the AW1 really flew off the shelves.

PB_PM

From the local shop I kind of got the impression the AW1 was the best selling Nikon 1 body, kind of strange that there has been no follow up. There have been no new lenses released for it, so it's hard to say if Nikon is going to do anything with it at all.

pictureted

There are rumors (from patent applications) of two new Nikon 1 underwater lenses - ultra-wide and mid-range. The mid-range would be a perfect compliment an AW2. As a former Nikonos user, I love the idea of more than 36 picture per dive.

esquilo

From the local shop I kind of got the impression the AW1 was the best selling Nikon 1 body, kind of strange that there has been no follow up.

To me that is not strange at all. As long as the AW1 keeps flying off the shelves, Nikon will sell AW1's.
Right now Nikons prime effort seems to target gaps in their F-mount lineup held by third party manufacturers.

Snowleopard

I figured the AW1 was selling well also,l but just a thought about how you loose light through water vs. air..... I would hope that an underwater camera has a nice big sensor with clean high iso's...... because of light fall off in water...,

Hence I want to see what generation 2 of the AW1 can do.....

DaveyJ

I bought one of the AW 1s as soon as it was released. We were the first to review them on the Nikon USA website. We use the camera almost everyday on a construction worksite. I would note that the camera is not all that old. There needs to be a mid-range zoom. Possibly a better wide angle than the 10mm. There are two lens for it in UW mode. The 10mm that we saw absolutely no reason to buy. The second is the 11-27mm, which we got with the camera. We also bought an extended care plan. It was one of the ONLY camera we did not buy from B&H as they were completely sold out with no relief in sight. That was not good for us as B&H offers a Smart Plan "insurance" that is far more reasonable and stands behind their protection plan. WE got a outfit that B&H USED to use and switched away from their protection plan as there were too many problems.

There will not be a bigger sensor in the AW 2 and I believe that is a few years away. The present camera is most excellent. We dive for a living in a diverse business. We use Go Pros for much of our UW work. Go Pros are improving at a splendid rate and current ones are very, very good. For wide UW work they are what you need. I have even shot big movie cameras, view cameras, and panoramic cameras UW. I have photographed with the Nikon 810 and rate it as one of the world's best cameras. NONE of my crew would use it underwater. Housings cost a fortune. I owned three Nikonos cameras. The AW 1 is better than any of them.

Nikon has been VERY slow to upgrade the Nikon 1 AW 1 system. It does make one wonder where Nikon is going in the future. If they want to keep losing market share to outfits like Go Pro they are right on track. Probably greater low light sensitivity, a wider range all purpose zoom, and more emphasis on the camera and the "new" lens would be all that was needed. The AW 1 is excellent above the water surface as well. Usually I would rather use a D7100 or a D7200 and often the 10-20 Sigma, the WONDERFUL new 16-80 Nikkor, or the 55-300VR. The Nikon AW 1 just doesn't have the versatility above water in a place where shock and tough conditions are less of an issue.

The Nikon 1 AW 1 is one of the best cameras Nikon ever made. Why they seem to treat it as lost orphan I do not know or understand. Here Nikon wanted the Nikon 1 system to be a success (and the AW 1 has been there biggest success here) is a complete mystery to me. But I strongly recommend one for underwater work. A D810 and housing UW? If Cousteau were alive today he would have several. I wouldn't mind one but short of acquiring one by piracy I would not go that route.

DaveyJ

A comment on snowleopard's post: UW photos almost REQUIRE as clear water as possible. Some don't mind diving in murky water. We certainly have to for work. However when you want a valuable image, one that grabs people's attention....if the water is not gin clear.....forget it. Our Jet Boat name is the Clearwater Marauder. Particles in water result in ugly photos. Backscatter is the bane of UW photography. Put a bigger sensor in the AW 2 and you'd be looking at supersizing the price. Look how small Go Pros are and they are amazing UW.

esquilo

@DaveyJ: Sometimes you just have to get the shot no matter how murky the water is.
I have friends who do wreck-diving in the Baltic Sea. The Baltic is a wreckdivers paradise since the brackish water have too low salinity for shipworms. You can find 500 year old shipwrecks standing upright on the bottom with the masts still in place! Don't think you can find that anywhere else in the world. However, if you are going to take photos of it, you are in for a challenge. The most reliable way is usually to put the camera on a tripod and leave it until most of the dirt settles. Then take a long exposure shot.

DaveyJ

@esquilo: I have read quite a bit about the Baltic Sea but have never been there. Our Lake Champlain named for Samuel De Champlain who sailed there. There are quite a few gunboats and battleships brought up from the bottom that are in pretty good shape from the various battles on that lake, the biggest being the quite "recent" 1812. Champlain also sailed quite a bit along the Atlantic Coast including recording some of the best observations ever written along the Maine Coast like his description of Mt Desert Island at Acadia. It is one of the best places to photograph I know of and it was where the first Nikon Rumors get together was held. We do take photos in Murky water to get the subject when required. It is just our last choice. We ONLY do such shots with a tripod. When you compare the tripod shots to those taken on a tripod with a Go Pro on video it makes the Go Pro (underwater of course) look pretty good shot on still, time lapse or video.