Taking a page from Olympus’ recent line of extreme, outdoor cameras, Nikon has released the Coolpix AW100, a waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof compact.
The hardened AW100 can withstand underwater depths up to 33 feet, is weather resistant to temperatures as low as 14°F and is shock resistant from a drop of up to five feet. The battery-chamber, SD card slot, HDMI mini-connector and USB/audio-video connector have also been securely covered to prevent the invasion of dirt and moisture.
Measuring only 0.9 inch wide and weighing 6.3 ounces, Nikon’s new compact packs a 16-megapixel backside-illuminated sensor, 3200 ISO maximum exposure, a 3-inch LCD screen and 5x wide-angle zoom.
Another perk for the outdoor junkies is the AW100’s full-HD 1080p movie recording and improved GPS technology. For example, the new GPS function and internal map allow photos to be displayed via location information and save latitude and longitude information in the image data. Users will also be able to shoot and track their routes with the included Nikon ViewNX2 software and E-compass.
Other features include action control operation, which allows photographers to assign a function that will activate when they shake the camera, as well as auto modes such as in-camera red-eye fix, face-priority autofocus, face-priority AE, smile mode, blink warning, skin softening and pet portrait mode.
The Coolpix AW100 retails for $379 and is available in black, blue and orange.