Nikon Coolpix AW110 - Rugged, Simple, Good

Introduction

A newcomer to the tough camera segment, Nikon’s debut product, the AW100, did quite well in our review last year. While it wasn’t the best, it still managed to hold its own among the rest of its peers, which was an impressive feat considering that it was Nikon’s first attempt.

This year, Nikon is back again with the AW110, which is an incremental update to the AW100. So what has changed this time around? Besides increased toughness, the AW110 throws Wi-Fi into the mix. So if you happen to be looking around for a tough camera for your upcoming holidays at the Himalayas, should you consider the AW110? Read on to find out.

Design & Handling

While the AW110 is a rugged camera, somehow it doesn’t feel as tough as some of its peers due to the fact that its body is mostly constructed from plastic. The good thing about the AW110’s design is that it’s more understated (the bright orange version being the exception) compared to some of the other tough offerings around, so you won’t feel too self-conscious when carrying it around town.

Even though the AW110 is a tough camera, it’s odd that Nikon excluded a hand grip at the front of the camera; and so, you might have a difficult time holding onto the camera if your hands are wet. There is however, a small dimpled area on the rear for users to rest their thumb on when shooting. Similar to other tough cameras, the AW110 has adopted a clickable d-pad on the rear instead of the scroll wheel which is more commonly found on other compact cameras.

Besides the controls on the rear, most of the real estate on the back of the camera is taken up by the 3-inch, 614k-dot OLED display. This puts the display resolution of the AW110 among the top few in its class, though we wish it performed better outdoors. A tough camera will definitely see its fair share of sun and water and we are disappointed to find that the AW110’s display was difficult to view under bright sunlight as well as underwater. This problem though, also plagues the Olympus TG-2. The good news is the AW110's OLED display’s color saturation is very good, which makes picture reviewing a joy.

The AW110 is a suitable camera for those who like various scene modes and find themselves shooting in Auto mode frequently. If you hanker after manual modes though, you will be sorely disappointed. Shooting modes on the AW110 include Auto, Easy Auto, Smart Portrait and many scene options. If you’re intending to shoot underwater with the AW110, the relevant setting is found as a scene mode. However, it's good to note that white balance is automatically adjusted for you unlike some of the underwater shooting options found on other cameras. Manual exposure settings are limited to just white balance, ISO (125 to 3200) and exposure compensation adjustments.

The Nikon AW110 features Wi-Fi and GPS, though switching these on will definitely drain battery much faster and leave you with less than the 250 shots quoted by Nikon. Regardless, even with the Wi-Fi and GPS turned off, 250 shots is among one of the worst in its class and we foresee frequent charging of the battery if you shoot a lot. Connecting to a smartphone or tablet is simple enough, though the mobile app also sports limited functions. Using Wi-Fi will only let you use your phone as a remote (trigger the shutter or zoom in and out) or download images from the camera to your connected device.

Speaking of battery, the AW110 requires an external charger to charge the battery. While this means that you can use the camera while charging a spare battery, you will need to have an electrical outlet at your location in order to charge the battery. Support for laptop USB charging would be nice; here's hoping for that in the AW120.

Image Quality & Performance

The Nikon AW110 possesses a quick autofocus, and images right out of the camera have a nice, vibrant color. The 5x optical zoom lens (28 - 140mm in 35mm equivalent) is for the most part smooth and snappy during use. In fact, the images right out of the box are some of the best among the tough cameras we have tested. Resolution-wise, the 16-megapixel AW110 gets 2,000LPH (vertically and horizontally). Details are good at ISO 125, but are progressively lost from ISO 400 onwards. From then on, things go downhill pretty fast. In a nutshell, we wouldn’t recommend going over ISO 800, though it will still do if your images are going online at smaller sizes.

Below are sample photographs shot with the Nikon Coolpix AW110. The photos have not been post-processed and are copyright to SPH Magazines. They are provided for your reference only and we ask that you do not reproduce them elsewhere. Click for the full-resolution images. If you want more sample images, Nikon Singapore has got a few of their own here.

Conclusion

Nikon’s second tough camera offering has almost the same pros and cons as its first. While it has good tough specs (dust-resistant, waterproof up to 18m, shockproof up to 2m, freezeproof up to -10°C), due to the plastic used in some parts of its construction, the AW110 doesn’t feel as durable as some of the other competing tough cameras.

While the AW110’s OLED display washes out under bright sunlight, at least it has good color saturation and is sharp under normal viewing conditions. Of course, some may lament the lack of manual shooting controls, but bear in mind that the AW110 is always meant to be a rugged point-and-shoot, and in this regard, it does its job pretty well. AF speed is also quick and images are vibrant enough to please the camera’s target audience. Be warned though, if you’re going to spend an entire day shooting, do yourself a favor, and bring along a spare battery, for the AW110’s battery mileage is one of the lowest in its class.

If you already own the AW100, then there's not much incentive to upgrade to the AW110. But if you're looking for your first rugged point-and-shoot camera, then it's worth taking a look at the Nikon AW110, which compares favorably to the Olympus TG-2 and Panasonic Lumix FT5 in terms of simplicity.

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