Nikon COOLPIX AW130 Waterproof Digital Camera with Built-In Wi-Fi (Black)

The build appears quite robust, about twice the weight of my Sony Cyber Shot. To quote Arnold Schwarzenegger, "Weight is a sign of reliability."I also like that the lens is recessed fairly deeply within a bezel, which should provide a lot of protection. I've seen older Olympus models with a moving lens cover, and I've seen a lot of them which are broken.... All it takes is enough brackish water or a little dirt to jamb a moving lens cover so I'm glad Nikon chose to recess the lens instead of covering it.So far I've only used it once, but I'm quite pleased at the price. I used it on an 8 mile kayak trip with class II and III rapids in 40F water without any troubles. Considering that it was quite overcast, providing poor lighting, I was impressed with the quality of the pictures it took as well (see the attached picture). I apologize for the blurry smudges, that is user error, not product fault.... I do need to remember to blow droplets off the lens before taking pictures.After the initial setup, power on to taking pictures is less than a second. This is a major improvement over all other cameras I have owned or used in the past. This means that you can conserve your batteries and not watch that bird fly away while your camera is booting up.I had noticed that reviews on this camera and similar camera have around a 10% catastrophic failure rating due to water infiltration. Considering that when they fail like this, they seem to fail within the first month of use, it makes me think either user error or damaged gasket.Something I noticed was that there is a red mark on top of the battery door that one needs to pay attention... You can actually get the door to latch while this marking is still partially exposed! You must make sure that you press the door in hard enough while you are latching it to fully obscure this marking if you want reliable waterproofing. People not doing so may account for the majority of the aforementioned 10%.The battery life is impressive. I used this camera for half of a day, taking pictures and videos for almost the entire time, and the battery indicator still showed the battery fully charged. Considering that it was only 40F outside and it was getting splashed continuously by water that was 40F (at the most), keep in mind that low temperatures decrease battery output, I consider it impressive.Before I bought this camera, I was torn between the Nikon AW130 (this model) and the Olympus TG-860. They are both comparable as far as their specifications and I had dealt with Olympus cameras in the past. The deciding factor was that I'd seen many reviews stating how horrible Olympus customer support tends to be while Nikon tends to be quite friendly. Normally, I buy products assuming the warranty is worthless, but when dealing with a $230 camera with a 10% failure rate I did take it into consideration.The real test will be when I take this camera on my annual trip to Lake Superior for kayaking, camping, and snorkeling... Bad weather, rough water, and free diving... I may post another review afterward.A word of caution to anyone wanting an indestructible camera... This thing may be a beast, but it has moving parts so it can fail. I'd seen a lot of reviews where people ONLY brought ONE CAMERA and then complained that it failed during their trip. Bring two cameras, or if you are like me, bring three or four. They don't all have to be new, top-notch cameras either. My Sony is an older 12MP model that I bought for $1, add a sandwich bag and it is waterproof enough for kayaking and maybe an accidental dip although I wouldn't intentionally submerge it. It gives me a backup if I need it and is insignificant when packed in a hold on my sea kayak.

Awesome little camera and a great way to have a dive camera as well as a regular camera all in one package. I will admit that when I first received it I was skeptical tat it would be waterproof to 100'. It doesn't look that much different from a regular digital camera. The controls are very easy to use and you can shoot video with the single push of a button. First time in the water was in Nassau, Bahamas steel forest wreck site and I had it at 85' and it functioned flawlessly. It is not the greatest underwater camera you can own but it is an awesome starter camera for the financially conscious diver. I have read reviews where others complain about the charging port being inside the water tight seal and having to leave it open to charge it and they worry about dust and pet hair getting in it and causing a potential for a leak but I have not found this to be an issue. Honestly if you house is that nasty charging your camera is the least of your problems. Great little camera for above and below water use and great for people on a budget.

I have had a point and shoot digital camera since the first ones came out in the late 1990s. They have progressed from a lowly 3MP to the 16MP that is in this Nikon Coolpix AW130. Although the actual sensor is small compared with my 36MP Nikon D800e, I have found that the image quality is still excellent. I will be using this AW130 as my goto camera to take pics of engineering projects that I work on.I have used a Canon G12 for two years now to capture work pics, but I get tired of having to open and close the LCD back in order to see my capture results. The AW130 has a fixed LCD on the back which eliminates that hassle.The G12 also extends its lens from the camera body in order to capture images. The AW130 lens\zoom is all internal to the camera body. This eliminates the possibility of dust or water from getting into the lens and causing damage.I do a lot of hiking while shooting fine art pics that I sell through a gallery. Some of those locations are remote like the sand dunes in Death Valley, CA. Having a built-in compass and GPS-driven map feature will help me find my way back to my vehicle even in the dark. My wife likes that feature.I have tried the Nikon Wireless Mobile Utility (iOS) app on my iPhone5 to control the camera remotely. I like the feature as well as the ability to download images to the phone or upload images to the Internet. The feature works with my iPad as well and gives me an even larger viewing area. Great new toy opportunities.I am not keen on having a charging cord plugged into the open battery compartment, especially when I leave the camera on a countertop where it could be exposed to water or dust. Thus, I have ordered a Combo Kit Nixxell Battery (2pack) and charger for Nikon EN-EL12, MH-65. That kit will give me an external battery charger as well two spare batteries. Those could come in handy in places like Africa where there is a lot of dust and the need for multiple batteries when out on a shoot. (I use point and shoot sometimes to test composure for my larger Nikon cameras.)