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NIKON
KEYMISSION 170
$549 estimated average street price
Type: Compact 4K and Full HD video
actioncam with stills capture function.
Lens: 2.4mm f2.8 (15mm equivalent in
35mm). Seven elements in five groups.
170 degrees angle-of-view.
Focusing: Fixed range, 40 cm to infinity.
Sensor: 12.71 million pixels (total) back-
illuminated 1/2.3-inch (7.7 mm) CMOS.
Sensitivity range is equivalent to
ISO 100 to 1600.
Still Capture: JPEGs at 3840x2160 pixels.
Video Recording: Ultra HD 4K = 3840x
pixels at 25 fps progressive scan and 16:
aspect ratio. Full HD = 1920x1080 pixels
at 25 or 50 fps progressive scan and 16:
aspect ratio. Full HD = 1920x1080 pixels
at 100 fps progressive scan and 16:
aspect ratio, HD = 1280x720 pixels
at 200 fps progressive scan and 16:
aspect ratio. MP4 format with MPEG 4
AVC/H .264 compression. Stereo sound
recording. Switchable between PAL and
NTSC TV standards.
Recording Media: microSD/SDHC/SDXC
memory cards. Minimum Class 10
speed required (UHS Speed Class 3
for 4K recording).
Exposure Control: Matrix metering with
programmed auto exposure. +/-2.0 EV
compensation. Sensor shutter with
1/-1/16,000 second speed range.
White Balance: Auto correction with
four presets for daylight, cloudy, tungsten
and fluorescent.
Interfaces: miniUSB 2.0, micro HDMI
(Type D).
Features: Weatherised body (dustproof
and waterproofed for depths down to
ten metres), shock-proofing for drops of
up to two metres, insulation for subzero
shooting down to -10 degrees Celsius, 3.
cm TFT LCD monitor screen, built-in loud-
speaker, three picture presets (Standard,
Vivid, Monochrome), domed lens protec-
tor, electronic ‘Vibration Reduction’ image
stabilisation, time-lapse movie recording,
loop recording, underwater shooting
mode, dual-delay self-timer (two or ten
seconds), built-in WiFi with NFC con-
nectivity, SnapBridge (WiFi/Bluetooth)
compliant. Dedicated USB cable, wire-
less remote controller, underwater lens
protector and a range of camera mounts
supplied. Optional underwater housing
available (extends allowable depth to
40 metres).
Power: One 3.7 volt, 1050 mAh recharge-
able lithium-ion battery pack (EN-EL
type). Recharged in-camera via USB port.
Dimensions (WxHxD): 66.4x46.8x42.7mm
Weight: 134.5 grams (with battery pack
and memory card).
Price: $549. Estimated average
street price.
Information: Visit the website at
http://www.mynikonlife.com.au
VITAL STATISTICS
Info
KM 170 test images made with the Vivid
picture mode. There isn’t a lot of scope
for manual control, but auto systems
work pretty reliably.
20
NIKON KEYMISSION ON TRIAL
However, individual controls aren’t
available nor is there a fl at, video-
centric profi le to make post-camera
colour grading easier (and which, for
example, is available on the latest
GoPro Hero model). The menu system
is easy to use once you understand
the need to always navigate to ‘Back’
- which is at the top of each page – in
order to reverse from the sub-menus
and settings... it’s a necessity born
of there being only up/down keys.
Touchscreen controls would actually
be very useful here, but perhaps the
monitor’s small size prevents it. Of
course, you can always opt to control
the KM 170 from your smartphone
or tablet as it has WiFi with NFC
connectivity. It also has Nikon’s
Bluetooth-based ‘SnapBridge’ always-
on connection for easier fi le sharing
or uploading via the SnapBridge app.
The supplied remote trigger – which
again has separate releases for stills
and video – also has confi gurable ‘Fn’
button which can be set to the function
you need the most frequently.
The video performance is excellent,
both in 2K and 4K, with plenty of
detailing, good colour reproduction - especially in the Vivid mode – and
surprisingly good sharpness. The
sound quality isn’t quite so brilliant, but
it’s certainly good enough to record the
essence of what’s going on. There’s
quite a lot of handling noise when the
camera is used hand-held – probably
not surprising given the smallness
of the body – so having it mounted
is defi nitely advisable, especially
when shooting at 4K when there’s
no stabilisation either. Still images
look as good as you’d expect for 8.
megapixels, but noise is an issue
in low light situations... those tiny
pixels have a pretty low signal-to-noise
ratio which becomes quite evident
at the sensitivity settings higher
than ISO 400.
THE VERDICT
The KeyMission 170 faces some
stiff competition – not the least from
GoPro’s latest Hero 5 model – but it
has a couple of tricks up its sleeve.
For starters, it’s a Nikon which means
something for photographers and,
perhaps more importantly, it’s more
photographically-orientated in terms
of its features and operations. This
is undoubtedly deliberate as Nikon
would certainly know it’s not about to
cause GoPro any sleepless nights any
time soon, but it can build up its own
customer base of photographers keen
to start using an actioncam.
You don’t have to be a video expert
to start having fun with the KM 170,and the ultra-wide stills with their
distinctive curvature have creative
potential as well. It’s certainly at
the pricier end of the market, but
the performance justifi es it, and
Nikon draws on its experience in
D-SLRs and elsewhere to provide
more pictorial control than is
available on the cheaper models.CamMayJune17_018-025 NikonActionCams.indd 20 13/04/2017 9:56 AM