B (142)

Better PhotograPhy

W

hen the Nikon 1 AW1 was

announced, it sent ripples

of excitement through the

industry. The world’s fi rst

rugged interchangeable

lens camera was set to arrive! For many,

the announcement was reminiscent of the

NIKONOS range of underwater cameras of

the 19 60s, which could go down 35metres

more than the AW1. So, just how good is the

rugged Nikon 1 AW1?

Features

When I fi rst saw the camera, it didn’t look

‘rugged’. It is certainly not pocketable with

the 11–27.5mm lens on. But, the AW1 is

waterproof upto 15m, shockproof from 2m

and freezeproof upto -10°C, the same as the

Olympus TG-3. It is based on the Nikon 1

system, which means it has a 14.2MP Nikon

CX sensor. In terms of 35mm, you get a range

of about 30–74mm with the 11–27.5mm

lens attached. It does not extend when you

change the focal length, and neither when

focusing. There is also an all weather 10mm

f/2.8 lens available for this camera.

It is a bit of a push to attach these lenses

because of the O-ring around the lens

mount. This O-ring is what keeps the

water from getting inside. It is possible to

use the other Nikon 1 series of lenses with

the camera, but this will mean that it will

no longer be waterproof and the O-ring

will be left exposed. Nikon has added a

WEiGHTAGE oF

PARAmETERS

Features

Performance

Build Quality

ergonomics

Warranty &

support

30%

20%

30%

15%

5%

Better PhotograPhy

Nikon 1 AW1

The Nikon 1 AW1 was the latest to join the Nikon 1 lineup. Natasha Desai

fi nds out how well the rugged interchangeable lens camera holds up.

march 2015

test

Surprisingly Rugged

40