Nikon goes to the extreme with 1 AW1 camera

You can now take high-quality shots on your next adventure with Nikon’s new 1 AW1 camera, touted as the “world’s first” water-, shock-, and freeze-proof interchangeable lens camera.

The 14.2-megapixel shooter can take Full HD 1080p videos and high-res photos simultaneously, shoot slow motion video at 400 or 1200 frames per second, and is equipped with added features, such as Action Control that lets you control some functions by “simply swinging it in the air" for underwater user or when you're wearing gloves. Nikon also introduced tough lenses, the 1 NIKKOR AW 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.6 with a 2.5 times zoom range and the 1 NIKKOR AW 10mm f/2.8 for those wide angle shots.

Comments

[surfphotog]

This camera is a great idea, but Nikon created built-in lmitations.
Since the AW1 can't go deep enough for serious divers, it will be used in the shallows and in transitional areas both in and out of the water. So far so good.
But here's where the limitations begin:
1. No decent waterproof zoom. Nikon could have and should have offered the 10mm-100mm in a waterproof version for out-of-water / on-the-water use.
2. No viewfinder. This is a deal killer for anyone trying to use the camera for many situations in very bright, telephoto-range outdoor environments. The Nikonos had one; why not this camera?
3. The innovative but quirky substitute for dial or button control (tilting and rotating the camera to change settings) may work, but it could be problematic. We'll have to see about thisone.
I had pre-ordered this, but I've cancelled after considering the above. I hope that next year Nikon will wake up and make the camera more versatile.