Nikon D5300

C. Berrien (Berkeley, CA USA) : I purchased this camera two weeks ago specifically for snorkeling and fishing during a week long trip to Hawaii. I just got back home, super pissed. Before leaving, I tested its "waterproofness" in the sink and it seemed okay. The macro worked great underwater. I used all the different features the week before the trip so I would be comfortable with it. Everything worked great. I was stoked. First day in Hawaii I snorkeled with it and it seemed great. Great pictures. On the second day I snorkeled and it worked great. The next day I noticed some moisture inside the lens so I removed the battery and memory card and left the battery cover open to let it air dry overnight. I figured maybe I opened the battery cover too early when I transferred the pics from the second day to the computer and some water got inside.

RM : No big deal. Checked it the next day and it seemed bone dry, crystal clear lens. I was excited to use it again. We went back down to the water for some more snorkeling, within 30 seconds the lens was fogged up so I immediately started for the beach. One minute later it was dead! Totally non-responsive. I dried the outside (as I had done EVERY time before opening the battery cover) and found the camera FULL of water. The seal seemed perfect, it was latched. I couldn't figure out where it was leaking from. For the next three days I tried everything to get it to dry out so I could use it as a "normal" camera. Fail. Dead. So pissed, I was really looking forward to using it for some good pics of all the tropical fish. I returned it yesterday. The problem I have is that I really loved that camera when it worked and hope it was some kind of fluke so I can buy another one. I didn't get sand in the seal, I didn't drop it, I babied that camera and it failed in the second weak of ownership! If anyone has had the same experience please reply to this so I that I will know that it was not a fluke and should buy another brand

Gale (Utah) : In summary I wanted to love this camera but in the end I think it only partially lived up to it's bill as an adventure camera. The problematic power supply issues, poor HD video quality, terrible controls, inconsistent photo quality, and less than ideal digiscoping functionality were not enought to outweigh the positives of underwater mode, and high mega pixels. I hope my discussion of the details will help other backcountry users know what they are getting into if they buy this. Unfortunately I feel like I don't know what else to turn to right now.

Nikon COOLPIX S6500 Voucher

ocannie : I received this camera as a gift for xmas this past December and have been using it on adventures ever since. I've dropped it hiking through rough terrain and there is no more than a scratch. The most amazing experience and what compelled me to write this review was 4 days ago I was on a boat in a lake when I dropped the camera into the water. It quickly sank (because I had not yet connected it to its "life jacket" (which is a fabulous accessory I purchased for the camera). I knew the area the camera sank in and the dock boys promised to send a diver down to get it within the next few days. 3 days in the water at approx 20 feet and the camera was found in perfect condition!! Can't even believe it!! I knew it was waterproof but was skeptic about how well it would really work. LET ME TELL YOU THAT THIS WATERPROOF/SHOCKPROOF CAMERA IS THE REAL DEAL!! I am so happy with how well its held up under the conditions I've put it in that I will recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable, sturdy, all terrain camera.

M. Kirchner (Louisville, KY United States) : Ordered a Nikon COOLPIX AW100 waterproof camera from Amazon for an upcoming snorkeling trip. Received the camera and spent a few days getting familiar with it. I thought it would be a good idea to check the camera for "waterproofness", so I submerged it into a bucket of tap water for about 20 minutes. As soon as I put it in the water, a large bubble of air came from the case, and I thought that was odd. After 20 minutes, I tried taking a couple of close-up pictures with the camera still in the bucket, and noticed that there were water droplets in the picture! Took the camera out of the water and there was water inside the front lens, with visible droplets on the inside surface of the lens! After a few minutes, the whole lens fogged up on the inside, making further pictures impossible. Additional condensation appeared around the edges of the view screen. I opened up the battery/memory card cover and there was water inside the camera.

Timea : I purchased this camera for a snorkeling trip to Hawaii, and I had some concerns reading the negative reviews about the underwater image quality and water leaking into the camera.
But eventually the underwater pictures came out to be amazing (obviously with a blue tint due to being under water...), and the camera did not leak, not even during frequent 20 feet dives. However I made very very special care to follow the users manual on how to keep it waterproof (after salt water use soak it in tap water before opening, etc).
To keep it waterproof you also have to handle it with care. Once I caused water condensation inside the camera when immersed the hot camera (after using it in the sun for a few minutes) into very cold spring water. Condensation immediately appeared on the inside of the lens and the display. I switched it off, cleaned it, opened it, let it dry and it worked fine again afterwards. Lesson learned.

Nikon COOLPIX L610 Voucher

david green : I read all the reviews earlier, and to be honest i think some are bogus.We were on vacation for 25 days in st barth and used this camera every day all dayin 25 degree weather in the water ,underwater, in the sun. Following the instructions of soaking after use in fresh water, leaving to dry before opening ect it worked every time with no problems..Great pictures and video....Recommended!!!!!

Maurice : This camera is a complete waste of money for underwater usage. The pictures are utter garbage, UNLESS you are in extremely bright light, and within 2 feet of the surface. After using this camera for a month in Aruba, taking roughly 150 pictures a day in the ocean, 14 were worth keeping. For the most part, pictures are simply green/blue with little or no color differentiation. It is really awful.

KJ Burke : I took this camera to Greece with me and it was great. I got pictures that no one else could imagine. We were on the beach, out in the water, under water, and panorama shots of the beach from the water while I was swimming. Battery lasts a long time, the GPS feature is awesome and the waterproof is the best. YOU MUST BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU OPEN THE CAMERA DO NOT DO IT ON THE BEACH. Like any other waterproof device you need to make sure every spec of dirt and dust is out of the seal or the camera will leak. A piece of sand will make the seal no longer waterproof. Every other review that said it leaked was correct, but its because you didn't make sure it was clean and clear of dirt when you sealed it. Putting a piece of sand in a waterproof seal is like putting your hand out the car window while trying to close it, it will NEVER seal properly with dirt in it.

Nikon COOLPIX P510 Voucher

Wingfoot 3A (USA) : Purchased the camera for an over seas trip, but also used the item for a Hawaiian vacation. The camera was used in and out of cold waterfalls, toted along as i jumped from a 20 ft drop into a water hole mixed with sea and fresh water; as well as snorkeling off a beach without ever fogging up. the camera froze on me once, had to go back to shore, patted the battery compartment dry before opening and forced the camera to power cycle manually, went back within a few minutes in to the ocean without a hitch. The battery life depends on usage, i found that with the GPS function as well as movie mode drained the battery quicker than without those functions being used, but i still was able to get one days worth of vacation shooting on a 4 gb card. The GPS function is definitely helpful when you get back home from vacation in order to remember the places you've been. sometimes it takes the camera some time 10-15 minutes before the camera picks up your location depending on your over head cover. The camera does surprisingly well in low light conditions as well as 5-10 ft shots underwater, the colors at 5-10ft still come up well and require minimal color correction through Photoshop. The weakness is long distance evening shot focus, but i didn't really expect the camera to have that ability, manual focus is usually more precise; i couldn't find that function on the camera, will continue to play around with the camera to see if that function exists. Additional functions that would be helpful would be delayed shot capability for night shots, i figure that could be a software function update. Overall I would recommend this camera albeit it's price.

shops a lot : I've owned the camera for two months. It' every user friendly and the pictures are outstanding. When we loaded the pictures onto our computer and compared them with the pictures taken by our old camera, the colors were more vibrant, the focus sharper and they just looked better. I've shot stills and video. The video would freeze part way through a shot, After some research I found it was my memory card, not the camera. I had tried to save money and purchased a Kumputerbay memory card. When I changed that for a more expensive car, the video worked fine. My only complaint is that when using video the zoom is fast and jerky. I need to do more research and confirm it's the camera and not a setting I don't know how to use yet. Overall, I am extremely pleased with how easy the camera is to use and the quality of the pictures it produces.

James Boekholt : Camera takes EXCELENT pictures and video as I would expect from Nikon. What I didn't expect was a waterproof camera that LEAKS during first use. I have returned mine to Amazon for a refund. I saw several other reviews that the device leaks, but I thought it was an isolated incident or user error. There was no user error here. The first time I used it was in the pool and I doubt it was deeper than 3 feet in water. When I went to get pictures off the camera I noticed that there was moisture on the LED screen. The camera was still functioning, but it definitely leaked.

Nikon COOLPIX L26 Voucher

John Orleans "International Man of Leisure" (Chicago, IL USA) : read the manual. If you do, your life will be easier. Really. IF you bother to read the manual, you will find that there are drainage ports built into the camera to help clear it when you get out of the water. The camera's not leaking, it's draining. Also, if you, say, leave the camera in the bright sun for a while, then take it snorkeling, the lens will fog up. It's physics, not a design flaw. The fog should clear after 10 - 15 minutes, but may take much longer, depending on the temperature differential. After each use in water, the camera should be gently rinsed in fresh water or else the seals may crack and leak. These were the vast majority of the complaints about the camera that could have been resolved by taking 15 minutes to RTFM.

MamaBear : I have to preface this with the disclaimer that I am a "semi" professional photographer and so I am very, very picky about image quality. I compared my new aw100 against my Canon 60D with the 24-105 L lens. not fair I know, but life's not fair.
Of course the 60D blew it away, but I was still impressed by the aw100. the macro is decent, images are good quality. nice set of presets (indoor, pets, underwater etc...). would I use this camera for a photo shoot, no. but as a small, lightweight rugged camera that I can easily carry in a pocket, it impressed me. this will be the camera I take with my hiking, to the beach, boating or anywhere else I where getting the best possible shot is not worth risking $4K worth of camera gear. I even stuck in my Koi Pond to see how it did underwater. I wish I had this camera when I went snorkeling instead of the cheap disposable underwater camera I had. I may even leave my Canon at home the next time I travel over-seas. lugging a backpack full of lenses and cameras halfway around the world is not as fun as you would think.

Code Monkey (Nashville, TN.) : if you are looking for a camera that you can take anywhere and get decent pics, this is a good pick. Picky people like me may not be 100% satisfied with the images, but for posting online or any non-professional use you should be more than happy. when you weigh the less than stellar images against loosing or breaking your big expensive DSLR, it is no contest. Can't wait for scuba diving this spring.

Nikon COOLPIX S3300 Voucher

Stephen Caruso "rockinmymac" (Killeen, TX) : Nikon Glass (I own most all their pro glass.. so I'm a big fan)
The waterproof latch is infallible. I've had pentax bumped while underwater and it was toast.
Macro lets you get super close
Filter adapter, lets me use polarize filters. A must for when on the water and better colors.
Wide 25mm, love it.
Turns on quickly
Nice feel

sam rootjanapunt (apollo beach, fl USA) : I bought this camera for a trip to Thailand and Vietnam this past summer, and also for future water related activities. After using it the second time in water, first time snorkeling, second in a pool: it broke. I wasn't using it abusively, but somehow water leaked into the camera and it started acting up.

Jason D. Hall : The one feature they don't discuss and the one I was most surpised about how much I like it is a built in panoramic feature. The camera will assist you in taking either 180 or 360 panoramics. It will either perform the stitching for you and produce a single panoramic or take the needed individual shots for you to stitch later. I've found this an awesome feature for here in Afghanistan for taking deployment pictures of the scenic landscapes here.

Nikon COOLPIX P520 Voucher

JD "Hog" (Juneau, AK) : I have been looking for a waterproof camera to take on vacation to Thailand. After considerable research the Panasonic Lumix TS3 seemed to be the top dog for rugged cameras. In favor of the Lumix, I liked the durable feel and overall fit and finish, the wide angle lens and I think people willing to play around with settings will have nice options. Unfortunately, the lumix was quite bad in low light situations and overall had soft photos. I recently saw the Nikon AW100 on sale locally and decided to try out the latest and greatest rugged (at least I hoped so with nikon's recent attempt in the waterproof market). With limited testing and no underwater use I decided I preferred photos taken with the AW100 better and returned the lumix. I am happy with the contrast and low light photos of the AW100 and hope I made the right choice for my vacation.

Alan Montgomery (Durham, NC) : I selected the Nikon AW100 over the TX-10 because of a better external form (TX-10 too hard to hold securely, sliding cover, and 3 seal points in 2 doors) and over the TS-3 with hopes of slightly better image quality and a better GPS performance. And over both, with hopes of using the included 40.5 mm filter adapter to attach to my Vortex Razor 85 scope's filter thread based camera adapter for digiscoping. The plastic 40.5 mm filter adapter attaches firm enough that I am confident the physical thread attachment will carry the off-center load. I am waiting for a filter step up ring to arrive to check out the optical compatibility and will update my review later.

av8r : This is my first weatherproofed camera and I have had it for a week. I have used several other P&S and DSLR cameras, but do not make my living taking images. Build quality is very good with nice image quality and plenty of features. I will say this camera won't replace the high IQ cameras where fine detail in grass, trees and textures is of high importance. Nor for the person who wants RAW or lots of manual control or who desires to do a lot of cropping. This camera is for the person who wants to capture their outdoor adventures in photos and videos no matter what the conditions and is willing to pay a premium over conventional P&S cameras. The AW100 images have a slightly soft look and zoomed-in fine detail tends to disappear by the image processing even at the lowest ISO. But the colors and general image quality are good enough for most users who just want a nice adventure picture to share with others in printed or online form. The 16MP CMOS element doesn't produce the IQ I'd hoped for, but I am still happy considering the compromises involved. 2x zoomed images shot at 5 MP generally look almost as good as the 16MP on my computer monitor, so the extra pixels are not adding that much benefit. Night and low light looks pretty acceptable with expected increase in noise.