I pulled into my neighborhood the other day, windows down, enjoying the hot summer sun. I could hear my neighbor yelling at her children “don‘t you dare!” as I turned into my driveway. They responded with the maniacal laughter that only children can provide and proceeded to spray her from head to toe with their garden hose. She chased after them angrily, shouting that her camera was in her pocket and that it was most certainly ruined. I chuckled and thought to myself ‘˜that‘ll never happen to me‘. Not the being chased down by kids while they water me like a flower part. I expect that in my near future. But the ruining another camera by getting it wet part. I was smart enough to purchase myself a Nikon Coolpix AW120 – which happens to be a waterproof camera.
The Coolpix AW120 is a nifty little bugger to have around. I‘ve taken it with me to the swimming pool, into a lake, even hiking up to some hot springs. It was a little confusing at first; most cameras are a turn on, set up, easy to navigate device, but because I‘m not one for reading instructions, it took me a minute to figure how to put the battery in. It has a weird push down and twist knob that looks like it should adjust the zoom but it was in fact, for opening the battery and SD card compartment. The Fort Knox style security makes sense though, as it locks up tight to keep the insides dry.
I‘m going to give you a quick run down of the specs for time-saving purposes. The Nikon Coolpix AW120 is has a 16 megapixel CMOS sensor and a 5x (4.3-21.5mm) optical zoom. It also offers a high definition video mode for those extra sharp videos, and a 3 inch LCD display for playback. Wi-Fi makes sharing images almost as easy as using a phone, but with much better quality. It has a whole bunch of special effects that you can add while taking photos (D-lighting, quick retouch, small picture, glamour retouch, skin softening, filter effects, crop and others) , similar to what you would find on other cameras in this price range.
Here‘s where it gets exciting. The Coolpix AW120 is waterproof down to 59 feet and can be dropped safely from just over 6 feet! Yes, 59 feet. You read that correctly my friend! This sweet camera can go with you on vacation,be it scuba diving or snorkeling. Of course, you could also just take it with you on your next family outing to the local swimming pool. Plus you will be able make huge prints with 16 megapixels! I‘ve taken many a great shots that a couple years ago wouldn‘t have happened. Now I can photograph memories rain or shine!
Alright pal, time to skootch on over and check out one for yourself http://www.nikonusa.com/
Cheers!
-Heather