Nick Thomas looks at the Nikon AW100 that ticks all of his fishing photography boxes.
Want to remember that special fish or that special day? Post on a Facebook fishing group page or even write an article for ESF? If so, a good photograph is what you need. Cameras are pretty ubiquitous in phones these days, but they don't mix very well with water and the image quality can leave a lot to be desired. So the other option is to get a proper camera that won't get damaged by use alongside your other fishing gear.
I've been using a Nikon AW100 camera on all my fishing trips for the past year or so and it's become an integral part of my fishing gear, equally at home in my fly vest, wading jacket or in the front pocket of my chest waders. I own a couple of digital SLR cameras which get used for 'serious' photography so I was initially a bit dubious about the image quality that I'd get from a small compact. Admittedly the AW100 doesn't shoot RAW images, only JPEGs, so I can't get the same control over images in processing that I can with my Canon SLRs. However, that's a minor price to pay for the peace of mind that if I drop the camera onto rocks or into a river, a lake or the surf I haven't turned a peaceful day's fishing into an expensive disaster.
The camera has a 16 megapixel CMOS sensor with a 28 to 140mm (35 mm camera equivalent) zoom lens with image stabilisation, so it's versatile enough for all fishing situations from wide angle atmosphere shots to fish close ups. The autofocus is very fast and accurate for a compact camera and the crisp 3 inch display on the back is easily viewed in bright sunlight, even to one of advancing years who has to dig out a pair of reading glasses to get tippet anywhere near any fly smaller than a size 12.
As suggested by the all-weather AW prefix the camera is constructed to be shockproof to withstand dropping from 5 feet and waterproof to 10 metres. I haven't tested the latter yet, but I've certainly dropped it a couple of times and it shrugs off water, mud and fish slime with ease. It's a great advantage when taking fish pictures to be able to grab the camera and take a couple of quick shots without worrying about dirt and water and then get the fish back in the water as quickly as possible.
I've been very impressed with the image quality, it's never going to compete with a good SLR, but exposure, contrast, colour balance and resolution in most outdoor lighting situations are more than adequate for pretty much any use of images on screen or in print. Like most of today's compacts the AW100 supports a load of different shooting options, including automated 180 and 360 panorama modes and one touch HD video recording. I guess I may get round to trying these out if the occasion arises, but for now I'm happy to use it for straightforward still photography using the largest image setting with minimum JPEG compression.
The camera is supplied with a micro USB cable which allows me to quickly transfer images to my iPad for editing in Snapseed or PhotoForge if I'm away from home or to my PC for processing in Lightroom when I get back. It also has built in GPS, and while this probably isn't going to get a great deal of use in the UK I can always dream of using it to geotag trophy trout images from a remote river in Iceland or Alaska.
The AW100 has now been superseded by the AW110 which has the same optical engine in a upgraded casing which provides improved protection. The AW100 is still available from some sites on the web for around £190 and the newer AW110 for around £240. If you don't take a camera fishing because you're worried about damaging it, then take a look at this one, it's a great way to record that special fish or day.
Nick Thomas lives in South Wales. He started fly fishing on Scottish hill lochs many years ago and continues to design, tie and fish flies for trout, carp, bass and anything else that’s going.