How far would you go to get "the shot"? Sometimes, getting that perfect shot means putting yourself and your gear in some sticky situations. Fortunately, I was recently able to get my hands on one of Nikon's new AW 1 mirrorless cameras, which is waterproof down to 49 ft, shock proof from a 6.6 ft drop and freeze proof down to 14 degrees. Over the past few weeks I've been able to put the camera through a few tests that I would never imagine doing with my DSLRs.
The first test I put it through was during the waterfall class I put on with Chesler Photography Workshops. While most of the class was geared toward creating the veil look of the water, I couldn't help but try the camera out in the falls instead of looking at them. The results were pretty dramatic.
I bought the camera to take on fly fishing trips and out on the boat. I have a smaller point and shoot camera that's waterproof, but the results weren't what I wanted. As a professional photographer I'm always looking for quality even at the expense of a little convenience. The AW 1 is a small camera when compared with DSLRs but it's significantly bigger than a point and shoot. Nikon designed the camera to be able to change it's setting through a series of easy to touch buttons and by tilting the camera to toggle through the settings, so you can change the settings with gloves on or under water. There is definitely a learning curve with this camera since it is so different than Nikon's familiar DSLR buttons and menus. Although I bought the camera for it's waterproof capabilities, I was very impressed with it's autofocus speed and high frame rate to capture amazing stop action photographs.
The kids were out playing with water balloons today, so what better way could I find to test not only the speed of the camera, but also to combine it with it's waterproof capabilities to capture some truly dramatic images. I won't go in to all the technical aspects of the camera since other websites do a great job of that. I just want to share how it's a great tool to remove some of the limits of creativity.
The first test I put it through was during the waterfall class I put on with Chesler Photography Workshops. While most of the class was geared toward creating the veil look of the water, I couldn't help but try the camera out in the falls instead of looking at them. The results were pretty dramatic.
I bought the camera to take on fly fishing trips and out on the boat. I have a smaller point and shoot camera that's waterproof, but the results weren't what I wanted. As a professional photographer I'm always looking for quality even at the expense of a little convenience. The AW 1 is a small camera when compared with DSLRs but it's significantly bigger than a point and shoot. Nikon designed the camera to be able to change it's setting through a series of easy to touch buttons and by tilting the camera to toggle through the settings, so you can change the settings with gloves on or under water. There is definitely a learning curve with this camera since it is so different than Nikon's familiar DSLR buttons and menus. Although I bought the camera for it's waterproof capabilities, I was very impressed with it's autofocus speed and high frame rate to capture amazing stop action photographs.
The kids were out playing with water balloons today, so what better way could I find to test not only the speed of the camera, but also to combine it with it's waterproof capabilities to capture some truly dramatic images. I won't go in to all the technical aspects of the camera since other websites do a great job of that. I just want to share how it's a great tool to remove some of the limits of creativity.
