Kayaking with a Nikon Mirrorless Camera

After our move to the west coast a couple of years ago, we embraced the opportunity to spend some of our free time learning to kayak.  The Gulf Islands are one of the most scenic areas in Canada for kayak touring, and as a photographer, I was anxious to document our adventures and hopefully capture some great seascape images.  However, I was a bit apprehensive about exposing expensive camera gear to the risk of a dunking in salt water, especially while we were still in the "beginner" phase of developing our paddling skills.

Kayaking in Pilot Bay, Gabriola Island

Looking around, there didn't seem to be much choice between waterproof point-and-shoot cameras with tiny imaging sensors and the (very expensive) waterproof housings for larger DSLR cameras.  The one notable exception was the Nikon 1 AW1, a compact mirrorless camera with a 1" sensor (just slightly smaller than micro Four Thirds, and much bigger than the typical smartphone and P&S cameras.  The camera also accepted interchangeable lenses, although there were only two suitable for underwater use, a 10mm f2.8 wide angle prime lens (28mm equivalent) and an 11-27.5mm f3.5-5.6 zoom lens (roughly 30-75mm equivalent).

Nikon 1 AW1 with Nikkor AW 10mm and 11-27.5mm lenses

The camera captures 14-megapixel RAW images at up to 15 frames per second, and can record full HD video to an SD card.  Images are composed and reviewed on a 3-inch rear LCD screen, which works well in bright light, but it is hard to see with polarized sunglasses I normally wear while kayaking.  In addition to being waterproof (rated to 49 feet of submergence) the camera is also shockproof and freeze-proof.  

Starfish, as seen by Nikon 1 AW1 and Nikkor AW 10mm f2.8 lens

The Nikon 1 AW1 has a lot of features of varying usefulness, but my favourite is a built-in GPS receiver to tag your images with the location they were taken - perfect for tracking your adventures!  Why more cameras don't have this feature is beyond me...

GPS Locations of AW1 Photos Displayed in Adobe Lightroom Map Module

The Nikkor AW lenses are reasonably sharp and contrasty, although flare can be an issue, particularly if you have water droplets on the front element.  Of course, lens flare is a popular fad nowadays, with people going so far as to add fake flare artifacts in Photoshop, so this isn't necessarily a bad thing... but if you don't like it, it's a good idea to keep a small towel or chamois handy to wipe the drops off the front of the lens.

Lens Flare with Nikkor AW 11-27.5mm, near Piper's Lagoon

Unfortunately, like the rest of Nikon's 1 series mirrorless cameras, the AW1 has been discontinued, although they are still listed as being available on the Nikon web site as of this writing.   While the image quality is pretty good, and the concept was great, Nikon never really made any effort to market these cameras to the people who would actually use them. 

These cameras and lenses are are also available on the second-hand market; just be careful you don't get one that has been accidentally flooded with salt water.  The body and lenses have silicone O-rings that need to be maintained and occasionally replaced in order to keep them waterproof.

Below are some of the images I captured with the AW1 and the 11-27.5mm lens on recent outings to Pilot Bay and Degnen Bay on Gabriola Island.

Kayaking in Pilot Bay

Burial Island, Degnen Bay

Kayaking in Degnen Bay

Kayaking in Degnen Bay

Kayaking in Degnen Bay

Kayaking in Degnen Bay

More kayaking photos from the Gulf Islands can be found on my web site:  Kayaking Images