One Roll Impression - Nikon Action Touch

Thoughts of the new-to-me Nikon Action Touch after putting one roll through it

I have been wanting a film camera that is waterproof for a while now. I wanted something that would be rugged enough to take out with me while hiking if it was raining, and I was looking for something I can take out on the lake with me this summer to capture some deep water soloing with friends. I had a few cameras on my radar, maybe a Nikonos, but that seemed like overkill for what I want it for, the Canon Sureshot WP-1/A-1/etc., a Konica genbakantoku was also on the list, but what really seemed like the right camera was the Nikon L35 AW, an all weather version of the classic Nikon point and shoot. But those run more than I wanted to pay. Well, luckily there is another version of that camera that doesn’t garner the same popularity and price, the Nikon Action Touch. I found one for $80 on eBay and it seemed to be in good working condition (but you never know).

This camera is a bit of a brick, but in a good way, like a well-built & sturdy kind of way. It’s not exactly pocketable and easy to carry around day-to-day, but that wasn’t what I was looking for, I have my Olympus XA for that. The seller indicated that the seals are good, and it was tested in a sink with no leaks (I haven’t checked that out for myself yet, but I don’t plan on submerging it, just using it in wet conditions).

So, after I received it, I loaded it up with a roll of Kodak Gold and got to shooting!

Testing the exposure in a backlit setting

Non-backlit shot for reference

I’ve put one roll through this camera and I’m very happy with the results. I’ve never shot with anything with autofocus, so I have nothing to compare it to, but it seems fairly quick and it hit focus on the entire roll. The flash seems to work very well in dimly lit situations, and the feel of the camera makes it easy to handle and operate.

Testing out the flash

After popping off some shots around the house it was time to walk around the local park and see what I can get with this.

Not necessarily any bangers in my opinion, but I was really just taking it out to make sure it worked, and it worked great! The lens is sharp and color rendering is great! I’m very happy with this purchase and I can’t wait to take this out on adventures and see what interesting things I can do, especially since I don’t have to worry about it getting wet. Let me know, what’s your favorite adventure camera? Or do you just take your normal cameras with you on your adventures?