Now I've seen it all - Nikon AW100 Camo Camera

A bunch of new cameras have been announced this week.  I'm not going to dwell on all of them.  Sony has announced not one, not two, but three new DSLR(ish) cameras all featuring 24mp APS-C sensors.  You know, for those who believe they need a 24mp sensor. (hint: you don't).  I may write more about these in the future.

Canon and Nikon have both announced some new compacts, but nothing that really jumps out at me.  If you're in the market for a point and shoot, now is a great time to look for sales on last year's models.  I'm personally waiting for the Canon 300 HS to drop in price-- my girlfriend needs a new compact, and Canon just announced the 310 HS.

Then there's the Nikon AW100, aka the camo camera:



I like this camera.  Leaving aside the silliness of it being released in camouflage-- what does that really accomplish other than making it hard to find if dropped in the forest?-- this actually looks like a nice piece of gear for the rugged outdoorsy type.  It's water proof to 33 feet, drop resistant to 5 feet, and freeze proof to 14°F.  One feature that I particularly like: it has an accelerometer inside, which allows you to assign functions (such as changing scene modes) to a specific swinging motion.  Useful if you're wearing heavy gloves.

The price is $379.95 and it'll be available in September in orange, blue, and black.  The camouflage version, for no apparent reason, is currently a European only model.