MISSION READY
With its compact camera business all but decimated by the smartphone, Nikon has moved on to a logical replacement… the actioncam.
Nikon is a purer camera company than any of its competitors. By that we mean a much greater proportion of its business is cameras and optics. So, when a fairly important part of that business takes a big hit – as has happened with digital compact cameras over the last few years – there’s a greater imperative to find an alternative source of income.
So, when Nikon announced its first KeyMission actioncam, it took quite a few people by surprise, but there’s a simple logic at play here… actioncams are the new digital compact cameras. Yes, smartphones – the nemesis of the humble compact – can shoot video too, but actioncams can do a whole lot more, particularly in extreme conditions and extreme locations. A very capable snapshooter, the smartphone is less workable when you need your hands free for other more essential duties or when the going gets a bit tough.
With the actioncam market already fairly crowded and including some pretty big players such as Sony, Panasonic and the ubiquitous GoPro; you might wonder whether Nikon is arriving at the party a little too late, but it’s actually the first of the big photo brands to enter this market… and the KeyMission 360, in particular, is not just another ‘me too’ product. This is not to say that Nikon is going to clean up straightaway, but the actioncam market is still growing and, if you’re a keen photographer thinking of jumping in right now, the Nikon name has plenty of kudos. Sure, GoPro invented the category and is still dominant especially with pro video-makers, but Nikon is now well-known here too, and its camera cred is arguably rather more wellrounded (well, you don’t get to celebrate a 100th anniversary as a camera maker without doing something right).
There are currently three KeyMission models – with more to come according to Nikon – and we’re looking at two of them here. The entry-level KeyMission 80 is designed primarily as a wearable video camera and is a smart-looking little device (ironically styled very much like a smartphone), but we suspect photographers are going to be much more interested in the 170 and 360 models which have greater scope for exploring the many possibilities of action videos. And this is exactly why you might consider buying an actioncam to use in situations where you’d never risk your D-SLR or mirrorless camera, even one with excellent video capabilities. The combination of compactness, minimal weight, ruggedness and affordability is what makes the actioncam so suited to ‘special ops’ applications.
FULL PROTECTION
The KeyMission 170 is Nikon’s take on the ‘conventional’ actioncam in that it follows the basic GoPro recipe of an ultra-wide lens in an ultra-compact bodyshell that can be mounted on just about anything that moves (including yourself) via various adaptors and plates. However, Nikon being Nikon, the KM 170 has a bit more in terms of its still shooting capabilities, and it offers the convenience of having a built-in LCD monitor screen.
Of course, in the actioncam world, both remote camera control and live view monitoring via a smart device – either tablet or mobile phone – running the required app is increasingly the norm, but the direct method still has advantages. So, although tiny at just 3.4 cm, the KM 170’s monitor screen still allows for precise aiming and framing plus menu-driven operations using a set of three keys – up, down and OK. Not surprisingly, real estate is at a premium on a camera
of this size so there’s only two other external controls – a shutter release for taking stills and a stop/ start button for recording video. Having separate releases for stills and video is very handy and both buttons, as it happens, are actually reasonably well-sized – as are the menu keys – so driving the KM 170 with a gloved hand shouldn’t be quite such a challenge as it can be with miniscule controls.
Unlike a number of rival models, the KM 170’s bodyshell is fully waterproofed without the need for an additional cover, although one is available as an optional accessory should you wish to extend the maximum depth permissible from ten metres to 40 metres. The sealing also provides dustproofing plus there’s shock protection for drops of up to two metres and insulation to permit shooting in sub-zero temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius. What this means is that the Nikon actioncam is very well protected for any on-land applications without needing a housing, and down to ten metres is likely to be sufficient for many underwater excursions. Consequently, the camera stays as small and light as it can be in these situations and there’s always direct access to the menus. To guard against any unfortunate accidents, the cover on the compartment for the battery and memory card is double latched with bright yellow flags which are hard to miss if either is unlocked. The cover itself is lined on the inside with a substantial rubber gasket and, logically, the compartment also houses the camera’s USB and HDMI ports.
Like most actioncams, the KM 170 uses a microSD memory card which is now available with storage capacities up to 256 GB. The battery is Nikon’s EN-EL12 lithiumion pack – as used in a bunch of Coolpix S series models – and here it’s good for 250 shots or around 60 minutes of video recording. Because of its many other applications, spares are readily available both from Nikon and thirdparty brands. Recharging is via the camera’s micro-USB connector and the cable is supplied among the kit of accessories that also comes in the box… including a wireless remote controller and a selection of mounts.
The 2.4mm f2.8 lens is equivalent to a 15mm in the 35mm format so it gives an ultra-wide angle-of-view of 170 degrees. It’s mated with a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with a total pixel count of 12.71 million and a sensitivity range equivalent to ISO 100 to 1600. JPEGs are captured at 3840x2160 pixels and 4K video is recorded in the Ultra HD (UHD) resolution which, of course, is also 3840x2160 pixels. This naturally means that still images are captured at the 16:9 aspect ratio. UHD footage is recorded at 25 fps or 30 fps – you can switch between the PAL and NTSC TV standards – while the Full HD 1080p speeds are 25, 50 or 100 fps (PAL), this last setting enabling 4x slow-motion sequences. Additionally, HD 720p can be recorded at 200 fps which gives 8x slow-mo. There are also time-lapse and ‘Superlapse’ modes – with the latter still images saved from the recorded movie and automatically stitched into fast-motion movie (with the choice of 2x, 4x, 6x, 10x or 15x speeds).
IN CONTROL
Electronic image stabilisation – Nikon again uses its “Vibration Reduction” label – is available when recording 2K footage, but obviously not with 4K as the whole sensor area is being used here so there’s nowhere to shift the image.
The focus is fixed from 40 centimetres to infinity, but the inherent depth-of-field at this focal length makes it largely unnecessary anyway. Exposure control is programmed, but with access to +/-2.0 EV compensation and the auto white balance correction is supplemented by presets for daylight, cloudy, tungsten lighting and fluorescent lighting. There are three picture presets – for varying colour and contrast – namely Standard, Vivid and Monochrome, plus an underwater mode which adjusts the colour balance accordingly.
YOU MIGHT WONDER WHETHER NIKON IS ARRIVING AT THE ACTIONCAM PARTY A LITTLE TOO LATE, BUT IT’S ACTUALLY THE FIRST OF THE BIG PHOTO BRANDS TO ENTER THIS MARKET.
However, individual controls aren’t available nor is there a flat, videocentric profile to make post-camera colour grading easier (and which, for example, is available on the latest GoPro Hero model). The menu system is easy to use once you understand the need to always navigate to ‘Back’ – which is at the top of each page – in order to reverse from the sub-menus and settings… it’s a necessity born of there being only up/down keys. Touchscreen controls would actually be very useful here, but perhaps the monitor’s small size prevents it. Of course, you can always opt to control the KM 170 from your smartphone or tablet as it has WiFi with NFC connectivity. It also has Nikon’s Bluetooth-based ‘SnapBridge’ alwayson connection for easier file sharing or uploading via the SnapBridge app. The supplied remote trigger – which again has separate releases for stills and video – also has configurable ‘Fn’ button which can be set to the function you need the most frequently.
The video performance is excellent, both in 2K and 4K, with plenty of detailing, good colour reproduction – especially in the Vivid mode – and surprisingly good sharpness. The sound quality isn’t quite so brilliant, but it’s certainly good enough to record the essence of what’s going on. There’s quite a lot of handling noise when the camera is used hand-held – probably not surprising given the smallness of the body – so having it mounted is definitely advisable, especially when shooting at 4K when there’s no stabilisation either. Still images look as good as you’d expect for 8.3 megapixels, but noise is an issue in low light situations… those tiny pixels have a pretty low signal-to-noise ratio which becomes quite evident at the sensitivity settings higher than ISO 400.
THE VERDICT
The KeyMission 170 faces some stiff competition – not the least from GoPro’s latest Hero 5 model – but it has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. For starters, it’s a Nikon which means something for photographers and, perhaps more importantly, it’s more photographically-orientated in terms of its features and operations. This is undoubtedly deliberate as Nikon would certainly know it’s not about to cause GoPro any sleepless nights any time soon, but it can build up its own customer base of photographers keen to start using an actioncam.
You don’t have to be a video expert to start having fun with the KM 170, and the ultra-wide stills with their distinctive curvature have creative potential as well. It’s certainly at the pricier end of the market, but the performance justifies it, and Nikon draws on its experience in D-SLRs and elsewhere to provide more pictorial control than is available on the cheaper models.