Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have been very happy with this camera. There are a few trade-offs compared to a regular point-and-shoot, but fewer than with any other ruggedized camera that I've owned. It is the same body as the AW120 with some improvements such as a little better low light performance. Pros: -- Very good picture quality. -- Excellent and fast autofocus. Auto face detection which is nice. -- Easy to use. -- Excellent low light performance. -- Very solidly built. Survived a tumble down a lava rock slope that would have broken a regular camera. -- Has a depth/altimeter gauge that is on the main display. GPS built in. -- Multiple modes (like pet mode for taking action shots of your dog) but honestly you'll leave it in automatic 90% of the time. Cons: -- To charge it you have to plug the microUSB cable (connected to the charger or computer) into the charging port in the batter compartment. The means the O-rings are sitting exposed to dust, cat fur, etc.. Since you rely on these O-rings being intact and clean to keep for the waterproof seal this isn't ideal. I ultimately ordered a separate battery charger. -- The setting on the flash is either auto or no flash (in the automatic mode). You can force the flash to fire (to fill in darker areas of the scene) in most of the other modes like portrait. -- It only comes with a regular "land" strap. If you are taking it into water of significant depth recommend you get a float strap. Comparing the AW130 to the AW120: The AW130 is a relatively minor upgrade to the AW120 (which is being discontinued). Both cameras have 16 megapixels effective resolution, 5x optical zoom, optical image stabilization, max aperture f2.8, max shutter speed of 1/4000 sec, 3” screen with the same resolution. The improvements in the AW130 are: -- Better low light performance (ISO 125-6400, compared with AW120 ISO 125-1600) -- Slightly longer battery life (370 shots vs 350) -- Timelapse recording (but when are you really going to use this)