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Camera Tests: Six Waterproof Compacts

Franck Mée
April 24, 2009 11:50 AM
The DigitalVersus lab team take their work seriously ...
A big day for our compact digital camera suvey! No fewer than six new models join those we've already tested.  They all have one thing in common: they're waterproof to a miniumum of at least three metres below the surface, andothers go further than that.


Other than that, they're all very different, and range in price from around £160 for the FujiFilm Finepix Z33 WP to over £300 for the Canon PowerShot D10.  These differences are down to the fact that while Fuji's camera is certainly waterproof, others are shock-resistant, can withstand being crushed and operate at extreme temperatures.  Others have more 'traditional' strong points, like better quality screens or image stabilization, all of which add a little to the price tag.

The Olympus Mju 550 WP is an ultra-compact, very affordable entry-level option, and looks just like any other pocket digital camera.

The FujiFilm Finepix Z33 WP is the 550's nearest competitor.  It's equally tiny, but much louder and available in lots of garish colours.
The Olympus Mju Tough 6000 represents something of a change in gear and costs a little more than the first two options.  For the extra cash, you get a 28 mm wide-angle lens and resistance to shocks that allows the camera to fall from heights of up to 1.5 m.

The Olympus Mju Tough 8000 offers even more, with a 12 Megapixel sensor that works up to 10 metres down. It's also crush-resistant, withstanding weights of up to 100 kg.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1 is the manufacturer's first underwater camera.  Although it only works at depths of up to 3 m, it can brave temperatures as low as - 10 °C, and makes up for that with HD 720p video and an excellent Intelligent Automatic mode.

The Canon PowerShot D10 is the only of the waterproof cameras on test to feature the kind of telescopic zoom you find on ordinary cameras, which makes for better quality photos but also leads to a very unusual design.  The lack of a wide-angle
lens, on the other hand, is very disappointing.

There's been a whole new range of hardware at start of 2009, robust digital cameras from manufacturers new to the water.  Will they stand up to the stiff competition from, Olympus and Pentax, up till now the big fish in this particular pond?

> Product Survey: Digital Compact Cameras


> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products
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