Canon Presents PowerShot D20 Underwater Compact

In 2009 Canon outed its first waterproof compact, the D10. Three years later, the firm has finally got round to updating its underwater snapper with the D20, which although very different from the D10, is no less distinctive.

Back in 2009, old hands in the waterproof compact market, Pentax and Olympus, were joined by the likes of Panasonic, Fujifilm and Canon.

Canon's D10 was a pretty original underwater compact, as its unusual diving-bell design housed a telescopic lens rather than one of the periscopic lenses usually favoured in this kind of camera. So while it didn't zoom as far as its competitors and it was a bulkier piece of kit, it had the best-quality lens by far. It also had a record-breaking shelf life for a waterproof compact, as after three years' service, Canon has just got round to announcing a replacement.

The PowerShot D20 sees Canon bring its underwater compact back up to speed with current market standards. This time, however, it uses a periscopic lens equivalent to 28-140 mm with a very ordinary set of specs. In fact, the lens has the same specs as the lens used in the Nikon AW100—fingers crossed it'll turn out to be better! The camera's design and dimensions are now comparable to most other waterproof compacts too.

The D20 uses a 12-Megapixel BSI CMOS which should make for decent sensitivity. Plus, there's a Full HD video mode even if it does only record mono sound. Canon has loaded the D20 with a GPS too, which is apparently low-power model to help save battery life—we'll be sure to check that when we test this camera for ourselves.

Although it's certainly nice to see a 3-inch LCD with 460,000 dots, it's a shame that the zoom controls are still on the back of the camera, especially considering its rounded, slippery design (although the D20 isn't quite the 'bar of soap' the D10 was).

Whether you like it or not, the new design is pretty distinctive. With a wave effect down one edge of the camera, a generally curvy look and brightly coloured details, the D20 will certainly stand out!

In terms of its all-terrain credentials, the D20 is quite similar to its predecessor—it's waterproof to 10 metres, shockproof to 1.5 metres and coldproof to -10°C. It's therefore not quite a match for Panasonic's FT3 or the Olympus TG-810, but it's still above average compared with most current underwater compacts.

Note that the D20 has a loop for attaching a carabiner clip and that underwater housing for use at depths of up to 40 metres is available separately.