Recently on holiday, I needed a waterproof digital camera. After an unfortunate accident the previous year with my Canon PowerShot G9, it seemed like a prudent thing to have.
Unfortunately, my local choices were quite limited and I ended up trying the Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 - more on this another time.
The waterproof digital point and shoot segment seems to be growing, which isn't too surprising since many people are going to be taking pictures in wet, dirty and areas that are generally unkind to digital cameras. Indeed thinking back to Photokina, there quite a few companies with water on hand in their booths to show the fearlessness of their wares in the face of water. Here's what available at the moment:
Canon PowerShot D10
This is the new kid on the block having just been released. It features 12MP, 3x zoom and Fisher Price looks. Sells for $399.
Fuji FinePix Z33WPAvailable in black, fluorescent green or hot pink, this model offers 10MP and a 3x zoom. Sells for $199.
Olympus Stylus Tough 6000Olympus have a large number of waterproof and shockproof cameras and effectively own this segment. Their two new ones are the 6000 and the 8000. The others (Stylus 790 SW, 850 SW, 1030 SW and 1050 SW) are still on their website but seem to be last generation.
The Stylus Tough 6000 is available in orange, blue, yellow or white, offers 10MP and a 3.6x zoom. Uses the ridiculous xD memory card format, but fortunately includes an adaptor that enables microSD cards to be used. Sells for $299.
Olympus Stylus Tough 8000Ups the resolution of the Stylus Tough 6000 to 12MP and goes deeper underwater to 33ft as well as being crushproof. Available in silver, black and blue. Sells for $399.
Pentax Optio W60
More of a rectangular shape than Fuji and Olympus squared shapes, this one goes to 10MP with a 5x zoom. Sells for $29
Pentax Optio W80
An update to the W60, adding 12MP and 720p 30fps video. Sells for $299.
Vivitar ViviCam 5399
A basic 5MP camera with a 4x digital zoom (no optical zoom) and a slow lens. Sells for $75.
Vivitar ViviCam 8400
An 8MP camera with an 8x digital zoom (no optical zoom) and a fixed f/3.1 lens. Sells for $100.
So that's what is out there in a nutshell. I'll try to play with them and post some thoughts.