The latest in a line of Panasonic underwater models adds GPS to the feature list. This records the latitude and longitude of your photo location and adds it in to the exif data. This camera has an extremely tough body with rugged design and is waterproof to 12m and shockproof to 2m. It's even freezeproof to -10 degrees C and dustproof. You can shoot stills on the 12.1mp sensor or record full HD movies and there's a 3D mode. 

Attractive looking, bang up to date with spec and as rugged as they come!




Fujifilm Finepix XP10 digital camera

Cool colours, fun shape and useful 5x optical zoom. This one's waterproof to 3m and shockproof to 1m. So not quite as rugged as the Panasonic, but just a few quid over £100 makes it a bargain, especially considering it's 12 megapixel, has a large 2.7in monitor and has an easy to web upload making it quick to throw your pictures on facebook and videos on youtube.

 

A super slim model with a large 3in touch screen LCD for easier setting of controls. Waterproof down to 5m and a close focus of 1cm makes it a versatile option that can shoot stills, video or 3D format. The Carl Zeiss 4x optical zoom ouzes quality and the 16mp Exmor R CMOS sensor ensures large prints can be made. Looks like a real camera, so good for nights out too. 

 

Feels slightly more soldily built than some of the competitiors and has better rugged factors. Useful 5x zoom range with a close focus of 3cm and a host of 19 scene modes from fireworks to cuisine, plus some interesting filter effects, such as pop art and pinhole. The movie mode is quite basic, but the 14mp sensor makes up for this for still shooters.

 

Recently launched Pentax model with built in GPS sensor makes it greate for location shooting with geo-tagging, and the heavy duty construction makes it a go-everywhere-in-any-weather camera.  Another interesting option is the macro mode of just 1cm with 5 LED lights around the lens to illuminate the subject in a ring light style.
 

 

When 30 Editors of the most respected magazines in Europe get together and give a camera the TIPA Award for Best Rugged Compact 2010 it has to mean something. Shock, dust, water and freeze proof this is one for the great outdoors, and it looks cool too. Spec wise it's starting to lag behind a bit with a 12mp sensor, 3x zoom and standard video. It does however have spot metering and spot focus to ensure more accurate results and an interval timer for timelapse. 

 
Specifications compared (bold is best)

 

 

Overall winner
It's a tough call, parden the pun, but there's got to be just one winner. We've chosen the Sony, Cyber-shot TX10. It may not look as fun as some of the others, but just because it's designed for outdoor sport use doesn't mean it has to look like a bathtime accessory.

The Cyber-shot TX10 will look just as good when you're out in the evening, but has a rugged case that makes it great for the rough conditions too.

Its larger LCD is brilliant for looking at results or framing up shots and the touch screen makes easy work of setting modes.

It's not as useful for deeper underwater shooting, but if you're going that deep you really need a serious underwater model anyway. The camera's video mode is high resolution, the sensor is the best of the bunch and the Carl Zeiss lens really will deliver super sharp  results.  
 

All that in the lightest body, makes it a model to carry at all times.   

Competitive buying prices from our retail partner:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT3

 
Read our updated guide to the Top 10 Best Waterproof Cameras.