WaterProof Camera Test

Test bench: Waterproof cameras – Ok, big shot, let’s see you swim

The manufacturers say these cameras are waterproof and shockproof and still able to take great photographs. We nip off to fetch a sledgehammer

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT3

Does your toddler like a bit of experimental photography at bath time? Or are you a keen snorkeller? Then you’ll need a camera that operates underwater. Many claim to be waterproof and shockproof, but how do they perform in reality? We put five leading models to the test (see panel, right). This included the cameras being dropped 15ft onto sand, frozen in ice and taken into a swimming pool to shoot underwater.

Top of the class was this Panasonic, which shrugged off the challenges to produce superb results both above and below the waterline.

The controls are simple and its images were balanced and sharp, as was video footage. This shows the fallacy of going for maximum megapixels when you buy a camera, as the Lumix’s 12.1Mp sensor had the fewest in the test. The industrial appearance of the FT3 explains why it is the heaviest camera here, at 197g including battery, but this seemed to minimise damage — it emerged unscathed from the drop test but for a small jagged edge on its casing. That does not tarnish its hard-earned reputation as the toughest camera you can buy.

Price: £280 Buy now
Best for: Toughness
Verdict: A resilient superstar, but would leave a distinct dent in your bank balance.
panasonic.co.uk

Pentax Optio WG-1

If you conjured up a tough camera in your mind’s eye, this is what you might envisage. The case of this chunky 163g Pentax is swathed in thick rubber, and its buttons are solid — two features that enabled it to soak up punishing drops without sand infiltrating its nooks and crannies. The big freeze proved more of a problem, though: the battery displayed no signs of life until the camera had been warmed up.

Pentax pioneered waterproof cameras, but the WG-1, oddly, switched itself off during dives into the pool. It took images sluggishly underwater because its autofocus struggled, and refused to capture video. Images, too, were unimpressive generally.

Price: £210 Buy now
Best for: Rough and tumble
Verdict: Rugged in some respects but simply not good enough for the money.
pentax.co.uk

Fuji FinePix XP30 £125

This is the lowest-priced camera here — and it looks it. Nevertheless, the XP30 has decent specifications, including a 5x zoom, the biggest on test along with the Pentax’s.

This 165g Fuji displayed few signs of distress, other than the fact that it needed cajoling to switch on during the freeze test and sand had to be rinsed out of its crevices after it was dropped.

The camera functioned well underwater, though the images were a little soft and also rather grainy. Even so, while the Fuji is unexciting in photographic terms, it is only marginally inferior to the Olympus and withstood most of our tough challenges pretty well.

Price: £125
Best for: Value
Verdict: Cheap as chips and tough as old boots. Ideal for a teenager to fling about.
fujifilm.co.uk

Sony Cyber-Shot TX10

If the nearest you get to watersports is wiping rainwater off the lens, then this svelte Sony could well hit your sweet spot. It looks like a normal camera and, at 133g and less than 18mm thick, it is the most pocketable model here. Images were excellent — almost on a par with the Panasonic’s — with especially impressive tone and exposure levels. The problem is that the TX10 is simply not tough enough.

Its sliding lens cover panel got stuck during the freeze test and also after the drops, once sand had got lodged inside it, and even became misaligned at one point. The posh touchscreen, which activates most controls, proved nigh-on useless when damp, making the Sony impractical for wet work.

Price: £285
Best for: Style
Verdict: Classy compact that can take some bumps but is hardly robust.
sony.co.uk

Olympus Tough TG-310 £131

On the piste, size matters and, at 155g, this Olympus is both the lightest and also the thinnest camera tested here, apart from the Sony. The Olympus suffered few ill effects during the freeze test and its rubberised buttons help to disperse moisture, making it easy to operate while wet. The TG-310 proved robust outdoors, too, working well underwater and showing just a few small scratches after the drops.

Toughness aside, performance was more humdrum than Olympian, and the distinctly average images were a touch grainy. The flash is annoyingly overemployed, and the LCD screen is poor. But at this price, those are gripes, not deal-breakers.

Price: £131
Best for: Winter sports
Verdict: Solid all-rounder offering robustness and value rather than stellar performance.
olympus.co.uk

Hard knocks

How the cameras were tested

Each of these toughened cameras is sold on the promise of its ability to withstand physical punishment and so was subjected to a series of rigorous challenges. In each test, images were taken, which were later compared with others captured in more normal circumstances.

The Freeze: The makers claim their models are freezeproof down to -10C and so the cameras were placed in a freezer in individual containers filled with water so as to encase them in ice.

The Swim: These cameras are said to be waterproof down to 10ft or, in some cases, more than 30ft. Each was operated during a dive into a swimming pool to a depth of 3ft (to see the effect of a pressure change) and used for a longer period at 12ft while we wore diving gear.

The Drop: They are also supposed to be able to survive a drop of about 5ft onto a hard surface. In this final real-world test, each model was dropped 15ft onto a beach, which may have absorbed some of the impact but allowed us to assess whether sand grains has entered the camera’s nooks and crannies.

Prices are the best found online. Our “Best Buy” seal of approval goes to a product combining innovative features, quality and affordability. Based on original research conducted by Matt Tuffin for What Digital Camera.