Waterproof

Seemed like it would never happen, but the weather's finally warm enough to start hitting the pool, the beach, and other outdoor venues. Alas, most cameras are too delicate to endure contact with surf and sand. So if you plan to take pictures, you'll need a waterproof model.

Camera outfitter Willoughby's has a Pentax waterproof-camera bundle that's just for CNET readers: A Pentax Optio WS80 10-megapixel camera, Pentax carrying case, floating wrist strap, and 2GB SD card, all for $99.99 shipped.

The WS80 has fairly standard specs, including a 2.7-inch LCD, a 5X optical … Read more

There are a lot of rugged point-and-shoot digital camera options this year. But while most manufacturers are new to the market, Pentax is on its 11th generation with the Optio W90. The 12-megapixel camera is waterproof down to 20 feet, shockproof to 4 feet, and freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

Built from reinforced polycarbonate plastic, the W90 has a 5x f3.5-5.5 28-140mm-equivalent lens in front and a 2.7-inch display on back. If you look closely at the lens surround, you can see there are three LEDs to help brighten your scenes. They're also designed to work … Read more

Where once there were only a couple rugged/waterproof camera options, there are now several available; just about every major manufacturer has one. From the looks of these two from Samsung, it's still on the fence about whether it needs to compete in this area.

Pictured above on the left is the AQ100, a 12-megapixel ultracompact that's waterproof down to 10 feet for an unspecified amount of time (my guess is 30 minutes). It has an internal 5x zoom lens, a 2.7-inch LCD, digital image stabilization, and can record video at resolutions up to 720p at 30fps. … Read more

Hey, look, it's a rugged ultracompact camera from Sony (in case you hadn't already read about it). The Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 is basically a refreshed version of the TX1 made to be waterproof down to 10 feet for up to an hour, survive drops of about 5 feet, and keep shooting in temps as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus, the waterproofing makes it dustproof.

Like I said, it does all the same stuff as the TX1 including those Sweep Panorama shots (it's Intelligent now for improved stitching and detection of faces and subject motion) and 720p video, … Read more

To show that it's still a leader in the rugged compact camera market, Olympus on Tuesday announced two Tough series models. Available in February, the $399.99 Stylus Tough-8010 is shockproof to drops of 6.6 feet and waterproof to depths of 33 feet, while the $299.99 Stylus Tough-6020 is shockproof to drops of 5 feet and waterproof to depths of 16 feet. Also, both cameras are freezeproof to temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

Olympus does well with the rugged part of these cameras, but their feature sets were never very interesting. This time out, though, … Read more

As a basic point-and-shoot to keep poolside, the Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP is relatively successful. But if you are looking for any sort of drop protection, it's not worth considering. Enter the XP10, a full-on rugged model able to withstand drops from 3 feet, dives in 10 feet of water, and temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit. The "proofing" in turn prevents dust from entering the body as well.

Unfortunately, the rest of the 12-megapixel camera's features are lackluster. It has an internal periscopic lens with a 5x zoom, digital image stabilization, a battery life of … Read more

So I really liked the Panasonic Lumix TS1, the company's first foray into rugged compact cameras, but it wasn't as indestructible as some of its competition. Round two, the TS2, corrects that as it's waterproof down to 33 feet, shockproof from drops up to 10 feet 6.6 feet, and freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit putting it in line with models from Olympus, Canon, and Pentax.

Panasonic didn't skimp on other features, either, basically making it a full-featured ultracompact in a tougher shell. It has a 14-megapixel resolution, a 2.7-inch LCD, 28mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with … Read more

Otterbox is known for its ultraprotective iPhone cases. Now M-Edge, which specializes in Kindle cases, is doing the same for the Kindle, with an announcement that it will sell the first waterproof Kindle case this spring.

The company says the Guardian is made of molded plastic and protects your Kindle in all water environments up to 1 meter deep, whether you're in the pool, ocean, or just soaking in the tub. Your e-reader is totally sealed in the case, but you can still access all the buttons through "flexible sealed button cutouts." Even better, the case turns … Read more

On paper, the GoPro HD Hero is hitting on all cylinders. It's rugged, it's compact, and--to top it all off--it shoots in five modes of video (four of which are HD) and high-resolution still photography. But then you go to use it and things start to run a little less smoothly.

The HD Hero's weakest point lies with its thumbnail-size LCD screen and pinhead-size icons. With only two buttons and a cryptic menu system, the Hero's options screen probably shouldn't be tackled without an instruction manual close at hand. How else are you supposed to … Read more