Delicate electronics and small children do not a happy combination make. Any dad who’s making do with a smartphone with a cracked screen knows this to be true…
That’s what’s so great about this selection of digital cameras. You can drop them, dunk them, freeze them or play football with them and they’ll still be in perfect shape for taking snaps. Read on for our pick of the six best tough digital cameras, freshly updated with the latest top models.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5
Olympus makes a ton of tough cams, but this is its current best. Its tough-nut stats are comparable with its main competitors: 15m waterproof, 2m shockproof and happy snapping as low as -10C. You can add to that a stack of eye-catching features – including the ability to shoot in RAW (handy for those who like to do their own image editing) and built in GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity. There’s an excellent wide angle lens with a maximum f2.0 aperture – which makes this camera well-suited to low light and underwater photography. A stack of accessories are available, including fish-eye and telephoto lens converters.
£210.95, Simply Electronics
Canon PowerShot D30
This dinky snapper from Canon stands out thanks to it’s super-deep waterproofing. The D30 works just fine at depths of up to 25m, making it a great choice for scuba divers. It’s also shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof. It sports a bright three-inch screen, a 5x optical zoom and shoots full HD video.
£177, John Lewis
Fujifilm FinePix XP80
If it’s a bargain you’re after, the XP80 will surely be on your list. It offers tough-cam features at a rock-bottom price; pick up one of the refurb models and you can even get change from £100. Waterproofing is good to 15m and it can handle drops from up to 1.75m. It’s intended as a pure point-and-shoot – you’ll find little in the way of manual controls here – but full HD 1080p video recording is available at 60fps and the lens has 5x optical zoom.
£107.59, Pixmania
Olympus Tough TG-860
Any one of the cameras we’ve featured here will enable you to take snaps underwater, but only one of them makes it easy to pose for a selfie while you’re snorkelling. Olympus is the only manufacturer offering a tough camera with a tilting screen – this one and its predecessor the TG-850. The three-inch display can fold back 180 degrees from the camera, making selfies simple. It’s waterproof, crushproof, shockproof and freezeproof and has an ultra-wide-angle lens with 5x optical zoom.
£157.95, Simply Electronics
