Belonging to the Olympus Tough family of rugged and robust cameras, the Olympus Tough TG-320 has all the features to make it a camera for swimmers and divers, mountain bikers and trekkers, skiers and snowboarders, as well as dune bashers and sandboarders.

Equipped with special seals and gaskets, water cannot intrude into the camera even at depths of 16 feet. This allows you to take photos of your kids as they frolic in the pool, or of colorful fishes as they swim among seaweeds and corals.

If you drop it while jumping with your mountain bike as you speed downhill, or while you negotiate a steep climb while trekking, just pick up the camera, wipe the dust or mud off, and continue taking pictures.

Designed to function even below the freezing point, 14°F or -10°C to be exact, it is the perfect camera for winter resorts and sports.

The same seals and gaskets that keep water off also keep even the finest of dust particles from getting into the camera. You can take it to sand dunes of Abu Dhabi riding camels, 4×4s, or sandboards.

The Olympus Tough TF-320 isn’t only tough. It also takes great pictures. Featuring a 14-megapixel CCD sensor, you photos are of a resolution high enough for poster-size prints.

A 3.6x optical zoom, which is equivalent to the 35mm format’s 28mm to 102mm, you can get crowds of people into your picture or fill your frame with a single face without taking one step backward or forward. In addition to the optical zoom, it also has 4x digital zoom.

Although the camera does not have an optical viewfinder, the 2.7-inch LCD display with 230,000 dots provides a realistic image of the scene you are about to capture, thus helping you compose your picture. Of course, it is also great for playing back photos taken.

Your images are not limited to still photos since the TG-320 can also record high-definition videos. An HDMI output makes it easy to view them on your HDTV. Going back to stills, you can even capture them in 3D. The camera can shoot two pictures of a single subject from two slightly different angles and combine them in a single 3D image that can be viewed on a 3D device.

The camera comes in two colors –blue or red.

Created with a flat and slim body, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS10 Digital Camera is easy to carry and hold even when you are swimming in the ocean, climbing mountains, skiing down slopes, or sandboarding on sand dunes. And you certainly can bring the camera during all these, as it is waterproof down to a depth of 10 feet, shockproof when dropped from a height of 5 feet, freeze-proof at temperatures as low as 14°F, and dustproof. It even includes a silicone jacket to protect it from scratches, nicks, and dents.

The DMC-TS10 boasts of a 14.1-megapixel sensor that provides excellent detail even for poster-size prints. With its 4x optical zoom, you can capture close up photos without taking a single step towards your subjects. In addition to still photos, the camera can also record HD videos in 720p. Equipped with Venus Engine IV, both stills and videos are guaranteed to be clear and crisp.

Incorporating Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto (iA) mode, taking beautiful pictures is as easy as ABC. This is because the mode provides features that automatically adjust the camera’s settings to suit actual shooting conditions.

Among such features is the MEGA O.I.S. This offsets camera shake which is common when shooting a moving subject and you are moving along with it. To further assure a blur-free picture of moving subjects, the camera also has Intelligent ISO which adjusts shutter speed and ISO sensitivity settings to their optimum levels based on the movement of the subject.

With Face Detection, the Lumix DMC-TS10 automatically focuses on human faces and keeps them at the proper exposure. Red-eye is likewise eliminated.

The camera also has an Intelligent Scene Selector that analyzes the subject and its background and chooses the most appropriate of its six Scene Modes –Macro, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Portrait, Scenery, or Sunset. Once the scene is chosen, all other settings are adjusted.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS10 Digital Camera has a 2.7-inch Intelligent LCD screen. With 230,000 dots, images are displayed clearly, whether composing or viewing photo and video files.

Most people believe that capturing underwater photos and videos require expensive waterproof cameras with well-known brands. Unlike the waterproof cameras, however, they are all wet. There are less known camera makers now offering waterproof cameras you can take with you to the pool, rivers, lakes, and the sea such as the SVP WP5300 Waterproof Digital Camera and Video Recorder without breaking the bank.

The SVP WP5300 features a 2560 x 1920 CMOS sensor capable of delivering 5-megapixel images, which is sufficiently clear for most photos. This, however, is enhanced with an advanced software that upgrades the images to 12-megapixel quality.

Although lacking an optical zoom, the camera is equipped with an 8x digital zoom that allows you to get more personal with your subjects after capturing their images. With photos that are upgraded to 12-megapixels, enlarged and cropped photos will not appear grainy or blurred.

At the back of the camera is a 2.5-inch TFT LCD monitor. It faithfully reproduces the images and colors seen through the camera lens thus helping you compose your photos before pressing the shutter button.

Face detection technology and smile shutter mode further assures that human beings take priority in your photos. The camera automatically identifies up to five faces and adjusts focus, exposure, and color to keep them sharp and vivid. It can also detect smiles helping you to fill your album with smiling faces. And when shooting in low-light conditions, you can use its built-in flash.

The SVP WP5300 Waterproof Digital Camera and Video Recorder is designed to take both still photos and videos up to 10 feet underwater. It is fitted with special seals that keep water from getting into its insides.

To store your photos and videos, the camera is provided with a card slot into which a microSD card of up to 8 GB can be inserted.

The makers of the camera boast that the WP5300 is the world’s smallest and lightest waterproof camera. It measures 3.5″ W x 2.3″ H x 0.7″ D, and weighs a pound. It is available in either blue or pink.

The name of the Kodak Model 1564194 EasyShare Sport C123 Camera says a lot about it. It is “EasyShare” because sharing your photos is as easy as 1-2-3. It is “Sport” because it is designed for swimming, hiking, skiing, and sand boarding.

While reviewing your photos or videos on the 2.4-inch LCD screen, just press the share button at the bottom of the camera back and choose the medium through which you want to share your photos. You can choose Facebook, Twitter, your e-mail, Kodak Gallery, or Kodak Pulse Digital Frames. Connect the camera to your laptop, or insert its memory card in it, and the photos are automatically uploaded and sent to your chosen destination.

You can send photos captured from 10 feet underwater while swimming with schools of fish or simply frolicking in the swimming pool or soaking in your hot tub at home. Indeed, the camera is so tightly sealed that neither water nor dust can penetrate inside. You can ask you travel companion to take your video as you slide down the giant sand dunes of Abu Dhabi on a sand board.

The Kodak Sport has a 12-megapixel sensor allowing you to enlarge your prints showing you underwater with a sea turtle up to 30″ x 40″. The camera has underwater white balance so your photos have true-to-life colors.

Featuring Smart Capture, the camera automatically studies the shooting environment and adjusts its settings to appropriate levels. It adjusts for low light conditions, reduces noise, and compensates for dark shadows.

In addition to stills, the Kodak Model 1564194 EasyShare Sport C123 Camera also records VGA videos. This allows your swimming companions to come alive not only on the camera’s display but on your large screen HDTV as well.

Running on two size AA batteries, you do not have to worry about running out of power and having nowhere to recharge while on the go. Just bring along extra batteries and replace the depleted ones and you can resume snapping photos and capturing videos.

The camera is available in three colors –red, blue, and gray.

Dimensions are 3.6″ W x 1.2″ D x 2.6″ H. Weight is 6.2 ounces.

Perhaps due to concerns about obesity and all those ailments that come along with it, plenty of people are taking up an active lifestyle, even when they go on vacation –they go swimming or surfing the waves, mountain trekking or climbing, and snow or sand boarding among others. They, of course, need an equally active camera. It is for this reason that Nikon finally joined the fray and issued its first waterproof camera —the Nikon Coolpix AW100 Waterproof Digital Camera.

The Coolpix AW100 is a compact camera measuring 4.4″ W x 2.6″ H x 0.9″ D, and weighing a shade over 6 oz. You can put it in your pockets and not even feel it’s there at all. This makes it convenient to travel with when you also have to carry your diving gear, tent and sleeping bag, or your skis.

Boasting of a 16-megapixel CMOS sensor you can be sure of clear and crisp photos. Its 5x zoom Nikkor glass lens with a focal length of 5.0 – 25.0 mm (28 – 140 mm in a 35 mm format) delivers both close ups and panoramic views. And with a shutter speed that ranges from 1/1500 – 1 second, splashes of water around you as you paddle through white water can be frozen, quite clearly, in mid-air, and so can the last golden rays of the sun as it sinks into the sea. The 3-inch TFT-LCD monitor that is coated with an anti-reflective material helps you compose your photos.

Apart from still photos, the Nikon Coolpix AW100 Waterproof Digital Camera can also shoot videos in full HD 1080p, complete with stereo sound.

The casing of the camera is designed to swim, climb mountains, and to ski with you. It can dive 33 feet into lakes or seas and still keep on taking photos. In case you drop it while having to grab a rope or grasp a rocky ledge, if it’s not more than five feet, just pick it up and keep on climbing. If you drop it on the snow while skiing, just go back and pick it up, shake the snow off, and continue downhill.

A successor to the TX5, the Sony Cybershot DSC-TX10 Digital Camera inherits and builds on the features of its predecessor. Indeed, the Sony TX5 is one tough camera but the TX10 is even tougher. It can dive into the waters of the pool, lake, or ocean six feet deeper, at 16 feet, than its older sibling. Apart from water, it also keeps dust at bay. Its casing is strong enough to protect its internal mechanisms even when dropped from a height of five feet. With built-in insulation, the camera continues to snap photos and record videos even in extreme cold, read 14°F.

Its rugged design is not the only thing going for the TX10. Picture resolution is also improved with its 16.2-megapixel “Exmor R” CMOS Image Sensor. The sensor is back-illuminated, which, along with the Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, deliver fast speed, high resolution, and enhanced low-light sensitivity. The result is that you get clear and crisp photos with a minimum of graining, even when lights are low. Equipped with BIONZ Image Processor, you can also take videos with the camera at 10 fps. It has Anti Motion Blur, Hand-held Twilight, and 1080i movie mode which work together to bring you a video with movie-like clarity.

A 3-inch capacitive touch screen displays occupies the entire back of the camera. This means that apart from a display screen’s usual function in the composition of your photos and their playback, it is also your main means of accessing the camera’s functions and features. Indeed, in spite of its many features, there are only four mechanical buttons on the camera –the on/off button, shutter, movie, and zoom.

The Sony Cybershot DSC-TX10 Digital Camera is a compact device measuring 3-7/8″ W x 2-1/4″ H x 23/32″ D, and weighing about 133 g. It comes in five colors –black, white, blue, yellow, and pink.

You can almost feel the strength and rigidity Pentax Optio WG-1 Adventure Series Waterproof Digital Camera just by looking at it. The large round lens frame is centered at the camera front, and from it, two rays project to the sides. One side is rounded while the other is straight on which a large metal strap eyelet is mounted. Both the top and bottom concave in the middle, while a built-in flash is on the upper left of the lens.

The camera does not only look rugged. It is rugged. It is waterproof. You can take it 33 feet below the surface of the water. It is shockproof. You can drop it from a height of 5 feet. It is crushproof. You can drop something on it, as long as it doesn’t weigh over 220 pounds. It is freeze proof. You can take it to Matterhorn when the temperature is 14°F or higher. It is dustproof. You can drop it into the sands of the Sahara. In all these conditions, the Pentax Optio WG-1 will just keep on clicking. With all these “proofs” it is rather obvious why the camera is under the Adventure Series.

There is really no point in constructing a rugged camera if it does not take great photos. After all, cameras are first for taking pictures, not taking them into the sea or dropping them into the sand. It is for this reason that the Pentax Optio WG-1 Adventure Series Waterproof Digital Camera is equipped with a 14-megapixel sensor for clear and sharp images. It also features Face Detection, Smile Capture, and Blink Detection for outstanding portraits. It even has a Self-Portrait Assist mode for your social networking photos. It can also record videos with a resolution of 720p at 30 fps.

A 5x internal optical zoom lens (28-140mm in a 35mm format) allows you to take panoramic as well as close up shots. Composing pictures is convenient with the 2.7-inch LCD that is coated with an anti-reflective film.

Loaded with a host of other features, the Optio WG-1 is a great camera for the adventurer.

Taking photos of your kids as they frolic in the pool or in the beach need not be expensive. For less than a hundred bucks, you can purchase a Bell & Howell Splash WP7 Waterproof Digital Camera and capture pictures of your children as they dive into the pool, splash water at each other, including you and your camera, and swim underwater. The camera can join them down to 10 feet deep. It’ll be fun watching those photos on your HDTV.

The camera boasts of a 12-megapixel image sensor, thus you are assured of clear and crisp images with excellent detail. With a digital zoom of up to 8X, you can get up close and personal with your subjects even if they are at a distance.

An anti-shake image stabilization program prevents blurry images. Equipped with automatic face detection, the camera will automatically expose for sections in the photo where it can detect human faces. It also includes an auto smile shutter, so that faces are not only properly exposed but are also all smiles.

The Splash WP7 features a programmed auto exposure mode so you need not fuss about adjusting shutter speed and aperture. Just go ahead, press the shutter, and take all the photos you want, whether on terra firma or underwater. With a built-in flash, you can continue taking pictures even in the dark.

For ease of composition, the camera has a large 2.7-inch LCD display. To the left of the screen are the control buttons, including telephoto, wide angle, and flash.

Having no internal memory, photos are stored in a microSD card, with a slot that supports up to 16 GB. The card, however, needs to be purchased separately. Pictures are stored in JPG format and can be uploaded to your PC or laptop via a USB 2.0 interface. You can also connect it directly to your HDTV for viewing using the same interface. A USB cable is included for this.

The Bell & Howell Splash WP7 Waterproof Digital Camera comes in three colors –blue, black, and purple. It has dimensions of 3.45″ W x 2.1″ H x 0.75″ D. It weighs only 1 pound.

Keeping the tradition and reputation of the Tough series, the Olympus Tough TG-610 Digital Camera is another compact camera that can take the harsher side of life in a stride.

You can drop it from a height of five feet and it will barely take notice, thanks to its robust and hardy shell and state-of-the-art shock absorbers. It is also winterized and thus it will not freeze and seize up even at 14°F temperatures. Instead, it will continue snapping still photos and recording videos as you fly down the slopes on your skis. Special seals and gaskets are incorporated into the camera enabling you to take it swimming with you. You can go 16 feet underneath the waves taking photos and videos of seaweeds dancing with the current, and fishes of different colors and sizes.

Boasting of a 14-megapixel CCD image sensor, the TG-610 can capture photos that can be enlarged to prints the size of a poster without any significant loss of clarity and crispness. And with a focal length ranging from 5.0 – 25.0 mm, which is the equivalent of 28 – 140 mm in a 35 mm format, you can get up close to your subject or widen your perspective without taking a single step. A 4x digital zoom is also included for cropping your photos.

Picture composition is easy with the Hypercrystal III 3.0-inch LCD with 920k dots. It has an ultra-wide viewing angle enabling you to clearly see the image on it even while raising the camera above your head to shoot an overhead photo. The LCD is also equipped with anti-glare technology which allows the clear display of images even under direct sunlight.

The Olympus Tough TG-610 Digital Camera also incorporates 3D technology, taking two pictures of your subjects and combining them to create 3D images. This feature works not only on solid ground but also underwater. Videos are shot in 720p with One-Touch HD Movie.

If you can’t wait to share your photos and videos with the guys who didn’t make it to the ski slopes or to the beach, just get to a hotspot and use the camera’s Eye-Fi card to upload or email them.

Integrating the best features of its older siblings and incorporating plenty of its own, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 Digital Camera stands out among similar digital cameras in its class.

Equipped with Panasonic’s new 12.1-megapixel Hi-Speed CCD sensor and the Venus Engine FHD image processor, you are assured of clear and crisp still photos and full HD videos. Also new with the TS3 is its built-in GPS function which provides data on where your photos were taken, from country down to village. Truly designed for use by adventurers, it also includes a compass, altimeter, and barometer.

The camera does retain something of the toughness of earlier versions, except that it takes things a little bit further. Waterproof depth is increased to 40 feet, so now you can capture more fish and coral photos; shockproof height is likewise improved allowing it to absorb the shock of a fall from a height of 6.6 feet; and freezeproof capability is also enhanced enabling it to continue shooting photos and videos in temperatures as low as 14°F. And if water or snow cannot penetrate into the inner shell, neither can dust.

The TS3 uses a 28mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens. It has an optical zoom of 4.6x, but with Panasonic’s Intelligent Resolution technology, this is extended to the equivalent of 6x zoom. Photo composition is convenient with the 2.7-inch Intelligent LCD screen with its 230,000 dots and anti-reflection coating.

In this age of 3D TVs, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 Digital Camera is not getting left behind. From 20 panned shots of a single image, the camera chooses the best two and synthesizes them into a single 3D image. These can be viewed on a Panasonic Viera HDTV either by directly linking the camera via an HDMI micro cable, or by inserting the SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card from the camera into the appropriate slot on the HDTV or disc player. All other photos and videos on the camera can also be viewed on the HDTV.

And if you want to immediately share your photos or videos with your friends, you can use the Lumix Image Uploader along with your PC for a quick connection to Facebook or YouTube.