Digital Home Thoughts: Canon's PowerShot D10 Camera: Waterproof, Shockproof

"For those with a taste for adventure, there's a camera as bold as the active life you lead. It's the Canon PowerShot D10. Waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof; it's tough enough to take what you dish out. Plus it's got all the high performance features you expect from a Canon digital camera. You've got 12.1 megapixels of resolution plus all of Canon's powerful, state-of-the-art imaging technologies so you can capture your epic experiences in breathtaking color and awesome detail."

Another area that Canon has been slow to move into is the "rugged" point and shoot category: a camera that's waterproof, shockproof (to absorb falls), and generally tough. Having once dropped an older PowerShot SD700 series camera and watched as the lens bent, I can attest to the fact that Canon Elph cameras, while beautiful to look at, aren't particularly tough. The D10 aims to change that, boasting 33 feet of depth for waterproofing, -10 Celsius/14 Fahrenheit freeze-proofing, and four-foot drop/shock protection. Not bad! 3x optical zoom, 12.1 megapixel sensor, and all the new goodies like blink-detection, face detection, and 18 pre-defined shooting situations round out the offering. Expected to be available in May 2009, the D10 will cost $329.99 USD. Unfortunately it looks like it's only going to be available in that cheesy aquamarine colour, and VGA video capture is where it tops out.