Pentax Optio W90

The rugged Pentax Optio W90 "just screams TOUGH!" say editors at Steves-Digicams.com. Protected by rubberized edging, the W90 comes equipped with a 5x zoom lens encased in the camera's protective polycarbonate body, a 2.7-inch LCD with anti-reflective coating, a triple anti-shake system to steady shots and a carabineer clip or hanging off a backpack. There's also a special underwater setting and a macro mode called Digital Microscope mode that snaps close-ups from one centimeter away and uses LED lens lighting. The W90 withstands submersion in 20 feet of water, 4-foot drops and temperature dips to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, besides being dustproof. In contrast, the top-rated Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 (Discontinued) is waterproof to 33 feet and shockproof to 6.6 feet, with the same freezeproof and dustproof specs and better-looking photos and HD video in tests.

Despite the dings, the W90 "powers up for action in just over a second," and roomy buttons make for easy handling, says Gavin Stoker at PhotographyBlog.com. Most experts and some users report clean, crisp images, although noise peppers low-light photos. Nearly everyone raves about the W90's underwater mode, which works for stills and high-definition video (720p) and delivers marked improvement in image quality. It's so good that Mike Perlman at InfoSyncWorld.com nominates the W90 for scuba diving, even though HD video garners lukewarm reviews. Although some experts deem the W90 a worthy choice, nearly one-fourth of owners who have posted reviews about this camera at Amazon.com give it the lowest possible score, saying it broke or leaked underwater.   

Plenty of professional reviewers assess the ruggedness and photographic prowess of the Pentax Optio W90, including PhotographyBlog.com, Steves-Digicams.com and InfoSyncWorld.com. User reviews at Amazon.com reveal problems that surface with extended use and help to confirm expert findings.