Tough cameras
Olympus TOUGH TG-320
The clue is in the name of this affordable offering from Olympus (HK$1,720, inquiries: 21087188), which is water-, freeze- and shockproof, and has a resolution of up to 14 megapixels. One of the few compact cameras available that can charge solely through its USB slot - a handy feature that means you can leave that battery charger at home when you're travelling - the TG-320 has a lens protected by a hard glass barrier and double-seal and double-lock mechanisms that stop the SD card and battery from being damaged when underwater. It also has a novel 3-D underwater shooting mode.
Fujifilm FinePix XP150
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4
Designed to withstand some serious optical antics, Panasonic's new Lumix DMC-TS4 (HK$3,690, PanaShop, Lung Cheung Mall, Kowloon) can be taken underwater to 13 metres, withstand being dropped from two metres and used in temperatures down to minus 10 degrees Celsius. It's just as tough under the surface, too, boasting 12.1 megapixel resolution, a 4.6x, 28-128mm optical zoom lens and a 68.5mm LCD screen. It can also tag your photos with data from its integrated GPS, compass, altimeter and barometer.