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Expert Recommendation
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Overview
Even though the 12.1 megapixel Canon Powershot D10 with its brightly colored, rounded body looks like a toy, it is not! It delivers excellent images with its quality 3X zoom lens, is freeze-proof to -10C (14F), heat-proof to 40C (104F), drop-proof from 1.2 meters, waterproof to 10 meters (33 feet) and thoroughly ruggedized. It is the perfect compact, digital point-and-shoot for the active outdoor enthusiast.
My Best In Class Pick
Canon PowerShot D10
Canon for its first waterpoof camera pulled out all the stops in producing the Powershot D10. It looks like a toy, but underneath that colorful, rounded, unconventional looking body lies a truly superb performer. The camera is fast for a point-and-shoot, powering on in just 1.0 second and auto-focusing in 0.9 second.
The D10’s 35 to 105mm (35mm equivalent) f2.8-4.9 zoom lens has built-in optical image stabilization, and while a little stingy on the wide angle side is excellent optically, but slow at zooming taking almost two seconds to cover its entire range. However, it is well mated with a 12.1 megapixel CCD sensor producing low noise images that are sharp with lots of fine detail up to ISO 400. However, above 400 due to more aggressive noise control, sharpness and fine detail are greatly reduced. Color balance is excellent even in Auto mode, and even underwater. Auto-exposure is excellent. The built-in flash, although not all that powerful–what point-and-shoot’s is?–works well in air or water.
Features abound on the Powershot D10 including Face Detection, Blink Detection, i-Contrast Control, eighteen Scene Modes, ISOs from 80 to 1600, and a special 3200 mode which is really useless; shutter speeds from 15 to 1/1500th seconds, seven White Balance settings, and 640x480 and 320x240 30 fps movies. Sorry. No HD video available.
So, if you’re looking for a camera for your next river rafting trip to the Amazon that will fit in pocket or backpack, sheds off dirt, mud, water, takes a beating and still delivery great images, the Canon’s Powershot D10 is the camera for you.
Pros
- +Waterproof to 10 meters
- +Build quality
- +Ruggedized
- +Image Stabilization (in lens)
- +DIGIC-4 Image Processor
- +i-Contrast Control
- +Face Detection
Cons
- -Zoom Range
- -No HD video
- -Size
Where to buy
Canon PowerShot D10
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Best Price:
$272
See It »
- $272 - $518 Compare Prices »
Specifications
- Zoom: 3.0x
- Resolution: 12.1MP
- Size: 4.1 x 2.6 x 1.9 in.
- Battery Life: 220 shots
- Waterproof: Yes
- Easy to Use: Yes
- Highly Recommended at DPReview.com
- Dave's Pick at Imaging-Resource.com
- Rated Very Good by CNET.com
Comparing My Best In Class Pick with Other Good Choices
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| Customer Rating |
 
(from 127 reviews)
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(from 125 reviews)
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| Price | $272 - $518 | $449 - $549 |
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Effective Sensor Resolution
The Effective Sensor Resolution tells you the total number of pixels that are recorded when you take a picture. The units are MP, which stands for megapixels or millions of pixels. For outstanding fine compression prints, 3MP is required for 5x7's, 7.1MP for 8x10's, and 10.9MP for 11x14's. The effective sensor resolution is only one of many important factors that will determine the quality of the photograph when displayed or printed at different sizes.
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12.1 megapixels | 10.0 megapixels |
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Shutter Lag Time (including auto-focus time)
This is the time from fully pressing the shutter button until the image is captured. Longer shutter lag times make it more difficult to capture the desired moment.
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0.9 sec | 0.4 sec |
| Power to First Shot Time | 1.0 sec | 2.7 sec |
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Min Focal Length (35 mm equivalent)
The 35 mm equivalent focal length is a measure that indicates the angle of view of a particular combination of a camera lens and the sensor size. The term originates from the time when the vast majority of photography was done with 35 mm film. On any 35 mm film camera, a 30 mm or less lens is considered a wide-angle lens.
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35 mm | 28 mm |
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Max Focal Length (35 mm equivalent)
The 35 mm equivalent focal length is a measure that indicates the angle of view of a particular combination of a camera lens and the sensor size. The term originates from the time when the vast majority of photography was done with 35 mm film. Larger max focal lengths make distant objects appear more magnified.
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105 mm | 140 mm |
| Image Stabilization Type | Yes (in lens) | No |
| Min Focus Distance (not macro) | 19.7 in. | 19.7 in. |
| Min Focus Distance (macro) | 1.2 in. | 0.4 in. |
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Max Aperture (wide-angle)
The aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens that determines the amount of light falling onto the sensor. The maximum aperture (wide-angle) is the largest possible size at the wide-angle limit of the zoom lens. The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening, which allows more light to reach the image sensor.
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f/2.8 | f/3.5 |
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Max Aperture (tele-photo)
The aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens that determines the amount of light falling onto the sensor. The maximum aperture (tele-photo) is the largest possible size at the tele-photo limit of the zoom lens. The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening, which allows more light to reach the image sensor.
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f/4.9 | f/5.5 |
| Video Available | Yes | Yes |
| HD Video Available | No | Yes |
| Max Video Resolution | 640 x 480 pixels | 1280 x 720 pixels |
| Max Video Frame Rate (max resolution) | 30 frames/sec | 15 frames/sec |
| Min ISO Setting | 80 | 50 |
| Max ISO Setting | 3200 | 6400 |
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Viewfinder Available
A viewfinder is a window that you look through to compose the picture. Some cameras do not have a viewfinder and instead use the LCD display. The LCD display may be difficult to see in bright light and may make it more difficult to capture fast-moving subjects because of the time required to update the display.
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No | No |
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LCD Screen Size
The LCD Screen Size is the length of the miniature LCD monitor measured diagonally.
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2.5 in. | 2.5 in. |
| LCD Screen Resolution | 230000 pixels | 230000 pixels |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes |
| Battery Life | 220 shots | 205 shots |
| Size (W x H x D) | 4.0 x 2.6 x 1.9 in. | 3.9 x 2.2 x 1.0 in. |
| Weight (with batteries) | 6.7 oz | 5.8 oz |
Pentax Optio W60
Pentax Optio W60 comes in a very close second to the Canon Powershot D10. Image quality is almost as good even though the W60 has a 10 megapixel sensor instead of 12. What mostly relegated it to Number Two, but still recommended, was its 4 meter (13 feet) waterproof rating. However, it has a longer 5X zoom lens (28 to 140mm equivalent), 720p HD video, if only at 15 fps; and is smaller and lighter.
Where to buy
Pentax Optio W60
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Best Price:
$449
See It »
- $449 - $549 Compare Prices »
Specifications
- Zoom: 5.0x
- Resolution: 10.0MP
- Size: 3.9 x 2.2 x 1.0 in.
- Battery Life: 205 shots
- Waterproof: Yes
- Easy to Use: Yes
How It Works
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