Tough Cameras

Tough cameras have been springing up from most major manufacturers over the past year. In a field initially dominated by Olympus's flurry of ‘tough' compact releases, does the competition take proceedings up a notch and, indeed, really just how tough are these models? 

With this question in mind we felt it WDC's duty to put six of the best models - the Sony Cyber-shot TX5, Olympus mju TOUGH 8010, Casio Exilim EX-G1, Fujifilm XP10, Panasonic Lumix FT2 and Pentax Optio W90 - under extreme testing. Taking a no-holds-barred approach, we ventured from mud-laden assault courses, popped past the coast to ensure a thorough seawater soaking and even emptied the evening's dinner from the freezer to ensure each model took a frosty overnight deep freeze. 

Testing for operability at every stage, keeping an eye on any cosmetic and physical damage as well as seeing just how well each model was (or wasn't) ergonomically designed for use in these tough conditions.  And so, once put through the paces ,did any of these models come back as scathed and beaten as our reviewer did? Read on to find out which camera rules the rugged compact roost and why...