Since its emergence in 2007, Olympus’ SW series has managed to combine Shock, Water and Crush proofing within a shell that has a certain industrial charm and is by no means cumbersome. The 1030SW is referred to as ‘life-proof’ – ‘shockproof’ of falls from up to 2m, ‘crushproof’ to a weight of 100kg and waterproof to a depth of 10m. A 10.1MP sensor is combined with a non-protruding 3.6x optical zoom (28-102mm equivalent). The 2.7in LCD screen boasts a resolution of 230,000 pixels.

With regards to image quality, noise is well controlled right up to ISO 800, and fine details are well preserved through the frame. It’s not all roses, however – the white balance has a tendency to muddle and produce warm images, fringing can be seen in areas of contrast, and colours lack punch.