The water, shock and dust proof range of cameras and camcorders has exploded in the last few years, proving that both the clumsy and extreme sports enthusiast is a hitherto untapped market. GE has joined the likes of Kodak and Flip in releasing a simple, HD camcorder with a built in USB connection and a tough exterior.

Much like the rival models there are very few buttons on the body of the GE1, limited to a d-pad, record button, mode switch and menu/delete switch. The controls can be confusing to use, especially in playback mode, as the D-Pad controls aren’t immediately obvious. The LCD screen dominates the majority of the rear of the DV1, although the resolution is a disappointing 230k. Due to only the top half of the screen being dedicated to the preview the 2.5″ LCD is even more inadequate, although when reviewing the footage it can be used in landscape orientation.

After testing the claims of 1.5m shock proof, 5m waterproof and dust proofing the body showed few signs of major damage and the two flaps that conceal the connections as SD slot were still operational. Picture quality was reasonable for such a camcorder, as the focus was rapid enough to be barely noticeable and the auto exposure coped with most lighting conditions without incident. The compression did show through on a number of occasions, ruining the end product to some degree.