PowerShot D10: First Underwater Camera from Canon

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PowerShot D10: First Underwater Camera from Canon

Sudeep Naik, May 28, 2009 1830 hrs IST

A rugged 12.1 megapixel camera

Rugged, waterproof, good looks, 12 MP, battery life

Video Quality could have been better, better menus and navigation needed, No HD movie mode

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Design and Construction

The first thing you'll notice about the D10 is its bulbous design with a number of screws jutting out. Although the design may not appeal to all, it does let you shoot underwater (up to 10 meters), drop it from a height of up to a meter, and click pictures of chattering teeth at -10" Celsius. Rivulets located at all four corners of the camera allow you attach accessories like a neck strap, so you don't lose the camera or at least are able to click a final picture before falling off that huge mountain you always wanted to climb!

The lens unit protrudes out of the body and like other underwater cameras from Panasonic and Olympus, it has no lens cover. Two additional glass panes are fitted in front of the lens, with a layer of air in between them to help prevent condensation at extreme temperatures.

The back of the camera has a 2.5-inch LCD screen and a horde of rubber buttons to give you enough grip for use underwater, or when hanging from the face of a cliff.

The battery cover as well as the AV out compartment covers have a rubber lining and flaps that are meant to protect the camera underwater and work quite well (as you'll see in the embedded video). However, they are a total pain to use. I wouldn't be surprised if someone got their nails chipped while trying to get the battery out. But that doesn't mean the design is bad, it's an indicator of how watertight the camera construction really is.

Design-wise, the D10 is like the Frankenstein- handy but difficult to find affection for.