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(Credit: Canon)
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The latest in waterproof digital cameras has arrived. The 12.1-megapixel Canon PowerShot D10 is the first of its kind for the manufacturer. The niche for waterproof cameras was previously filled by a handful of Olympus Stylus and Pentax Optio models, and the Canon D10 will give them all a run for their money.
The Canon PowerShot D10 can dive to depths of 33 feet, equal with the Olympus Stylus 1030SW and the newer Olympus Stylus Tough-8000. Like most Olympus and Pentax waterproof digital cameras, the Canon D10 is freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. The D10 can also survive a fall from 4 feet, although this is a foot less than the Olympus 1050SW can take and two feet less than the 1030SW and Tough-8000.
The waterproof Canon PowerShot D10 comes with all the bells and whistles that have almost become standard fare on compact models: face detection, optical image stabilization, red-eye correction, and a 16:9 widescreen mode to properly display your snorkeling photos on the big screen. The camera has a 3x optical zoom lens and a 2.5-inch LCD screen.
As for exposure control, the Canon D10 has more than a dozen scene modes and cool effects. It is more closely related to the automatic-friendly SD-series than to the more customizable A-series of Canon PowerShot digital cameras.
The D10 sports curvaceous edges and a silver-and-blue casing that give it a fun look. An optional kit is available to customize the camera, into which Canon packs several face plates (camouflage today, gray tomorrow, orange the next), a custom strap, and a carabineer hook to keep the camera from falling down the ski slope or sinking to the bottom of the ocean. The body weighs 6.7 ounces without the battery or card, a much more substantial weight than the 4 or 5 ounces of most compact digital cameras.
The Canon PowerShot D10 will debut in early May for $329, the same price as the new Canon PowerShot SD960 IS. The SD960 weighs an ounce-and-a-half less and isn’t water or shock proof, but comes with 12.1 megapixels, a 4x optical zoom lens, and a 2.8-inch LCD screen.
