Canon Powershot a durable camera that delivers the goods

Mobile phones have given camera makers a real headache. Why would anyone buy a point-and-shoot camera when we already own one, and it's also a phone?

The Canon Powershot D30 answers that question; it is a waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof digital camera, with a wide-angle 5x optical zoom lens, a 3-inch screen and geotagging via built in GPS. Take that, mobile phone.

This nifty little device means you can give it to the kids in a water park and, almost, guarantee it’s going to come back unblemished and in one piece. It is water-resistant to a depth of 25 metres (I wouldn’t let your kids test that out though) can work in temperatures as extreme as -10°C, (not really needed here), and can be dropped from up to 2 metres – your children will definitely experiment with this feature.

I road-tested the camera at Yas Waterworld in Abu Dhabi and found it was like discovering photography all over again. The handy wrist strap makes it easy to carry and ready to shoot. It also takes full HD video recorded at 24fps and optical zoom is available during the recording – perfect to film my son Josh, 15, trying to surf on the Bubble’s Barrel, the world’s largest surfable sheet wave. The ability to shoot in and below the water gives some novel, fun options from the normal holiday fare.

The camera comes in a funky blue colour that gives it an aquatic edge, and it feels chunky and robust.

I did have a few niggles with the camera: the flaps that hide the ports for the memory cards are difficult to open, for those without fingernails, whether in or out of the water. I also found the video record button was too close to the on/off button which meant I missed a few pictures and took a few videos I didn’t know about. The pictures I took were often obscured with droplets of water and smudges from me wiping the water off the lens – my bad, I know – but I expected this little action camera to be able to handle that.

I guess no camera can make you a better photographer. However, the gadget retails for Dh1,399, which is in a similar price range to its competitors, is small enough to be taken anywhere and simple enough to allow all the family to take photos without any nervousness.

ascott@thenational.ae

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