rugged

It's not often I find myself holding a high-capacity hard drive above a bathtub full of warm water. So, when I tested the ioSafe SOLO G3 External Hard Drive, it made me a little nervous. But, as far as backup solutions go, it promises to be one of the toughest, so I gave it a dip. Later, I lit it on fire. It kept on working.What is it?

Rugged cameras have a history of being rather flamboyant looking and Sony's new value-oriented tough shooter is no exception. It actually looks a bit like Canon's old D10 camera, at least in color. It is, however, a lot less blimp-shaped.The TF1 has a 16.1-megapixel sensor -- a Sony staple -- and a 2.7-inch LCD. It's only waterproof to 33-feet and the 4x zoom lens has a maximum aperture of F/3.6-F/4.7. Maximum ISO goes to just 3200. But, since these cameras are made for action, outdoor light will likely make those specs a little easier to overcome.

'Tis the season for tough, waterproof cameras to start making their way into the backpacks of outdoor types and the latest model from Olympus looks pretty promising.Like any rugged camera, its primary talking points are a list of things you can do to it without breaking it. It's waterproof to 40 feet, shockproof from a 6.6-foot fall, and freezeproof down to 14 degrees F. That actually makes it one of the more durable cameras in the segment.

The last time we saw a rugged camera from Canon, it was the blimp-like D10, which was actually a very solid little compact. But, the tough camera market is growing, drawing even Nikon into the fray, which is why we're glad to see Canon updating their rugged offering.

There are some places that cell phone cameras just can't go, which is why the rugged, waterproof compact camera segment seems to be one of the fastest growing. Panasonic has two new tough cams ready for release, including a new flagship in the TS4 and a budget-minded option in the TS20.