Pentax Optio WP

Just 22mm deep and sporting a 3x optical zoom, the Optio WP from Pentax is a good-looking, totally waterproof digicam.

It can be plunged into 1.5m of water and has 22 preset shooting modes to help the novice photographer, with the focus on outdoor activities such as surfing, skiing, firework displays or taking pictures underwater. Other features include a 2in LCD screen, a 1cm macro mode and a red-eye compensation function which enhances images after they have been taken.

The image quality is impressive, with good colour reproduction and crisp details, but shooting in low light exhibits a fair amount of noise. The camera comes with a 10MB built-in memory. This isn’t a lot for taking high-resolution images, so users will need to buy an SD Card.

In short, the Optio WP is powerful, stylish and highly durable: a great investment for beach photographers this summer.