Casio Exilim EX-G1

The EX-G1 joins a growing army of digital cameras placing as much importance on surviving unexpected drops, water and cold conditions as they do on taking photographs.

The 12-megapixel Casio model will allow for fairly large prints and can record widescreen video, although not in high-definition. But its stainless steel body will also survive a fall of just over two metres, a dive to a depth of three metres, temperatures of -10°C and it’s dust-proof and scratch-proof.

You will pay a slight premium over models that are not as tough. Otherwise the camera can be put into fully automatic operation – there are 26 ‘best shot’ shooting modes so that for nearly every conceivable subject you can set the mode and let the camera do the rest.

The smooth and quiet 3x zoom lens is equivalent to a range of 28-112mm on a 35mm film camera. Pictures are set up on the 2.5in rear screen – there is no viewfinder.

The unconventional shape means the EX-G1 can be hard to grip and some of its controls require fingertip precision. But it’s lightweight and portable at just 154g with the rechargeable battery and the microSD memory card on which images are saved. It’s thin at 20mm - Casio reckons it’s the slimmest profile of any current camera.

Unusually for such a camera, the EX-G1 has a dedicated recording button for video. This means users can immediately record video sequences of up to 10 minutes in duration without having to change other camera settings first. The built-in microphone was quite sensitive, picking up the wind and noise of us handling the camera.

The battery and card compartments were small, so much so that it was unduly fiddly to reach in and retrieve either. Also, it was easy for our fingers to wander in front of the lens when steadying the camera in both hands.

The most important factor, image quality, was below par, with loss of focus at the edges, lens flare from sun reflecting off the glass, and the photos it produced were sometimes too soft. The EX-G1 looks good and was fun to use, but ultimately other cameras play the tough guy better.