Best underwater compact: Canon PowerShot D10

Canon’s PowerShot D10 is the company’s first underwater camera, and it certainly looks the part with its bright colours and submarine styling. The D10 can operate at depths down to 10m, and is also dust and shock-proof, making it ideal whether you're into water-sports or simply want a camera that's protected from sand or splashes at the beach or pool. This is the great flexibility of a waterproof camera, and the D10 even avoids the poor image quality often associated with underwater models in the past. In our view, the PowerShot D10 is the best waterproof camera on the market right now - an impressive debut.

Pros: Waterproof down to 10m, good image quality.
Cons: Basic 3x zoom range and no HD video. A bit bulky too.
Overall: Despite a basic zoom, the D10 is the best underwater cam.