Canon PowerShot D20 review

Rugged, waterproof cameras are perfect for the chronically clumsy, but Canon seems to have a more glamorous group in mind for the D20. Its sweeping contours look like something we’d expect to find in a surf shop, especially in the blue finish we were sent for testing.

Its rugged credentials are up to scratch, rated as waterproof to 10m and shockproof to 1.5m. We like the chunky strap that fastens securely around your wrist and its quick-release mechanism for when it’s not needed. The substantial buttons should be easy to find by touch or sight when you’ve got a face full of sea spray to contend with.

GPS makes perfect sense in a camera that’s destined for some interesting locations, and its implementation here is first rate. It calculated its position within a couple of minutes of switching on. An option to keep tracking its position even when switched off means that it can be ready to tag photos straight away. This drains the battery if left on permanently but it’s useful to enable it when you’re out and about. Tagging was invariably within a couple of metres of our true position.

GPS aside, the inside of this camera is fairly run-of-the-mill. The lens has a modest 5x zoom and its f/3.9 maximum aperture is a little darker than usual. The 12-megapixel sensor strikes a sensible balance of detail and noise levels, but this isn’t the same 12-megapixel sensor that impressed us in various other recent Canon cameras.