Canon PowerShot D20 12.1 MP CMOS Waterproof Digital Camera with 5X Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Lens a 3.0-Inch LCD and GPS Tracking (Blue)

I preordered this camera when it was first announced. I was a little disappointed when Amazon dropped the price before it even reached my house. I anticipated this camera not only for the waterproof capabilities, but also because it is shock proof...and probably because it was a Canon. I live in Hawaii and intend to take this to the beach to take photos and videos in and out of the water. I'm a special education teacher and wanted to have my students to create their own learning stories with photos that they took themselves. I am very reluctant to have them use a DSLR or even a regular point & shoot camera with the fear of them dropping $1000+ worth of equipment. When I got the camera, I quickly looked over the manual for any waterproof information that I might need to know. Everything was straight-forward with no hard-to-find switches to lock any waterproof seals. In other words, feel free to take this out of the box, put in the card and battery, and take underwater photos. I didn't even charge the battery and was able to take about 100 photos and 15 minutes of video right out of the box. I used this opportunity and the next 2 days to extensively test my camera in order to create this review. DESIGN: 6/10 It's feels very sturdy like it should. The blue metal panel on the front is very nice to look at. Unfortunately, I think the shape is a little too "showy". If you want to show off the fact that you have a waterproof camera then this is the one for you. (I sort of liken it to a Prius, which everyone knows is a hybrid. At first glance, many people will know there is something special about this camera.) I'm a little confused about the left-hand side of the camera which is a little curved. You can put a strap there, but I don't really see the functionality of it being that shape. My biggest gripe is that the included handstrap can be "twisted" on and clicks into a metal plug. It can be EASILY removed with a very light press on the button and twisting it off. It gives me the fear that it could be accidentally bumped and twisted and the camera will detach from your wrist (though you'd probably have to be mighty clumsy to do so). I would have wished that the strap attached directly to the camera instead of this metal knob. The strap clip also protrudes diagonally out of the bottom corner and you need to remove this if you want to lay in on a flat surface to take photos or video. IMAGE QUALITY: 9/10 I am a camera enthusiast and mainly use Canon DSLRs (5D, 7D, 1D series, etc...) with L lenses. I also have an Olympus micro 4/3s camera and even have a Nikon D2x, so I'd like to think I know my stuff. Prior to this point & shoot, I used a Canon SD1100 before it got stolen. With this SD1100, I took over 10,000 photos and took hundreds of hours of video (which I made into DVDs to view on TV, or straight from iTunes to a TV...it's only 480p) edited with iMovie. I've always gotten compliments on the video quality of this older model P&S, and was quite impressed with it myself. As far as photo quality of this camera, I've got to say that it's good, but nothing more than what you'd expect from a P&S camera from 2012. Color is nice and even zoomed in at 100%, the image quality is as great as one might expect. As with any camera, keeping the ISO as low as possible will keep any noise or grain to a minimum. Remember, you're paying a premium because this camera can go underwater or in the snow. It would be unfair to expect DSLR quality from this camera because that's not what it's meant for. The same goes for video quality: the reason you bought this camera and paid more for it than another P&S is because it is waterproof. If you want that IMAX look, you've got to spend thousands of dollars. If you can't afford that, this is the next best thing. The quality of the out-of-water and underwater videos was superb. I took it to our pool and took videos of various colorful toys underwater. It was a sunny day and the quality was great, vibrant, and clear. I wasn't able to test it in low light situations. I also have a Panasonic TS-10 (underwater camera from 2010) and the Canon D20's video and image quality is surprisingly better. For on-land videos, the microphone is not as good as normal P&Ss. I'm assuming that it has another waterproof protective layer over it. I don't think this should be surprising to anyone. One last note on video. This camera has a 5x zoom. When shooting video, it can optically zoom in and out. It will also focus all the way from macro to infinity while still recording, which is different from other cameras that I used in the past, where if you started your video, it couldn't refocus or optically zoom. It even adjusts exposure, meaning that if you're recording in a bright area and come into a dim area, it will adjust automatically while still recording video. Thank you Canon! ERGONOMICS: 8/10 Buttons are nicely spaced. There is a large thumb rest button that I just can't figure out why it's there except for cosmetic purposes. I thought the playback button on the top was a little strange, but the shutter button is much larger and protrudes so you shouldn't get them confused. It's somewhat on the larger side for a point and shoot, but it probably has something to do with the waterproofing, shockproofing, and freezproofing. It can still fit in pants pockets. I thought the black parts of the camera would have a little more grip, but they are plastic and not rubber. I have no complaints about the design or shape and it felt comfortable to hold. I was able to press buttons underwater very easily. The screen is very bright at the default middle setting. It is bright enough that it was not necessary to brighten it while underwater. It is very clear and easy to look at. I hope sand or other earth elements don't scratch the screen since I don't know if I'll be able to apply one of those protective sheets over the LCD as it might fall off while underwater. Snowboarders or divers with gloves might have different experiences than a casual user like myself as far as the button spacing is concerned. The lens doesn't have a cover. It is in the upper corner, similar to other waterproof cameras. Not much out of the ordinary to comment on this. I got some sunscreen on it and wiped it off harshly with a t-shirt. No scratches at all. I'm hoping it's made of durable glass like other waterproof cameras. The flash is moved to the middle. I find this makes it easier to avoid covering it with my fingers as I do with other cameras where the flash is in the upper corner. Definitely a plus. BATTERY LIFE: 9/10 With a full charge I took 150 photos and about 30 mins of videos and still had 1 of 3 power bars leftover (approximately 33%? remaining life). If this is a vacation camera, it should easily be able to last a full day before you need to charge it at the hotel. If you're taking this camping or somewhere with no power, practice using it to gauge how long it will last. When the battery starts flashing, you still have about 10 minutes of video left before it completely dies. In comparison, the Panasonic TS10 seems to die out before taking even 200 shots with no video. I am not pleased at all with the Panasonic's battery life. WATERPROOFING: 10/10 I've used this only a few times so far (though intentionally submerged it in water overnight for this review) and have experienced no leaks. I have never experienced leaks with my Panasonic waterproof camera either. If it did leak it would get a zero, but for now, I can't say. It seems to be waterproof. I was a little skeptical about the latches on this camera and felt that there might be a chance that they could get accidentally opened since they only require one flip rather than use a 2-step safety switch, but I tried rubbing it and dragging it over areas that could possibly open the battery and input/output latches but they seem to stay closed as expected. As with other waterproof cameras, be careful when taking this out on a boat or to the dock where you aren't in the water yourself. In my pool it took only 4 seconds for it to fall 8 feet. They don't float! Imagine if you're over the edge of a pier in 30 feet of murky dark water. It will hit the bottom before you can take your sunglasses off. The detachable strap (as mentioned above) is so easy to intentionally remove that I feel that it could also be easily removed accidentally. I am highly considering a floating strap. SHOCKPROOFING: ?/10 Uh, I'll trust Canon and not attempt to drop this camera just for the sake of this review. The box says it can withstand a 5 foot drop and I'll take their word for it. BELLS AND WHISTLES: 7/10 GPS: Works I guess. It has a little trouble getting a signal inside, and this is my first camera with GPS, so I'm not sure how accurate it should be. But it was able to record the coordinates of my outdoor shots (though not all of my indoor shots). Camera features: It has SMILE DETECTION that seems to wait for the whites of the subject's teeth to snap the photo (a big grin doesn't seem to work). This will work great with my special needs students, who can just hold the camera and ask for the subject to smile. SUPER SLOW MOTION is pretty cool. It needs a lot of light and can only take it at low resolution. It also includes other more commonly included effects such as FISHEYE and MINIATURE. I don't think I'll find myself using these effects quite often. You can go to Canon's website or other review sites to find out more. Playback features: Includes commonly found features such as slideshow functions and a photobook set-up. What confused me was the ACTIVE DISPLAY which lets you scroll through photos by tapping the corners of the camera with your index fingers during playback. A cool gimmick perhaps meant for snowboarders with thick gloves. I found it easier to scroll with my thumb on the directional keys. Macro: (added this part in later) Forgot to mention the macro capabilities of this camera. It is unbelievably versatile. It can clearly and easily focus on items even 1cm away from the camera. And it's smart so you don't have to change settings from normal to macro modes (although it does have that capability if it can't detect it automatically). I haven't used any of Canon's newest P&S's, so don't know if this is normal to be this good. Feel free to take macro pictures of bugs, wet plants, or rocks, without worrying about the camera getting wet, dirty, or knocked around. OVERALL IMPRESSIONS This is a very solidly built camera that is very eye catching. Image quality is EXCELLENT for a point and shoot camera. After using a waterproof Olympus, as well as a Panasonic one, I would definitely recommend this Canon D20 for the superior image quality. I was originally going to give this a 4-star rating, but that would mainly be because I thought the strap placement and it's funky non-rectangular design were huge issues. However, after reviewing my photos and videos, this is definitely the waterproof camera to buy! The image quality is very exceptional for a point & shoot. If you're trying to capture those underwater photos during a trip-of-a-lifetime, spend a little more and get this camera. Update: 5/31/2012 I'd like to add just a few more things since using this camera for about a month now. Image Quality: No RAW. There are a number of mid to high-range P&S's with RAW. This does not have RAW. I don't want to get into a debate about the necessities of RAW on a P&S. This is what you get with this camera. I took this to the beach and had it around my wrist for about 3 hours in salt water. The water was shallow, but I did not feel like I might accidentally undo the strap like I had originally thought. I also took it into the pool as well as in a jacuzzi (for about 30 minutes). No leaks, no indications of leaks, no water issues. I've had smaller P&S cameras before, and when looking at the size of this thing, it's quite large for 2012. However, I had it in my pants pocket and swim trunk pocket, and I didn't notice or mind the weight. I was able to take a number of low-light video...of course there's noise, but it was very acceptable and looks great in HD. Over 3 days I took about 12GBs of videos and photos. As I had guessed earlier, the battery should last the whole day until you're able to charge it overnight. I feel that the GPS sucks a lot of battery power, as I did get the flashing red battery towards the end of each day. And I couldn't get any videos of fish. They kept swimming away from me and I didn't have a snorkel. I will try to go to Hanauma Bay one day with this camera. Students in my class have been able to use it, and it just feels so much less stressful letting them use a shockproof camera versus even a $90 regular P&S. It really allows them to experiment in their own way without restrictions or having an adult pay more attention to the camera than anything else. It's a pricey investment for children (so don't get one just because you'd like your 3 year old to become a photographer), but we used our other P&S for 3 years+ very diligently (until it got stolen) and know that we will use this one just as much as the other one. Update: 4/30/2014 Discovered this a long time ago. The GPS uses a LOT of battery power. Personally I'm not at the point where I need to know the exact coordinates of my shots, so I leave it off. If you're going hiking or traveling, you might want to keep it on just for that novelty. Just be sure to bring your charger with you. The camera is still great. Although it doesn't go into the water on a regular basis, during the occasional dips into water, I feel confident that the seals will hold up (which they have up until now with absolutely no signs of breaking...knock on wood). The LCD screen has minor light scratches on it.

Wow I am totally shocked at how well this camera preforms. Is it the perfect camera for every situation? No. Is it a good alternative to SLR, No. But for what it is designed for, size and price, this camera over performs. Well done Canon! For everyday normal use this camera does rather well. You have to be diligent about wiping\cleaning the attached clear lens cover as it easily steams, fogs or smears. No, it does not come off, not intentionally. Water droplets tend to stick or leave a wavy trails. Keep a microfiber cloth always at hand and you'll be just fine. Menu system took a little while to get use to but that goes with just about any new camera. Oddities... The shutter button is centered between the ON\Off and Play buttons on top of the camera. I hit Play on numerous occasions when I didn't want to. You have to reach a little further than what you would expect to pop off a snap. Again, just something you have to get use to. Separate Wide and Zoom buttons not particularly fluid. I prefer a rocker button. Train your fingers and you'll be OK. The good... Indoor, outdoor and low light images are great bordering on fantastic. Does pretty well on the Fireworks setting too. Gives other PowerShot models a run for the money. The awesome... Underwater. Excellent pics even when not using the underwater setting. Of course distance from your subject is dependent on the clarity of the water but in normal, clear pool water 4 to 8 feet seems about right. The one drawback is that it is nearly impossible to watch the LCD screen to center your subject. Point and shoot doesn't really describe the necessary action. Guess and shoot would be better. Wearing goggles or a mask would help but I haven't had the luxury yet. Take LOTS of underwater shots. You'll get lots of butts, legs and empty water shots but with a little practice you'll get your subject. Maybe not perfectly centered but that is what resizing and cropping is for. 1000 + pictures and video taken so far and haven't touched the Program\Manual setting - haven't had the need. 5 Stars because I bought this for water park pictures and it is that and much, much more. Can easily become your normal, every day camera.

The video I uploaded is unedited and shot at 1080p (its max resolution) it is a short clip due to amazon's constraints of being 100mb max. I also have the written review below. As a person who travels, hikes, and is on bodies of water a lot, I was looking for a rigid point and shoot camera to have. After 2 years of using, I just now am making a review of it. This camera has lived up to my expectations. Let me go with the PROs first. I bought this for the reason that it will be waterproof and advertised to be shock proof, and indeed it was! I cannot count the times this camera has been dropped and is still well functioning (see pics for the dings yet still intact). I have been filming underwater (salt and fresh) with no problems at all and the quality is exceptional for being a point and shoot cam. I can zoom or press any button while underwater and it will not leak in. I think this has more versatility when it comes to basic features compared to the leading action camera, though more bulky and heavy. It also has a GPS feature that I can see handy in situations like roadtrips and you can see stuff along the road, thousands of pics later you don't remember where it was taken? Just look at the geotag of your photo if you had your GPS feature on. Note that if you have the GPS turned on, it still draws power from the battery even if you turn the camera off. I had trouble with this at some point where I store my camera at full battery and then 3 days later it won't turn on. I almost thought it was a battery problem but then realized that it was the GPS consuming all that energy. The camera is also insulated enough that the battery life will last long in freezing conditions. I have used this a lot outdoors in winter for a long time with only condensation problems outside the lens glass which can be easily wiped off. Battery life is also good although I bought an extra battery because I know my usage. No product is flawless. Here is a list of cons that would make my 4 star rating instead of five. 1.) While taking videos - particularly in long, uncut ones (one example is that I use this as a dash cam for offroad videos) it would turn off on its own without warning. The battery still has juice, there is still lots of memory left. I see no reason for it to turn off but maybe it thinks it is not being used hence it turns off? Also, it doesn't turn off at a specific number of minutes. It turns off sometimes with only 10 minutes, sometimes with 80 minutes, etc. So I have to pay attention to it from time to time if it is still taking vids. Pls reply if there is a solution to this or if somebody else has this problem because it maybe just my unit. 2.) Also while taking videos, when I push the zoom in or zoom out button, the sound becomes muffled (like something is covering the microphone everytime I operate those buttons). I figure some sort of electronic interference within its own is causing this. 3.) While taking videos again - I go cliff jumping at times and take videos of myself. The camera turns off the moment it feels any jump or drop. I never have a full video of myself jumping even at the pool. When I review it, the last frame was when I was still on top - not even halfway down. Any type of jumping motion will turn this camera off. I'm guessing this is because of its shockproof function? I'm not sure. 4.) There is a removable thing that goes to the lower right corner where you attach the wrist strap (see attached pic). This has worn out over time from always removing and putting back on. The locking mechanism in the camera body itself is stripped and therefore will no longer stay in place. I have superglued this as a remedy but sometimes it is annoying to have a wrist strap always there, Little side note: There is a setting on this that makes the colors suitable for underwater video. However keep in mind that if it is taken on shallow waters, it becomes red due to its digital filter (see video). This might be a con for some beginners and might not know what is causing it. There are ways around this but to the average consumer, there is always full auto that's just mighty fine. Nonetheless - Video quality 1080p is superb. Also pictures are clear and clean. I know there is a newer generation of this and hope they have addressed those issues. I'm quite happy with this already. I think I outlasted its value. I hope this helped you. Thanks!

Purchased this camera for a snorkeling trip to the Galapagos Islands end of January 2013. I was so excited about this once-in-a-lifetime trip and researched carefully for an easy-to-use underwater camera that would hold up throughout my 12 day trip. Out of the water, this camera did great and I was really impressed by it's ability to capture great action pics without blurs - much better than my Nikon Coolpix S9300. I couldn't wait to get in the water with my new Chums Waterproof Camera Float (which did a really GREAT job keeping this camera afloat!). The first snorkeling day, the Canon did great and I captured some good underwater photos. The second day, however, we noticed some moisture under the view screen. This occurred even though I had been extremely careful to securely close all latches as instructed in the manual. We continued to use the camera on the second snorkeling trip but it stopped working mid-day. The rest of the trip I missed out on some amazing encounters with white tipped sharks, giant sea turtles, stingrays - it was a real bummer and why the 1 star. I'm fortunate that others in our group had better water cameras than what I bought. Although it's too late for a complete refund on this camera, I'm hesitant to replace it with the same thing since I know it will not hold up in my next underwater excursion (which I know will not be anywhere close this amazing trip). I'm still bummed about the photos I missed out on but at least I still have them in my memory.

Last month, my wife and I went to Maui for a second honeymoon trip. Our adventures included a fair amount of snorkeling, and we wanted to take underwater photos. In the past we used a Canon Elph 400 for this purpose, mounted in a Canon underwater housing. It was a decent rig until it leaked last trip, so we were in the market for a new underwater camera setup. I found this one on Amazon and read a ton of reviews, as well as checking out the latest Olympus, Pentax, Nikon, Panasonic, etc. offerings. I chose this one and am glad I did. 1. Menu familiarity. A big part of photo success nowadays is being able to quickly navigate the camera's menu screens and other controls. All of my other photo equipment (DSLR, compacts, camcorders, etc.) are all Canon. The menu system on this camera was immediately familiar. 2. Rugged build and a shape that fits my hands. Some others have complained about the shape, but I like it. I also like the rubberized portions which help my grip. 3. Photo quality. I took a great number of photos, and I have to say that I just don't get what those who complained of poor photo quality had issue with. A few of them obviously never figured out how to get the camera out of full automatic mode, so they were unable to control the ISO (film speed effective) adjustment. Once again, being familiar with the Canon menu system (or perhaps reading the manual :-) should clear those issues up. This camera is clearly NOT my big Canon SLR with L series glass, but it does compare nicely with my Canon S90 compact. The S90 wins in low light situations, but that is to be expected since it has a lot more lens. This D20 makes up part of the gap by having a sophisticated sensor. It has vivid colors, high resolution, and good contrast. When the light goes down, things get a bit noisy, but I found it all very controllable, either by working the controls, or by Photoshopping later on. In any case, I've shot a lot of small cameras and this one is competitive with the best. 4. Video mode. It provided some decent video of a sea turtle in the water and a talking cockatoo at the Hyatt Kaanapali where we were staying. The sound was even OK, so I don't really get some of the negatives from others. It does not have comparable sound to my Vixia with DM30 mic, but that is not really the point of an amphibious camera, IMHO. This is good enough for what it is. 5. View screen. Bright, clear, scratch resistant. I was able to take better pictures than in the past simply because this screen is big and bright enough to use while snorkeling in a sunny place. NOTES: I replaced the standard strap/leash with a "Chums" floatable leash. This is enough to float this camera and give you a bit of peach of mind. I attached it to the opposite side of where the normal strap/leash attachment is so I would not have anything protruding from the bottom of the camera. There is a place there where a shoulder strap or some such thing is supposed to attach. I used this camera underwater in the ocean, in the pool, under the fake Hyatt water fall, and on dry land. It was a champ all the way.

There is nothing special about this camera, it is basic point and shot with all the related problems everybody knows, such as slow and unreliable focus, noise in low light, etc. The only reason to consider this camera is because it is sealed, you can take it with you to pool, underwater, etc. Now, you may seen this in other reviews, camera is made entirely of hard plastic. By looking on pictures I thought it is rubber and metal, but this is not true. The camera survives under the water, and takes pictures under water just fine, and again, this should be the primary purpose of the camera. On the bad side, the LCD glass scratches easily, be careful with it. Also, both LCD and lens glass gets foggy, you should consider buying anti fog spray and use it before submerging. Under the water you should switch to underwater or "fish" mode, since the default auto mode will not capture colors correctly. Above the water use auto mode. Finally, LCD is hard to read under water, therefore I had to point the camera to the desired direction and took as many pictures as possible hoping that at least some will be fine, and this approach worked for me. To conclude, this camera is "junk", but can survive submerging and can take underwater pictures. Since other underwater cameras from other brands are even worse, you can get alone with this one just fine if you need it for underwater photography.

I've had my Canon D20 for about a week now, so this review will not be exhaustive. However, I've played around with it enough to provide some helpful impressions. LIKES * Overall image quality is good. Considering the conditions in which you can shoot with this (wet, cold, hot, dusty, etc.), I'd rate image quality as very good. * Low-light performance. Most of the underwater pictures I've shot were in the pool in the evening with no direct sunlight. Given the lighting conditions, the images far exceed a typical point-and-shoot. Considering they were shot underwater (taking away quite a bit more light), the increased challenges of automatic focusing, etc. and I'd rate the image quality fantastic. * Form factor. A little awkward, but fun and easy to hold & use once you get the hang of it. The included strap is well done, rugged, and can easily cinch tight on your wrist for times when you are in the water or in other settings that might make keeping hold of it a challenge. * Video quality. Excellent! I've been shooting videos in full HD and watching them on my 42" HDTV. The quality far exceeds what I expected. * LCD. It is 3", bright, and easy to use underwater. * Battery life. Very good considering it has no optical viewfinder, meaning the LCD is constantly on. * Zoom. Haven't played with this too much, but the wide range on this camera makes this quite versatile. * Exposure. One pleasant surprise is how quickly and how well the exposure adjusts to/from underwater and out of the water lighting. It does have a dedicated underwater setting, which might further improve my underwater shots, but Auto works great if you are moving back & forth often. DISLIKES * Very limited manual controls. On the plus side, the Auto mode works well, and how much do you really want to fumble with manual settings while underwater or in other challenging settings? * Price. Yes, it is a bit too expensive for everyone to grab one. But $ for $, this is a fantastic bargain for a high-quality rugged, waterproof camera. * Limited flash control. Most point-and-shoots nowadays allow you to force the flash to fire, which can be really helpful at eliminating shadows, among other things. In Auto mode, you can't do this (though it might be possible when you use other modes). On the plus side, it does so well in low light that this is less of an issue. * It is not the best all-around point-and-shoot camera. If I were to have just 1 camera in this price range, it would be the Canon PowerShot S100 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide-Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) or something similar. My S95 produces FAR superior images and offers full manual control. BUT... what you are paying for with the D20 is something that you can knock around, drop, take in the water, use in the rain or snow, etc. and not worry about. If you are an outdoor enthusiast and find yourself missing a lot of shooting opportunities because the conditions aren't safe for a regular point-and-shoot, I don't think you can much better than this. I thought of just using my S95 and getting an underwater housing for it, but those are costly. The D20 is capable of great shots, especially in tough conditions (see some of my samples from time in a pool), and is easy to grab at a moment's notice. And that fact that it is rugged makes me a lot more willing to allow my kids to shoot with it. Given the balance of features, image & video quality, and price, I happily give this 5 stars.

We purchased this camera for a trip to Hawaii for taking pictures while snorkeling. We were a little concerned because we had purchased a Kodak waterproof camera last fall when we last went to Hawaii that flooded after the first time using it in the water. We didn't know if it was because the Kodak camera was cheap/poorly made or if waterproof cameras always ended up leaking, as all the waterproof cameras seems to have a bunch of "it leaked" reviews. We had read good reviews about this camera's previous version, the D10, so we decided to take the gamble with this one. This camera worked great, no leaks at all. We used it in the water almost everyday of our 10 day trip, for hours at a time. We got some really great shots, including out of the water. It also has an underwater macro that we think works really well. Taking pictures underwater takes some practice to get good looking shots, but we got some really great close ups of turtles, fish and eels. We also like the wrist strap attachement on the camera, which some people have complained about. We like it because you can remove the wrist strap from the camera fairly easily when putting it in a case, which was convenient for us, because we use a floating wrist strap that is kind of bulky. The one thing I would stress is to make sure you rinse off the camera after each use in the ocean. We would just fill a ziplock bag with fresh water, drop the camera in for a couple of minutes (make sure to press the buttons too when they are submerged in the water) and then dry it off completely. We have read that this is the key to keeping the waterproof gaskets on the camera from getting salt and sand build up that can cause leaks (says this in the manual too, but not sure how many people actually read the manual). We couldn't recommend this camera more, we know it is not the cheapest, but it works great.

I took a while to post this review, I wanted enough time to review this product. I am very particular about my cameras as photography is a very serious passion of mine. This is a nice point and shoot kind of camera, but it also produces extremely high quality. Let me just say that I have no complains about the Canon D20. It came along with me to a trip to Jordan and it swam along with me for hours in the Red Sea. It hasn't malfunctioned once as of yet, and also it hasn't let me down. Video footage underwater is beautiful. It's not unclear or blurry at all, instead the footage is crisp and defined. Now, for audio please don't expect studio quality or even close. Audio under water is pretty hideous, but I think that's expected because the camera captures the sound of movement in the water so you get all these loud crackling noises. Pictures underwater are very clear; the clearest I've had with an under water camera. Now if you're in the sea, then the closer you are to the subject matter, the clearer the picture will be. I can't say all of my underwater pictures were super crisp and clear, but honestly a good chunk of them were. Even the ones that were not so clear, you can still make out the subject matter. Also, let me note that some subjects were not clear in the pictures because of the distance (I didn't want to get close to creatures like the puffer fish and eels). In the swimming pool, you'll get ridiculously amazing shots. And I mean it's unbelievable how clear the pictures are under water! I was amazed. Even the video footage is very clear under water in the pool. It was just great! This camera has also fallen on the floor a few times and from good heights. There were times were I was sure it wouldn't work again, but without even hesitating a second it just turns right on! It's a very strong camera...It's not one that you would worry about breaking or damaging. Also, you don't have to worry about having it malfunction due to dirt...mine functioned perfectly fine with a ton of soft sand all over it. I mean really, this camera tags along with me everywhere. Especially days where I don't feel like taking my big old DSLR and all it's heavy lenses. If I feel like taking random snap shots, I just take my Canon D20. Has never failed me! It's a good partner in fun...Highly recommended! I'm not the only one impressed either, because every time I show my pictures to other people they are impressed too. Update - July 2014: The camera was functioning perfectly fine until I went on vacation to Cuba early June and when I put it under the sea it basically blacked out and has yet to work. Camera life is pretty much over. Strange...I thought I could pull more out of it as out of water it showed no sign of slowing down or wear.

I looked at several reviews online before I decided to go for this one...The Canon PowerShot D20 12.1 waterproof camera is great! I took tons of pics during the holidays, both inside and outside. They were all great. I love the image quality (I zoomed a bird through a window and the quality was beyond exceptional for what is expected from a digital zoom only, and through a window...) I took it with me to take some pics in the hot tub (not underwater) and left it on the side of the hot tub, wet and in the cold for a few hours. It was FINE!!!! Its the perfect camera for my active lifestyle. I recommend it strongly for you outdoor active freaks like me ;-) Can't wait to take it with me this summer for a camping/canoe trip!

it is really water repellent, but the picture quality is no really good.

I like a lot about this camera, especially its speed and ability to easily fit in a coat pocket. I haven't yet tried it underwater. Pictures are good quality. My only complaint is that there isn't a viewfinder. Using the screen to shoot is O.K. but in bright sunlight it can be a problem. As well, you can better frame a pic with a viewfinder and stabilize the camera. I will be testing it under severe winter conditions soon, and underwater in a few months.

Used this camera underwater according to instructions and it leaked the first time! Canon says it can't be fixed. Received it in Canada, but living in Asia. Canada Canon hasn't arranged replacement. This is unacceptable as the whole point was to take underwater pictures in Asia. Please note that we have been loyal Canon users for nearly 50 years and have never had a problem.