Much of the debate around the relative merits of different type of camera systems revolves around the tradeoff between the image quality achievable using larger DSLR/mirrorless cameras versus the opportunities that arise through having a more compact camera or phone with you most of the time. Note the use of “most” not “all” here, if you want to have your camera with you all of the time you might consider getting a compact rugged cameras like the Olympus TG series. Here are the main advantages of this type of camera, as I see them.

1. Genuine portability; Like phones, most rugged cameras will fit in your pocket. Unlike phones, they are typically completely waterproof, freeze proof, shockproof and even crushproof. So you can take them with you all the time and use them pretty much anywhere without worrying about the consequences.

2. Superior image quality compared with phone cameras; In terms of image quality compact rugged cameras fall somewhere in between phone cameras and DSLR/mirrorless cameras. Most have some level of optical zoom, although typically with less range than standard compacts. The Olympus TG3 that I use, for example, has a 24-100mm full frame equivalent zoom. Many of them also offer more control over aperture, shutter speed, ISO and flash output than phone cameras. While they don’t match DSLR/mirrorless cameras in terms of absolute image quality (above), they still do a pretty good job (below).

3. Compact form-factor; Like phone cameras, the compact nature of compact rugged cameras doesn’t just let you carry them everywhere in your pocket, it also allows them to take images from positions that would be impossible with a more bulky DSLR/mirrorless camera. This, together with waterproofing, lets you capture images from new perspectives. Getting a close-up wide angle image of the two frogs and confused toad (above) was tricky with the Olympus OMD EM1ii and 12-100mm on dry(ish) land, the image below was impossible to achieve with the larger camera.

4. Most rugged cameras are designed to take pictures underwater; My OMD EM1ii has superior weatherproofing, I’ve used it for several hours in torrential tropical rain and met a guy who dropped his in a pond with no apparent consequence. I’ve also dived with a buddy who had forgotten that he had his iPhone X in the pocket of his drysuit until we were at 7 meters. That was a short and shallow dive, but when we got out his phone unaffected. However, taking pictures during prolonged exposure to water at depth and pressure is another matter entirely. Most rugged cameras are designed to take pictures at depths of 15 meters or more without a extra housing, making them ideal for taking with you snorkelling or on shallow SCUBA dives. The Olympus TG3, for example, produces good close-up images underwater and passable wide angle images. The quality of wide angle images are restricted by the flat front port on the TG3, which can only really be improved upon by using a DSLR/mirrorless camera in dedicated housing with a dome-port for nearly 20 times the cost.

To summarise; Rugged compact cameras can’t quite compete with DSLR/mirrorless cameras in terms of image quality but their smaller size, superior weather- and shock-proofing, together with the ability to take pictures underwater without a dedicated housing allows them to produce images that would be difficult or impossible with a DSLR/mirrorless camera or phone camera.

Photo credits: Jeremy Brown.