Recommendation for Hardened P&s Camera?

[Snowfire]

I am currently looking for a digital p&s camera for a family member. I am told it should be able to stand up to a bit of outdoor conditions and abuse--let us say one could drop it onto cement from chest height or onto a shallow pool of water and still expect that it will continue to function without serious internal damage. I have investigated one Fuji product but it got poor reviews for image quality (no better than many cellphones.) Is there anything better out there at the moment?

 

[ColdEye]

Dropping it from chest height onto cement is no good for any camera. For something that would survive a dunk, a Ricoh WG-70 or maybe a GoPro.

 

[guangong]

Yes, dropping from chest height seems a bit extreme. So does dunking in water. My rather robust Yashika T3 did not survive a dunking in Mekong R. However, there are a variety of weatherproofed P&S available.

 

[Snowfire]

Currently weighing Olympus TG-6 vs. Nikon W300. The Ricoh looks less promising.

 

[ronwhit]

I have the Olympus TG-6 which is my bad weather, hiking, or bike riding camera. I don't think it would be happy dropping onto concrete from chest height, but I did once drop it onto some seaweed covered rocks from about 2 feet up. Result was a minor chip on the edge of the screen protector. that was all. I've gotten some great pictures during snowfalls, and made some nice 8" x 10"s. I'm sure I could print larger with good results.
ronwhit

 

[Paul Howell]

I have a couple of old Fuji Finepix WRs, not sure how shock proof, I think waterproof to 9 feet. At about 4MP somewhat low res, back screen is not that good either, but final images are quite good, color, and dynamic range are fine. Also very small, fits into a pocket with ease. I paid like $20 US for my one that my wife carries in her purse.

 

[Snowfire]

Decided to go with the TG-6. Slightly less zoom range than the Nikon, but seems to have a better lens and image quality. Both are somewhat water- and shock-proffed.