Olympus announces TG-820 Tough compact camera

Olympus has revealed two tough shockproof compacts to contend with the recently announced Canon PowerShot D20 – the TG-820.

The ruggedised model can handle nippy temperatures up to minus 10 degrees and is shockproof thanks to its double-locking armour case and metal lens barrier.

The TG-820 can happily bathe in up to 10m of water, is crushproof up to 100KG and boasts a 3in 1030k-dot LCD. Photography specs include a 12MP sensor with 5x optical zoom and the ability to record full 1080p video.

Olympus' iHS technology is also found in the new model, allowing decent pictures in even low lighting conditions. Image stabilisation, HDR and a 3D shooting mode round off the specs nicely, and your snaps and videos can be played back on the big screen, courtesy of an HDMI-out port.

The Olympus TG-820 will be out from the middle of February for some hard-hitting imaging action. Pricing to be announced.