PENTAX Optio W90 digital camera built to withstand a mud bath

Photo from PENTAX Imaging

Go ahead, do this at home.

​When a company puts out a press photo of its latest digital camera bathed in mud, then you know they're not messing around.

Not only is the new PENTAX Optio W90 waterproof to 20 feet, it's shockproof, coldproof, and dustproof. (And mudproof, but that might just be a combination of waterproof and dustproof.) It takes a nice picture, too.

Its ruggedness and functionality make it a great point-and-shoot for outdoor adventures of most any kind. And I should know -- I've broken three cameras in the past three years. (One by chasm, one by rogue tide, and one by sidewalk after a recent Great American Beer Festival.)

The 12.1-megapixel Optio W90 has no moving parts -- the lens is stationary -- and features HD video capability and a digital microscope mode so you can shoot from a mere centimeter away. It's also got a slew of the latest and greatest gizmos -- facial recognition, shake reduction, wireless compatibility, and an autofocus assist lamp.

Headquartered in Golden, PENTAX Imaging is a division of a New Jersey-based subsidiary of a Japan-based parent company. New this spring, the Optio W90 retails for about $329.

www.pentaximaging.com