Polaroid iE090

£70/$80

This cut-price Polaroid looks tempting if you only need to take occasional underwater shots.

It boasts a useful 3m waterproof rating, 1.5m shock resistance, and 720p HD video. There’s a secondary front screen for easy selfies, and the 2.7in rear display has reasonable viewing angles, although its resolution is low. Exterior quality feels acceptable for the money, surviving our drop tests.

Downsides? The illogical controls make menu navigation very frustrating, and though power comes from handy AAA batteries, they go flat at an alarming rate. Then there’s the image quality, which is simply appalling. Shots from the 18MP sensor are noisy, extremely soft and look more like upscaled 4MP images. Low light is best avoided, as sensor sensitivity tops out at just ISO 400. The f/2.8 lens helps increase shutter speeds, but the focal length is fixed, and it’s not wide enough.

Pros: Low price; dual screens; macro mode; water- and shock-resistant

CON s: Dire image quality; no optical zoom; low battery life