If you're on the lookout for a slim, stylish, compact digital camera you can stop reading this review now, because the 10-megapixel Ricoh G600 isn't for you. Weighing in at 260g (excluding battery and memory card) and measuring a stonking 116.5 x 68 x 32mm complete with chunky buttons and rubberised body, the G600 has the look of a disposable camera.

There's method in this madness, however. Your slim camera may be able to slip into your pocket, its chrome trimmings glinting in the sun. But if you dropped it 1.5 metres would it bounce safely on the ground? If you plunged it half a metre under water would you have to deal with a drenched CCD sensor? The Ricoh G600 is capable of suffering all of this abuse without damage. Rugged and sturdy, this is a ‘compact' digital camera for those who like to get active outdoors.

One of the first things to notice when getting this camera out of the box is that the top of the camera body comes complete with a hot shoe connection, meaning you can attach an external flash for better low-light effects. It's a pretty rare treat for a compact camera to include this feature.

Get the latest Dell Coupons and other computer coupons at CheapStingyBargains.com.

Controls are left fuss-free and simple. The buttons are chunky and rubbery, but they're responsive and easy to use - a blessing if you're capturing a few underwater snaps. Along the top of the camera body is a shutter button, a power button and a simple scene mode dial.

Here, as well as an ‘Auto' option, there are two personal ‘My' modes and a ‘CALS' mode (which will capture images optimized in size for using as public work, such as on Flickr). There is also a ‘Scene' option for choosing image modes that best suit a variety of different shooting subjects. Annoyingly, once this option has been selected you still have to press the ‘Mode' button on the directional control pad to access the menu.

The Ricoh G600 has some of the oddest selections of Scene modes. There's none of your ‘Landscape' and ‘Portrait' options here. Instead it goes for the real extreme options of ‘High Sens' (for recording in dark places), ‘Skew Correction' and ‘Firefighting' (for shooting the scene of a fire). This is very strange for a camera that aims to cater for extreme outdoor types and the offer of different options for capturing text rather than ‘Snow' or ‘Water' is a disappointment.

The ‘Adj' button that sits next to the large, 2.7-inch LCD screen lets you adjust White Balance settings quickly without trudging through a set of different menu options. You can even fine-tune smaller colour temperature settings. With such a quick and accessible menu option you'll be less inclined to keep your settings stuck to ‘Auto' and experiment more as you shoot. Generous too is the range of ISO settings available, varying from Auto/ISO 64 to ISO 3200, meaning you have greater control over capturing images in awkward lighting conditions.

Taking SD memory cards, the Ricoh G600 has an internal memory capacity of 52MB. This means you can take around thirteen high-res images and keep them on your camera if you don't have a memory card handy. Able to record in JPEG image or AVI movie file formats, the 10-megapixel Ricoh G600 has a choice of eight different print sizes with the maximum giving you a good poster-sized print.

The image quality on the Ricoh G600 is fair, although shots are very noisy even at ISO 64, which should not be the case. Photos tend to be a little underexposed on ‘Multi-Metering' so its worth nudging up the Exposure Compensation a little, although there are no obvious colour casts and Auto White Balance manages its job well.

Where the Ricoh G600 succeeds is in offering a digital camera that can withstand a bit of battering. It's a model for taking snaps when you're out on the move and in extreme conditions and would be perfect for activities like bike riding or having fun in shallow water. Image quality is a little disappointing and there's not much in the way of features. However, for those times when you want snapshots but would be too afraid to trust the sturdiness of your slimline model, this would be a good option. It's a little pricey though.