Durability

[Donna Campbell]

I am relatively new to digital cameras. My husband and I break and train horses for a living and being able to send progress pictures to customers via email is absolutely great We used a Kodak EasyShare Cx7300 but it did not last more than a couple of months. I carried it with me every day on my belt in a shock resistant case to no avail (it was never dropped) Are there digital cameras that can hold up to ranch life? Or are they all "delicate"?

[coldrain]

I'd imagine most compact cameras would withstand waht you are describing... Nothing really strange in what you write how you use the camera.

If horse riding and sitting on your belt does prove to be too hard for cameras like the Canon Powershot A530/540, then you should consider this camera:

Ricoh Caplio 500G wide.

It is very expensive ($600 or so?) but it is designed to withstand shocks, water upto 1 meter in depth. It is one tough cookie.

[Militaris]

A slightly less robust camera would be the Olympus Stylus 720SW. It is also cheaper and much smaller then the Ricoh.

[undefined]

Another option is the Pentax Optio W10 or W20. These are water and shock proof, although I do not believe they can withstand quite as much as the Ricoh.