Most people with cameras, even parents who overrecord every instant of their children’s lives, wind up with a huge hole in the photographic record: Nothing at water parks, in the waves, in the pool, in the rain, on sailboats or surfboards. And no wonder — you would ruin your camera or camcorder.

There are water-proof digital cameras, of course. But until recently, they were blatantly inferior to regular cameras; to keep the price down.

Today, though, you can get a digital camera that looks, works and feels exactly like a regular water-vulnerable camera — no larger, harder to use or less capable of recording video. And because most camcorders now record onto tiny memory cards instead of tape, you can now buy compact, underwater camcorders, too.

For normal people, a regular, everyday camera or camcorder that just happens to be fine underwater makes a lot more sense. Here’s are few cameras that are suited for underwater photography.

Sony Cyber-shot TX5

This gorgeous camera is so tiny and thin, your brain tells you it could not possibly be waterproof. At first, you will hunt for a model number to make sure you got the right thing.

Two features contribute to the minimalist design. First, it has a nicely responsive touch screen, so there are few physical buttons. Second, you turn it on by sliding down a full-width lens cover on the front. It powers up extremely fast; you’ll virtually never miss a water-park moment waiting for the camera to fire up.

The TX5 also does fairly well in low light. It also inherits Sony’s much-adored Sweep Panorama mode. You whip the camera in an arc around your body, and it snaps several consecutive photos, figures out how to connect them, and spits out a finished 270-degree panorama automatically. It’s fantastic.

Alas, there are disappointments. In some shots, it produces the washed-out look that was common to previous generations of waterproof cameras.

Panasonic Lumix TS2

This brushed-metal, squared-off camera is not the wisp of a thing that the Sony represents; instead, it’s quite substantial in its brushed-metal glory. That blocky design offers a payoff, though; the Panasonic is waterproof down to 33 feet, versus 10 for the Sony.

It is also supposed to be shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof, too, thanks to reinforced glass and rubber gaskets. The photos look great — maybe not Canon S90 great, especially in low light. But they’re above average for pocket cameras, and the camera may well last a lot longer.

But the videos are what you’ll really write home about. Panasonic treats video as a first-class citizen on this camera; there’s a dedicated Record button right on the back. It shoots 720p hi-definition video that, especially in good light, looks fantastic.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-WH1

Be warned: there’s only one thing that alarms onlookers more than immersing a digital camera in water and that is immersing a camcorder.

But this one is designed for exactly that purpose. It’s bright yellow, so it’s easy to spot in water. The controls are big and easily operated with one thumb underwater (or on land). A 16-gig SD card holds about four hours of video, and the battery shoots nearly that long on a single charge. But there are some drawbacks: the video is a little soft, the stabiliser could be better and the camera’s widest angle is zoomed in.