I use a Nikon AW120 on most of my backpack, rugged type outings since it shock proof and waterproof. There are better cameras out there with those features but the reviews of image quality are good (DP Review) and it is economical. For my work (water resources/ bioengineering) being able to turn on the GPS and know the azimuth and location of the shot is nice. I use a full frame dLSR when i get serious but the small and rugged little camera ends up with me most of the time since i can slide it in my pocket. I took it last weekend on a small pit blind duck hunt on the Pamlico Sound. Sand and salt water be damned! i set it in freshe water and wipe it off when i get done with the hunt.
Be careful of focusing on MPs. Admittadely, i am no longer a serious photographer but i used to publish here and there and do some sporting dog work. The sensor is equivalent to the film plane. Back when we all used slide film for the best quality images, the film was a constant, and the camera was just a light box to some extent, the lens was where image quality came from. I learned this from a National Geographich photographer from my home town and it has stuck with me through the years. Digital changes that to some extent because the sensor is now the film plane and processing speed, noise and all other electronic considerations are now in play. However, if you put a 20MP sensor looking through a sorry peice of glass then you get a sorry picture. Never focus only on the MP. The good news is there are very technical reviews out there on every camera that comes out where they evaluate the culmination of the lens and the sensor and what they ultimate image quality is in a standard comparison.....just dig in on reviews.
