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[Woolybugger]

I've had a tiny waterproof Optio W10 for over 3 years now. Never a prob. I got a memory card for a little extra.
The rechargeable battery gets recharged every third time. No stinkin' batterys to buy.

Now the Optios are W60 and half the price and way better.

It's the only way to go IMHO! I just put the tiny thing in my vest pocket and take pix all day long.

Pictures remind me of how the Susquehanna used to be. Check out the clean water and the big bass.

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[pcray1231]

Maurice,

Here are several links to what I have as the case on the Canon:

http://www.pictureline.com/cat/429/Canon_Underwater_/_Waterproof_Cases/?mid=1

http://estore.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&langId=-1&identifier=SC_WaterproofCases_4737&pageView=&subCat=Y

They weren't that expensive when I got mine, I think I paid $110. But shop around, maybe you can find them cheaper. $110 is still pretty steep, but my feeling was that if I have a $300 camera, its better to get a $110 case and have the camera twice as long, cause I'd be sure to dunk it at some point otherwise. And they make many models to fit different camera models, they seem to vary in price. If you don't have the camera yet, and you planned to go this route, you could use the case as a selection criteria.

It doesn't degrade the quality of pictures in or out of the water. But if you dip it, you have to wipe the water off the lens or else you'll get spots. I can't speak for or against the quality of the newer, waterproof cameras, they may be very nice indeed. But the Canon case is definitely waterproof, as evidenced by this picture:

 

[pcray1231]

P.S. The Li ion batteries are well worth it. I can probably take 300 pictures on one battery, and that includes running the large screen on the powershots. Charge it before a vacation and its good for the whole time. (I have the Powershot SD450, almost 3 years old now). A camera that comes with one of these, as opposed to using AA's, is a BIG advantage. The Canon's mostly come with a little square one, with charger, unless something has changed since I bought mine.

Also, I'm somewhat of a battery geek (friends who study battery technology for a living). If you go the AA route, make sure you get the batteries meant for high drain electronics. If they're rechargable (NiMH), look at the little mAh rating on the batteries, get the highest you are willing to pay. For a camera, about as high drain as it gets, you want to be in the 2300-2500 mAh range or better. You can sometimes find them in the electronics section of retailers, or Radio Shack, or order online. But you probably won't find these at the grocery store. Batteries and charger may put you back $40, but you'll like the battery life. For disposables, they do make the high drain batteries, like Duracell ultra (every brand has a version).

A good battery may cost you 4 or 5 times as much as a cheap battery. And in most devices, the difference isn't that great. But in something like a camera or a GPS unit, the better batteries will last 15-20 times longer.