Need recommendation for waterproof P&S

[Xia_Ke]

Okay, I'll give you guys a second to get the jokes, laughing, and "I told you so"'s out of the way....

Alright, now that you've got it out of your systems...LOL... I've been getting out and hiking a lot lately and I particularly like going out in the rain and other weather. I'm looking for just a little P&S I can slip in my pocket and am not overly concerned with image quality as this will just be for farting around pics to email to family/friends of my travels. It MUST be weather resistant though as it will be seeing lots of rain/snow/cold weather. I'm liking the looks of the Olympus 1030 SW you've been playing with John but, is a little bit more than I want to spend right now. Olympus sells refurbs direct on Ebay and I can get the 770/790/850 SW's for $150-$175 with warranty. Any thoughts on these or other models?

Thanks for the help,
Aaron

[A.M.D.A.]

How about taking a look at the Pentax Optio W60? It's the Pentax equivalent of the Olympus 1030 SW - and is slightly cheaper. (Currently $221.95 USD at B&H).

Also, if you already own a digital P&S, another option would be to buy an underwater housing. There are housings available for SLRS/DSLRS, too.

As for getting a refurbished model, this should be OK, especially if a US warranty is included. Remember to make sure that the seller has good ratings on his/her favor.

Hope this helps.

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks Alex, I'll check the Pentax out

No worries on the Oly refurbs I was looking at, they are straight from Olympus with US warranties.

[Photo-John]

My friend has the Olympus Stylus 850 SW and she loves it. It's been in the water and has performed just fine. Of course, the 1030 SW is much burlier and has more resolution. I definitely prefer it. But I don't think there's anything wrong with the 850. The Pentax cameras are nice, too. But I find their size and shape to be a little more awkward than the Olympus Stylus SW cameras. Plus, I really do like the confidence the Olympus shockproof body gives me.

[Photo-John]

Jenni posted a review for the 850 SW tonight: http://www.photographyreview.com/cat...4_6446crx.aspx

[NoKnees]

I think you'll be happy with either one... I own an older Optio w10 and it's been great. Everything from snorkeling in the Caribbean to snowboarding in Tahoe, you name it. The current generation from both companies are built solid, mildly shock proof and reasonable water proof down to 15-30 ft...

They even have shooting modes to adjust to the challenges of underwater stills and video, which seem to help quite a bit...

My suggestion is to play with both of them in a store to see which user interface you prefer and go with that.

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks John and NoKnees

John, have you had any experience with the 770 SW? I really don't need the extra resolution of the 1030, nor can I afford it. The 770 seems to have the same "burlier" construction as the 1030 SW though. Thanks again for the help. Money is tight and I want to make sure I get it right the first time.

[D-Change]

I bought a 770 for a year, took perfect care of it and followed the instructions from Olympus on care pre and post going underwater. Recently we were using it at a near by lake and it completely flooded. All the latches were closed and the o-rings were sealed and clean ... we're still not sure what happened.