Re: [Paddlewise] any experience with this digital camera?

I use a Pentax - Optio 33WR, which can be found for $200 - $250 if you shop around. It is a much better camera, but not one I'd hand over to my kids! The Pentax is not an underwater camera, but it will survive a dunking. Any time I'm on the water, it's around my neck (this time of year it's tucked inside my PFD to keep it warm!)
 
Here's a link to some reviews of the camera you're looking at:
 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B0002DUURS/104-1988885-5670351?

Here's the most pertinent of the reviews:
The camera with the "U" designation is really the only thing that makes this camera worth it. Otherwise it would be a substandard 3 megapixel camera with fair optics, slow startup and picture-taking response time, hard to handle, battery-eating import. With the 'U' it comes with a waterproof enclosure that works down to around 15 feet (i've had mine in a foot and seemed ok). 

If you're looking for daytime outdoor watersport photos, it'll do, and for around $100 and some change, it's worth it. Don't use the flash with the underwater housing or you'll get a glare in the same spot in every picture. I bought this for times when i couldn't take my good camera out (rain, kayaking etc). And for this, it's a decent camera. It doesn't deliver 3MP, more like a 1.2, even though the literature says it's software delivers 6MP interpolated. Yah, right. But if you're after internet shots or 4x6 final prints, you should be happy, with one caveat: It requires a steady hand in anything but day-bright light. It seems to take the picture about the time you release (not depress) the button, so be aware that it's so slow that you may have moved on to the next shot, but the camera's still working. To take a shot, depress the button halfway, tell everyone to say cheese, depress the button fully and then slowly remove your finger. By the time you hear the 2nd beep, you s!
 hould've gotten a good shot. After this it still takes 6 - 7 seconds processing time so don't expect to snag the action shots! 

Also, buy an SD card as it only has a little bit of memory internally and you're gonna go thru batteries (but only uses 2 AA), so get a charger too.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith Wrage" <keith.wrage_at_charter.net>
Subject: [Paddlewise] any experience with this digital camera?

> Planning to buy my kids (5, 6, and 8 yr olds) a digital camera for Christmas.  
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002DUURS/002-5747176-6871223?v=glance&s=photo
> 
> Is there some other sub-$130 waterproof digital out there that I've missed?
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