Pentax OptioWP Digital Camera

This camera is fantastic. I had one, then sold it to get one with a bigger zoom - and to be honest, I regret parting company with it. Nothing wrong with the new one, but I just wish I'd kept hold of the Pentax too!!

It's waterproof too, which of course is its main advantage - you can completely submerge it and it still works fine. Even in saltwater it continues to function, as long as you rinse it off afterwards.

The picture quality is fantastic, and the only reason I had for changing for a new camera is that this one only has a 3x optical zoom. That aside, there's just nothing to fault about it.

This was the first waterproof camera available which did not become waterproof by mounting it in an enclosure. It is great if you enjoy outdoor pursuits, with no worries about using it in risky situations where water is concerned, be it rain, swimming or boating.
My previous pocket camera had succumbed to a dunking when my boat was swamped, and so I bought the OptioWP, immediately I did not like the lack of view finder, realising that holding the camera to the face helps hold it steady, and like all digital cameras there is the lag between shutter and exposure.
For normal dry photography I bought a more conventional camera.
Do I like it? Well yes, I have just bough this my 2nd Optio WP, the 1st was on the deck of my boat when caught by a gust we heeled over, I thought there was nowhere for my camera to go, but the camera with some great shots was washed over the stern. I was very unhappy at this loss, and decided to replace it with another because apart from it's obvious qualities, it was easy to use and produced good enough results, I was pleasantly surprised at the drop in price since I bought my fist OptioWP paying £80 less and getting a 2gig card thrown in.
I have set up a set of lines to clip my camera to. I don't want to loose this one!

The camera is small, easy to keep in a pocket.
Simplicity itself to use - but with plenty of features if you want/need them.

It is fully waterproof without any extra casing - and can still be used with wetsuit gloves on.

At 5 megapixels quality is excellent - which you would also expect from a company such as Pentax. Also means you don't need to worry about aim too much (can crop later).

It even manages reasonable video - lower quality but good for fun and ideal on a river where you might not want to take an expensive non-waterproof camcorder.

I broke my first one (being a little too rough with it - although it had previously survived several canoeing trips hanging from my bouyancy aid in whitewater, plus several camps and other activities with a youth group) - this one was bought to replace it. Can't really imagine buying/using anything else.