Best Waterproof Digital Camera?

Does anyone have any experience with underwater/waterproof/shockproof digital cameras? I have a nice Canon that I don't want to risk getting sandy or wet (or stolen), so hubby-to-be and I were thinking it would be so awesome to have a completely worry-proof camera for our upcoming trip to Puerto Vallarta and then our honeymoon at Couples next year! Then we can take pics of everything - snorkeling, poolside, and still get good quality shots when not in the water. It'd be such great peace of mind to not have to worry about dropping it and breaking it or water damage.

Our budget is about $300 or so, so we've been looking at the Pentax Optio WG-1 14MP, Olympus TG 810 or 610 or the Olympus "Tough" line, or Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX10 16MP. I would love to get the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 14.1 MP but its a little too pricey right now. As of now, we're leaning towards the Sony (higher MP, touch screen, decent reviews), but I just wanted to know if any of you have tried any of these? It's hard to pick since I've seen reviews for pretty much all of them saying they leaked and died, or also that they were amazing. How to choose?! Any other suggestions are welcome too :) Thanks!!

We have the Olympus tough 8000 and it is pretty good. Great photos, lots of pixels and reasonable zoom. A bit pricey but worth it.

http://couples.com/mb/showthread.php...us-CSA-trip...

Shot with a Sealife Reefmaster Mini. Shoots still and Video (not HD). This video is literally the first time using it. I have been able to dial it in better since. This year we return to CSA with 2 Digital HD Video cams and housings and will be bringing the Sealife along as well.

We just got a Lumix DMC-TS3 and so far, we LOVE it! I did a lot of online research before buying and all signs pointed to it as the best underwater/shockproof camera for the money. We haven't had the opportunity to take it to the beach yet, but we did get great pictures at Six Flags White Water and a Braves game on a recent trip to Atlanta. We got our camera from Amazon for just under $300.

I have the Sony TX-10 and LOVE it! I have only used it in a pool and the river not saltwater but it took great underwater shoots in the pool and I dropped it on cement outside the pool and it didn't even leave a scratch! I have actually been using it as my everyday camera and I am very happy with the picture quality. I got it on Amazon for about $300.

I got a pentax from bestbuy.com we took it on our recent trip to jamaica and got some awesome pics with it :)

We have a Cannon D10 and absolutely LOVE it! Paid around $250 on Amazon. It is now my everyday camera also as it takes such great pics. :)

We have just bought the Panasonic Lumix TS3. Used it for first time underwater this summer.
It is great!!!!
Pictures are crystal clear underwater & shoots video in HD.
Worth every penny. Can't wait to use is next month in CSS.
If you can stretch to the budget, its a great little camera.

We have an Olympus Tough which we bought before our Jan. 2010 cruise. The first time we went to use it for snorkeling it died on us. It didn't seem flooded inside, but we tried to air it out. No luck. We had to send it in and they did repair it under warranty. I love it on the beach and feel safe with it around the and and getting splashed, but I am now nervous of immersing it. I'm sure it was just a freak thing, but be really careful when you shut the batttery/card door that it doesn't have even so much as a speck of dust. It does take nice photos for a point and shoot, and the panoramic feature is fun.
I don't know about that specific Sony, but we've been diving with Sony cameras and housings for years (and never had a flood luckily). We absolutely love our Sony's for durability and very decent shots for a point and shoot. If Sony had a waterproof camera when we bought that Olympus, we would've bought that instead. At that time we also considered the Canon. We have a Canon DSLR whch is great, but I have personally never been a fan of their point and shoots, and that waterproof model at the time was rather big and clunky. Not sure what it's like now, but I love that the Olympus is small and slim and can fit in a pocket. The Sony model looks sleek too.

Thanks Johnniem & Aurxdoc05 for the input! Kevski - that video is amazing! Thanks!

I had this underwater camera http://olympusamerica.com/cpg_sectio...oprated_st6020
I had it for about over a year, and on the second day in Jamaica, it leaked.. now it is ruined.. I am not sure if I would trust buying another one?

When I replied at first none of the other comments had gone through yet - so thank you all!! I'm so glad to hear that most of you are happy with your cameras and have had good experience. I think we might stick with the Sony idea for now. It looks so sleek and nice!

I bought a waterproof housing for my Canon point and shoot. It worked fine for me.

We purchased one of the Olympus "tough series", the 770 back a few years ago and now own a 8010. Both have worked flawless, in both salt and fresh water situations. Having such a small camera that has video capabilities and takes 14 megapixel pix (the 8010) has been great for vacation travel. Being able to take a couple of hours of video and literally HUNDREDS of photos on the same memory card is really great. No need to bring our computer to down load pix. When trying to travel light, its great not to have to lug around a video camera, a regular camera and an underwater camera. They have been dropped....run over by snowmobile, splashed with suntan lotion and baked in the sun....and we have thousands of great pix and videos.

We have a Fuji WP model that we used at CSA this past summer. Worked great underwater for both still shots and video. The depth limit is about 10 feet so it works well for snorkeling or on the beach. Pretty cool little camera and not too expensive, less than $200 on Amazon. There is a newer model available now with a better optic zoom. Also takes nice photos out of the water. Not a professional grade camera by any means, but it takes good photos, simple to use with some nice features, and quite dependable so far.

Have the olympus. Was not too expensive and worked great. Now we use it all the time.

If you want to go on the cheaper end, you can pick up a used Canon G11 and the underwater housing for it. I used that for my snorkeling and the results were fabulous.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/...960da5a2cd.jpg I do recommend a camera that can shoot in raw mode that has white balance controls handy. Either from a short cut button or a dedicated WB button to allow your pics to not be over saturated by the water.

The other I have results from is a Canon D10 that is self contained and shockproof.

Good luck, enjoy and safe travels!

I LOVE the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3. I just bought one a couple months ago specifically for our trip to CN. I absolutely love it! It takes great pictures in OR out of the water. We even dove to 45 feet with ours and still great pics and absolutely amazing video. The diving videos look like you're in an aquarium. I feel like it's the best for the money. We paid about $300 for ours.

I have an Olympus Tough 8000. I LOVE it ! I has been to Jamaica, Puerto Rico and all over the Caribbean. It is by far the best camera I have ever had. We used is snorkeling and even in the pool. The clarity in the water is amazing, better than the professional underwater photographer for dives. The best part is it has a floaty strap accessory so if you let go of your camera underwater it will just float to the top :) The camera is shock proof also. A friend of mine dropped it about 5 feet onto concrete by the pool. I picked it up and it was fine, not even a dent in the case.

We live in Minnesota too and it snows. This camera has worked at -30 degrees ( taking pictures of the snow storm). It got wet from the snow flakes and still preformed like a champ !

If you want a fantastic camera, please get the Olympus Tough !! I actually just bought my parents a Tough 8010 so they don't have to borrow mine for their cruises !!