: I have recommended before the Pentax Optio for a waterproof
: digital, but not just because of the waterproofness- because my
: girlfriend was taking amazing photos with her old-school Optio
: which is now obsolete. You can get the older ones pretty cheap
: now, and even the W8 is down to $175 due to the pending release
: of the W9 in April. Maybe that's out of your range. If so, as
: you said, you could try eBay for a used one, but be careful with
: waterproofs.

: I know you said it doesn't have to be waterproof, but after buying
: a Lumix when we left Amy's Optio in a cab in Peru, I'm now
: saving to buy an Optio because I miss being able to take the
: camera on the water. By the way, the Panasonic Lumix cameras are
: amazing, and have Leica lenses- the best in the industry. They
: are probably out of your price range, but definately worth the
: money.

: Just a note- be sure to get an optical zoom, not a digital zoom.
: Digital zooms basically just crop the photo in the camera-
: causing less pixels and less image quality. Optical zooms
: actually zoom using the lens, leaving the pixels alone so later
: you can blow it up bigger or crop it more with less pixelation.
: Also I would definately go for 6 megapixel or higher for best
: resolution and the ability to enlarge and crop with less
: pixelation. Today's pocket cameras are being offered in 12mp
: versions. The image quality is amazing.

: Here's a shot Amy took with the Lumix. Amazing!

Thx for the info, especially on the optical zoom. That picture indeed looks really great. I'll check out ebay for the pentax optio.