Waterlemon-
I have an Olympus Stylus850SW that I find durable, fun ,& easy to use. It's by no means as nice as some of the other cameras out there,(I think my Amy got if for @ $200.-$300.00) but it does the job for me.
You can take a look at how it performed if you're up to looking up my TR from this past fall. It's under the topic Island Horizons Trip Report St.John. I think you just click on my name (MJ) and look through the 'all posts' section.
Good luck and enjoy!
Smiles-
MJ

Thanks MJ!

Looks like you all were at Francis Bay, or at least someplace that looks similar. What a spot... Great photos, thanks for replying!

BTW, where did you guys meet the Goldens?

WL

With any camera you use in the water make sure you rinse it in fresh water after every use. It is a little tricky with the Olympus (which we own and love) as salt deposits get into the hinge on the door where the memory and battery are located. Kind of tricky to keep clean of build up. I'm sure that is a common issue. Now we own an underwater housing for the Olympus so my we can use it when we go scuba diving as well.

Most of the photos were taken on the west end of Francis, and then we had the gumption to keep swimming past Little Maho, and into Big Maho.
It was beautiful.
The winds & currents weren't with us on the way back, so that took a bit more time.
Wonderfully, the same fish/rays were in the same place that we found them during our return trip.
Glad you liked the photos!
My favorite thing is to just walk out into the water at Maho, lay down, and float.
Good luck, and always
Smiles-
MJ

Who are the Goldens?
Smiles-
MJ

you might try leisurepro.com they have a pretty good selection and you can't beat their prices.

I was back in STT last month and tried out my new Liquid Image digital underwater camera mask that was built into the goggles. WOW was I impressed! Not only does it take digital photos, it also takes digital video. With the 2G memory card that you can buy and install it takes something like 1600 still shots or over an hour of video. The quality was amazing in and out of the water. I will have to work on the video side and try not to move my head so much while capturing video. The price was very reasonable for the camera, I think that I paid somewhere around $140.

I also have the Olympus Stylus camera and love the quality of the photos, but the down side is that it's hard to see through the view finder with the sun reflecting on the screen while you are under water. I just take lot's and lot's of photo's and usually luck out with some good ones.

Molly

Hey WL, I have a Sea Life Reefmaster mini camera. 6.0 mega pixels, takes pictures and videos, works on land just as well. I really like this camera, no case to fool with, just dive right in. I have the panoramic snap on lens that works great also. I had the older model Sea Life that had a case, etc and it was awful. This new model is great, had no problems at all with and takes great pics. You should check it out.

IAMolly wrote:
I was back in STT last month and tried out my new Liquid Image digital underwater camera mask that was built into the goggles. WOW was I impressed! Not only does it take digital photos, it also takes digital video. With the 2G memory card that you can buy and install it takes something like 1600 still shots or over an hour of video. The quality was amazing in and out of the water. I will have to work on the video side and try not to move my head so much while capturing video. The price was very reasonable for the camera, I think that I paid somewhere around $140.

I also have the Olympus Stylus camera and love the quality of the photos, but the down side is that it's hard to see through the view finder with the sun reflecting on the screen while you are under water. I just take lot's and lot's of photo's and usually luck out with some good ones.

Molly

Molly, I've never heard of them, but that sounds awesome!
Gotta google it...
Smiles-
MJ

Molly-
I just looked them up. That's the coolest thing I've ever seen! Are they really that inexpensive?
Smiles-
MJ

Believe it or not they really are that inexpensive! I only found out that it takes great out of the water pictures by testing the camera a little before we left to head back to STT. It is soooo simple to use, it the indicater light is a still color it is still images, if it is blinking it is video. That's it! It comes with a cord to plug directly from the mask into your computer, granted that you have a computer that is at least less than my 4 year old standby, it will automatically prompt you to open the still and video images. If your computer is older they do also provide a CD driver.

My maiden vouyage using this camera is a little laughable though. You forget that you are video taping and just start swimming away. Next time I'll have to remember to be more serious and not keep bobbing my head in and out of water while visiting with friends.

Molly

I stand corrected, I must have bought the prototype but they are currently selling the same mask that I bought for $69.95!

Molly-
Thanks ! Wow.
That still sounds too cheap to be true. My sweet Amy has a birthday in April, and I'm definately looking into this!
Thanks again, and always
Smiles-
MJ

I bought my husband a Sealife Eco-shot which as best as I remember was $80 or so. It doesn't need an underwater casing. He's taken absolutely fabulous shots in and out of the water. Do be sure to rinse after every use; salt water is hard on any metal parts.

mahojim wrote:
Who are the Goldens?
Smiles-
MJ

Hi MJ - Could have sworn I saw some golden retrievers in your photos... I took note cause I've seen plenty of chocolate labs on STJ, but don't think I've ever seen goldens there. Just unlucky, I guess ! (Yep, we're kinda dog nuts...)

WL

Wasn't me .:S
Smiles-
MJ

I have an Olympus Stylus 770 and love it - easy to use and takes great pictures above and below water. It is hard to see anything in the viewfinder - but like an earlier post, I just keep shooting pictures and always end up with some pretty good ones - I got some GREAT shots of the sea turtles in Barbados last December! Enjoy!

Check out the video on the Dive Make Camera
Not bad for the dollars invested