Hello - I am new to this and was in contact with Jeanine in another area and she suggested I ask my question on this forum.
I love the pictures posted and was wondering what type of u/w camera I should get. I am no pro but would like something that is digital and takes decent photos and would love to have it take video also. THe pictures and video would be for me and my family to share memories so they don't have to be "professional" grade. I'm just looking for something that works well has good memory or expansion memory capability with decent quality and doen'nt "break" the bank to get it. Would appreciate any insight. Will be in Bonaire for our first time in August.

Hi Kirk. My suggestions right now would be the Olympus 1030 or 1010 both have UW housings and seen like great little cameras. The other option is any Canon A-series, these also do a great job. Just stay away from the Sealife and Sea and Sea cameras that dive shops sell. Expensive sub-standard cameras. Price wise you are looking at $200-$300 for the camera and little less for the UW housing.

Always go to www.digideep.com before purchasing to make sure there is an UW housing available. Remember most digital cameras do not have UW housings.

Cecil - thanks for the info. Do you normally get equipment online? Not to many places were I live would sell this stuff. Any suggestions on sites that have worked for you?

B&H Photo in NY is reliable, although to really be safe Amazon is probably the best bet. Circuit City does have the Olympus 1010 for $299, online it runs around $250, add in shipping and you're better off at Circuit City (easier to return if defective).

General note on any electronics purchase, it is most likely to fail in the first few hours of use. So always turn it on and leave it on for a bit when you get it home. If you leave it in the box and wait a month to try it, the store might not take it back. Generally if it works for a few hours it should last years, we call this infant mortality in the electronics industry.

I would recommend having at least 100 dives and a buoyancy control class under your belt before taking the first UW pic. I've seen too many new divers with a shiny new camera crashing the reef. Not a rant, just my observations.

Bruce - note taken. My normal diving is done at a lake and I agree with you. There instead of hitting the reef if you hit the bottom you go from 10 foot vis to 10 inch vis pretty quick. I have a little less than 100 dives but boyancy control at my lake is no longer a problem at this point and I had no problem at Cozumel in March. My March trip was my first to a place with great vis and also saw camera guys banging into the reef. Again I'm mostly trying to document family memories so pictures of my kids and wife while diving and the occasional "special" creatures is my goal.

Kirk, sweet. I hope that you will post a trip report and some pictures when you return so we can all drool over them. This site is great for living through someone else's experiences. Safe travels!

I just wanted to thank Cecil for his advice to get an Olympus 1010!!! It is our early Christmas present!
The camera is awesome for us. Using the zoom and macro, I have been able to get awesome close up and natural photos of my grandson. I can't wait to get it under water and that will be soon!!
We did get our under water housings after several tries at different internet companies and a lot of aggravation dealing with a not so reputable company called fotoconnections.com. (Foto Connections told me that they were in stock and they weren't!)During this search and aggravation, I found out that Olympus has discontinued the housings for the Olympus Stylus 1010 so there is now a shortage. There seems to be some overseas but in USA, they are sparce. If a company tells you that they are on order, you should double check with them that they can get them. One company actually thanked me for letting them know that it is discontinued!So if you are getting the 1010, make sure you have the housing first!! We did it the hard way because we were miss lead
Thanks again Cecil!!! We made the decision just in the nick of time!