[Don_S]

I would appreciate recommendations for water-resistant point & shoot.  I am returning to Alaska in September on a small-ship cruise.  There will only be 60 passengers maximum. On my cruise last year there were only 50 passengers.

Once again I will hike, tour in skiffs, and kayak.  Last year I brought a Nikon Coolpix L830. It took great pictures and I loved the 34X optical zoom.  But it is not user friendly for kayaking or hiking in full rain gear. I looked at waterproof cameras but they seem to max out at 5X zoom which is fairly useless for Alaskan distances. 

I need a water-resistant point & shoot that I can put in the waterproof pouch I already purchased. When kayaking wearing a rain jacket and PDF carrying something as large as the Nikon around your neck is difficult.

I am not sure what I am looking for even exists.  That is why I am asking.  I may not be able to get what I want without going for a waterproof camera.  I expect rain and my kayaking gloves get saturated fairly quickly.  Those would be the times I would be using the camera.  Otherwise I would default to my Nikon.

Max price $250 (prefer much less) as it would be a duplicate camera with little other use and it would also be subjected to possibly lethal conditions. 

[SET Man]

Hey!

   Although I've never own a waterproof P&S cam before but 2 years back I helped my friend picked one. One thing I noticed that most are not built with picture quality in mind compared to a non waterproof one. I looked around for my friend with budget at around $250. We decided to go with Panasonic. Others that we did considered was Fuji and Olympus. Well, he was happy with it and still using it.

   Anyway, not sure how are waterproof cameras are these days. But at $250 or less I think I would check out Panasonic or Fuji.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?clearPrice=Y&ci=8612&N=4288586279+4052359761&mnp=100&mxp=250

    Good luck and keep us posted.

Take care,
Buddy 

[syzygy]

http://www.kenrockwell.com/olympus/tg-870.htm

[Don_S]

syzygy and Buddy,

Thanks for the recommendations.  I will take a look at those cameras.  I think a trip to Best Buy is in order so I can get hands on and see how they feel.  I will also zoom the cameras in the store so I can see what 5X zoom looks like.  I know that can be deceptive since the starting point is also relevant.

I like Best Buy's price matching policy so they have become somewhat of a default retailer for certain items.  Hands on the merchandise, easy returns, and the best price. 

Home Depot also matches prices and I used that to buy something locally at the Amazon price.