Pentax Optio 43WR Digital Camera

Pros: Small, truly waterproof, good overall quality.
Cons: Difficult to manipulate, but if you want it small...

I purchased this camera out of experimentation. I made a biking trip using my very compact and affordable 3 Mpix Toshiba 3320 and realized that you can take more valuable pictures when using a digital camera since there are no costs attached to ...

Pros: Size, price, start-up time, no lens cover, very water resistant, durable
Cons: No lens cover, square shape, wash out, functions

Overall this is great little camera. I have had the camera for about eight months and under most conditions it takes very good pictures. If you are anywhere near water it is a wonderful camera to have. I am a point and shoot type person. I gave up on ...

Pros: Excellent Quality, Value & Performance.
Cons: Can a camera be too perfect?

I have owned this camera for 3 months now & it has performed in every situation I have thrown at it. The quality of the pictures is very good on the various quality & size settings. The MPEG movie feature has been upgraded from the previous model from ...

Pros: Rugged, water resistant, set-up graphics on screen, general ease of use, uses rechargeable AA batteries.
Cons: Can accidentally turn on when carrying in pocket. Battery life is limited.

I was looking for a ruggedized, water resistant camera with zoom and video to replace the Fiji Fine Pix I had carried in my pocket on hiking trips in the Pyrenees, Sardinia, Corsica and Italy. I have had the WR43 for about 2 months and I am pleased with it's performance after being inundated with salt water while sculling on San Francisco Bay and being carried in my pocket on hiking trips in California and used in the rain. The quality and performance has been superb.

Pros: Water-resistance, MPEG movies, panorama and skin-tone features, 4MPs...
Cons: Some "hand noise" in MPEG mode

I've had the 43wr for three months -- it's blocky looking, but I've enjoyed using it. Up here in the Pacific Northwest there's no stress associated with taking this Pentax outside when it's raining. Standard shots with sufficient lighting create good photos. The LCD screen controls are fairly easy to use with a little practice. The portrait "skin tone" setting works well, as does the panorama feature (which lets you line up each subsequent photo to the previous ghost image). I use the MPEG (movie-making) feature quite a bit and have been impressed with the 30fps VGA quality. Be careful, however, not to manipulate the camera too much because the built-in mic picks up any little noise made upon the body of the camera.

Pros: Waterproof in still water, small, great VGA movie quality at 30 fps
Cons: Will drown if you take it into action watersports, limited low-light ability

I have around 4 to 5 digital cameras, and I got this one for two reasons: 1.) It's waterproof, and 2.) VGA movie ability at 30 fps. As it turns out, the movies recorded by this camera are excellent indeed - there is very little compression going on, as is also evident by the fact that a 1GB SD card will hold about 15 minutes of 640x480x30fps only. Sadly, the waterproof construction is pretty good, but not entirely perfect. I tried to make movies during windsurfing, and the first time the camera survived just fine, but somehow water entered the second time (banged against board? thermal expansion? forced water at high speed?), and since then it didn't come back to life. I am sad about the loss and seriously considering buying a second one despite the $350 price tag. If I am more careful, maybe I can still shoot my first person view windsurfing action movie... :) Anyway, I thought this camera deserves my 5 minutes to give it a good review.

Pros: ease of use, pic quality, bang-4-bux
Cons: nothing yet

Have had cam for 2 mos. went to Chicago Bears game, taken multiple pics in various settings with 2 German Shepherds and girlfriend,and also been very impressed with quality of movie mode(30 fps). Very easy to use and software is excellent. Researched for about 6 mos. b-4 purchase. 35mm that I owned for 7 yrs. was trashed in Jamaica in Feb. Going to Negril in 2 weeks and I'm confident the Pentax will return unscathed.