Pentax Optio WPi

I've been wanting a waterproof digital camera for years. I once had Olympus Stylus 35mm "Weatherproof" camera that I loved. It worked in rain, and I didn't worry about it getting splashed in a canoe, although I did put it away in rapids or rough water situations. When I went whitewater rafting on the Kali Gandaki river in Nepal, I had a Sigma 300 SLR that I triple-bagged, and instead used a disposable camera for pics on the river, but the pics were sort of crappy -- exactly what one would expect from a 1992 disposible camera, and in some way fitting for such an adventure.

But times change. My Casio QVR-40 has served me well since Dec 2003, but it's lost 4 screws and is showing a lot of wear from being bulky in my pocket everyday in 2004 and much of 2005. The "metal paint" is wearing off. What was once a small and fast camera is now a medium and medium camera, so I've decided to update again to my third digital (the first was a Casio QV-2000UX).

Just in time, Pentax has updated their waterproof Optio WPi. It's a six megapixel slim little thing that gets medium-to-good reviews across the web (outstanding in the area of water-resistance, since it's the only game in town for small waterproof digital cameras). I anticipate it will be in my pocket shortly, and since it's slimmer/smaller than my cell phone, it shouldn't wear as quickly as the Casio did.

My only concern is that I went against instincts and ordered online from a place that doesn't have the best reviews. I think I might just be testing my faith in the internet by doing so, but I'm an optimistic sort of guy who hasn't been burned online yet, and who has pretty good credit card protection (knock on wood). I guess we'll see.