After looking for weeks at reviews (both magazine/professional and user) I bought this Praktica based upon cost, value, functions, and reviews by others. It is simple to use and has survived two weeks in Barbados - on and off boats, buried in the sand, dropped in the pool, and to depths of 15feet in the sea. The pictures are undoubtedly better underwater rather than out of the drink, having said that, if you are chasing fish it is a little hit and miss, but for larger prey (turtles/people/etc) it rocks. The only possible downside that I could say is that it is a tad hungry on the batteries - but use Energisers and it is fine. I did spend another £4 for a floating wrist strap so that I would'nt loose it either. If you don't want to spend £200+ on a waterproof canon or panasonic then this is a great choice.