What digital camera to choose with a $400 budget?

[britusa]

Hmmm... I think you could come close with a Pentax optio S50 and an OWP3 case from http://www.17photo.com/ I used an S40 on my trip to Fiji but exchanged it for an S50 which fit in the same housing. I recently uploaded 20 pictures I took with that camera into my gallery here on Scuba Board. I'm sure there are other point and shoot cameras that would serve you just as well but these pictures should give you an idea of what is possible. It was only the second time I had the camera in the water.

Hey Pug, I have the same camera - S50. I bought it with the Underwater housing in January on a cruise in the Caribbean - paid around $380 for both. At the time, I was just snorkeling and I liked the pictures it took for a point and shoot - plus is a decent out of the water camera.

Now I'm learning to scuba dive and want to use this on my trip to Cozumel in May. I looked at your pictures and they are pretty nice. What did you use for lighting?

Thanks in advance.