I am not remotely interested in photography or gadgetry but do want to take more fishing pictures.Switched to digital in 2004- a Pentax optio is it ? And pictures sometimes good, often poor. Yes, some of it is me but the thing eats batteries and is not intuitive to use. I want something simple, robust (waterproof if possible ) and which will unerringly take good pictures with minimal thought from me. Needs to be very compact too. Am not bothered re video function , sunset enhancers etc. So- what should I get- a couple of hundred is budget.Help !

I only use DSLRs but compact cameras don't get much better than this.
It's not waterproof though.

just spent £40 on this , its better than my other 2.

Nikon Coolpix L24 in Black - VMA821E1 - Jessops - Digital Compact Cameras

__________________
it`s nice to catch fish , but not essential !

Olympus TG-810 Digital Camera - Black (14MP, 5x Wide Optical Zoom) 3.0 inch LCD

I have the one about three models below this if I was buying a new fishing camera this would be the boy.

Dead easy to use waterproof and robust.

You can get it from Amazon for £196 here

__________________
http://www.iflyfish.info

Good luck with your search. If you find it, tell the world... and buy shares in the company.

Ain't gonna happen though I'm afraid to tell you. Cameras, for all the latest technology, auto this, multi that, can not think. You simply have to learn the principles of photography and learn about your camera. If you don't put any effort in, then I guarantee that no matter which camera you choose, you will not get any better results than you did with the last one (Optio?), which is more than capable of producing quality results.

__________________
Too much Saturn, not enough Moon.

Buzzers 2012


Fly Clips & Stands

I have to agree with Scratch.
I had the Pentax Optio.Very good camera.now got the OlympusWaterproof compact.Another very good camera.just spend a night with the instuction to get consistantly good results.

Jim

__________________
The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

To be fair, most semi-decent compacts will pop out picture after picture on 'auto' (or muppet setting) with consistently good quality for posting on web or viewing on PC. Fair enough, you need an eye for getting the composition right, but most cameras do a pretty good job on auto in terms of exposure, balance, contrast etc.

The shots I get from my waterproof lumix and Leica D Lux out-trump many off my old 10D....even when the former are set on auto, but I confess I am on a steep learning curve.

For the OP, i'd suggest a Canon Ixus of some sort, when I had one it unfailingly delivered good shots on auto.

As they say on 'Mythbusters'... "Waal, thur's yur problum..."

__________________
My hovercraft is full of eels

I posted the query as although I know little about cameras I know enough to realise that technology has moved on since I bought my last camera. Which is indeed capable of taking good pictures - if hampered by fact that the screen is invisible in sunlight, the viewfinder too small and the thing has a huge appetite for batteries . I did know , actually, that cameras cannot think but I was concerned to find one that required the user not to have to thimk as much as they did with cameras of old . A genuine enough enquiry- no need to sneer .

Fair doos mate... the problem is that your post came across like someone coming on here and starting off with the line...

"I have no interest in fish or fishing, but I like eating them, and so would appreciate if you would recommend some cheap tackle that I can use to guarantee good catches whenever I chuck it in the water..."



PS: honest answer to your question... Just go into your local purveyor of digital camera and buy whatever is the latest model in the 'point and shoot' selection. It will have the biggest and easiest to see in daylight display, and be the least thirsty on batteries.

__________________
My hovercraft is full of eels