Hi there!
I had asked on a different forum about which camera would be best for my first camera, but I wanted another opinion. :]

At first I was told to use the Fuji F30, but then was told that the Canon A570 would be better. I don’t want to spend more then $1,000 on my first camera, so this seems like a great idea. With the camera and housing it is $442.25, which is perfect for me because then I can save up for a strobe. Here is the link:
Amazon.com: Canon WP-DC12 Waterproof Case for Canon A570IS Digital Camera: Camera & Photo

On the camera’s page it says that there is a newer model available. Should I get this newer model instead? Or what? I see on the bottom of the housing’s page it has the A720’s housing.. so would this be better, because it is newer? The 720 also says that is has 8MP, while the other has 7.1, although the 720 is overall $363.97. This doesn’t make much sense to me.. Also, the actual CAMERA for the 570 is 7.1MP and 4x zoom and is $275.32, while the 720 is 8 MP and 6x zoom, and is $199.00. If it is newer, wouldn’t it be more expensive then the 570?

Another question, with this camera do you NEED a strobe, or can you work with the flash built into the camera?

Thanks so much!

Hey Elli,

you seem to be pretty well informed already..  At the moment I have not a
good idea what the best compact camera is on the market. The Canon G9
seems to be fine, but I think it’s above your budget. Maybe someone else
can help you more…

I can only tell you that the internal flash will help you for macro images
only and only if you are very close in very clean water. Anything else will
most probably lead to backscatter (small white reflecting particles in the images)
as the internal flash is very close to the lens.
The external strobe can be positioned far away from the lens in order to eliminate
the backscatter and gives you with more flexibility for light positioning.

Hope that helps..
ciao Lars