waterproof camera?

i recently bought an olympus SW-850. why? because i wanted to record memories for our adventure trip to banawe- bontoc-sagada. i don't want to bring my trusty canon s5is along the trip and without any trial use beforehand, i would completely rely on this pocket-sized point and shoot camera.

and why is that again? first, i am going spelunking and i might damage my other camera. second, the moisture from the cold sagada environment might also seep through my canon's electronics. third, i can always lend this to my children when they need to take some pictures when i'm not around. yes, even little pio at two years old have already took some shots with it. the camera is supposed to be waterproof for 10 feet and shockproof for 3 feet.
and so, i am ready to challenge the rugged outdoor adventure of mountains, caves, rivers, and falls.

image quality is decent though i would prefer the sharper images my other cam takes. it is equipped with 8 megapixels and an optional 8gb memory card which is more than enough for a thousand pictures. it takes video clips and has image stabilizers as well. i find the custom scenes selections very useful because it lessens the time for me to make camera adjustments especially inside the caves. it has decent low-light taking picture capability and its small size really makes it easy to carry around especially if you need both of your hands in climbing the walls of the caves.

you may need to buy an extra battery pack if you are trigger happy like me. i find the battery life rather short (way below what's in the manual). luckily, i get to charge it in during our rest in between our itinerary. i also miss the wider angle 28mm lens that would be great for shooting panoramic landscapes and close indoor shots.

but hey, for 10,000 pesos, this gadget gives you more value for its worth! am hoping to go snorkeling soon so that i can test the quality of its underwater images.