Inexpensive H20 capable

[yobenny]

Hi good people, a friend is going snorkeling/free diving in the Caymans and wants to spend no more than $200 for a camera to take along, I looked at some but would appreciate any advice for this adventure. It's probably a one time event so it doesn't need to be great, just good enough to take a few pics for print that aren't terrible.
Thanks for any help!
Ben

[inkista]

Olympus Tough?

[RobertsMx]

There are some good P&S available for the purpose, although, you may also want to make sure the model you look into can handle the depth you might subject it to. Many might be good for only up to 10 ft, some 30 ft.

For my purpose, and since I don't do underwater often, I settled for an underwater sleeve for $50 (DiCaPac). There are several sizes for it, and I found one that was going work with my Sony NEX-3 and its kit lens. I also picked up a reusable disiccant. The only issue with the particular sleeve was that I couldn't use zoom since that is manual on my NEX-3 but may be less of an issue with power zoom (as long as the lens can extend far enough).

[RustBeltRaw]

If your friend's not after stunning quality, a basic GoPro might be a good option. Waterproof to much greater depths than most (100m/297ft), and very tough, though the current generation has no viewfinder. I run mine at 1080p for diving and pull frames where necessary. Unfortunately, it is not an awesome low-light still camera, but the toughness (at that price) is unrivaled.

[yobenny]

Thanks she looked at the go pros, way too purpose specific for her, (really freaked with no viewfinder)
I dont know, she just needs something for around $200 that will take 35foot and less.

[RobertsMx]

Thanks she looked at the go pros, way too purpose specific for her, (really freaked with no viewfinder)
I dont know, she just needs something for around $200 that will take 35foot and less.

What camera do you already have? BTW, here's Dicapac at work for Sony NEX-3: