I first stumbled upon waterproof and dustproof cameras when I was shopping for a new camera before I went to south america to do a hike through the Andes and the Amazon. I was looking for something that could take the rain and dirt and the general outdoors atmosphere. I decided on the pentax optio wpi. Yes the picture quality could be a little better but for what I used it for it was the best choice I could have made. Since then I used that camera snorkelling in Hawaii ( yes in salt water), skiing in the canadian rockies and everything in between. It was the best camera I ever owned and every time I brought it out in the water all my friends were amazed at how well it worked and that it could actually withstand the elements.