Purchase Canon Powershot SD500 7.1MP Digital Camera for $499.99 Purchase Canon WP-DC70 Waterproof Case for $161.49

The 7.1 Megapixel Digital IXUS 700 is very popular as an above water camera, and sounds like it would make a great camera for Underwater photos also. I found one review by a Scuba Diver. The Canon IXUS 700 features a Perpetual Curve Design, a 3x optical zoom, 2.0″ Quick-bright/Night Display LCD, VGA 30 fps movies, * DIGIC II/iSAPS/9-point AiAF/USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, 14 shooting modes (including underwater), My Colors editing, PictBridge compatible, Print/Share button and CANON iMAGE GATEWAY. US name: Canon PowerShot SD500 European name: Canon IXUS 700 Japanese name: Canon IXY Digital 600 Canon Digital Ixus 700 W/P Case WP-DC70 can be used to a depth of 40 metres, is simple to handle, has full camera function control, Flash can be used underwater, has a Removable flash diffusion plate and Standard tripod socket.

Divernet says this in their review of 8 different Scuba Diving Cameras…

“The Ixus proved very straightforward to use. Its menu system makes perfect sense, with no frills and easy access to all the functions. There are both compression and resolution choices. Access to the major controls is quick, and the housing even has a visual reminder of what the buttons do, which is quite significant when you find yourself befuddled under water.
This model has a smaller LCD but proved very clear to view. It provides a choice of nine focus main areas and combinations that prove very useful when your main subject is not centre-frame. Its housing has a usefully large diffuser, which makes its in-built flash useful for underwater close-ups.”

DPReview review the Canon Powershot SD500

“Canon says. The SD500 is 8% lighter than its predecessor and features a new mode dial on the back of the camera rather than a switch. While the size of the viewfinder has been decreased there’s a 2-inch LCD with QuickBright function, which maximises the brightness of the LCD for improved visibility outdoors. Other new features include the ability to zoom during movie capture and a new ‘hold’ function, which allows you to view images for longer immediately after they have been shot (also seen on the SD400). “

Cameras.co.uk summarise the Canon IXUS 700 Digital Camera…..

The Canon IXUS 700 is an impressive digital camera. In looks good and it takes good photos as well. It has no obvious weaknesses and I would be more than happy to own one myself. Seven megapixel models have become more common in 2005 and you may wish to check out the Sony DSC P200 and the Nikon Coolpix 7900.

Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
“Shutter lag is the time it takes to take each picture. A constant criticism of digital cameras is the delay in between clicking the shutter button, the picture being taken and also the camera being ready to take the next picture. From a pure shutter lag view the IXUS 700 took a picture and recorded it in 0.34 seconds. This is a relatively new test, so I feel a degree of caution is called for, but I have to say early indications are that this is an average time.

In terms of recycling times I was able to take five pictures in the space of 7.33 seconds. That works out at a rate of 1.46 seconds per picture. I am not claiming that this is the most scientific tests, but it should give you an indication of the recycling speed of the camera. This is a faster than average time. My test is carried out indoors under standard conditions and it is possible that you would see better results outside.”

LetsGoDigital reviews the Canon IXUS 700 Digital Camera

Here’s what LetsGoDigital say about the Shooting features and movie mode…

Shooting features: To increase shoot-and-share enjoyment, a ‘Hold’ function now allows users to extend indefinitely the display of a newly shot image, and to delete it immediately if necessary without the requirement to switch to replay mode. The Canon 700 returns to shooting immediately when the shutter button is pressed again. A new My Colours menu gives users pre-capture control over image colours in stills and movies. Nine sophisticated colour editing features include Colour Accent, the ability to convert all but one chosen colour of an image to monochrome. Other My Colours functions allow favourite colours to be made more vivid and colours to be swapped, a feature designed for creative or fun purposes as well as practical applications, such as product design or interior decoration planning. Users can choose to save 2 copies of the image, with and without an effect applied.

For maximum versatility and ease of use, the Canon Digital IXUS 700 has a total of 13 shooting modes. These include Auto, Manual, allowing more experienced or adventurous users to take control of settings such as white balance, exposure compensation and shutter speed, which extend from 15 sec. to 1/2000 sec. and stitch assist for creating panoramas. 9 Special Scene modes include portrait, snow and beach modes for simple set-up in popular shooting situations. A new more powerful flash features 6 modes and has a range of up to 4.8m at ISO Auto.

New movie features: The Canon Digital IXUS 700 incorporates a number of new advanced video features. Digital zoom is now available while shooting video and users can record up to one minute at 60fps for smooth in-camera slow motion playback. Control over slow motion improves with more sensitive, five speed level adjustment, while white balance and exposure adjusts automatically when zooming during video capture. For recording clips suitable for email attachment, a ‘Compact’ mode provides for recording up to 3 minutes of 15fps, 160 x 120 resolution files.