[VFB] New Digital Camera for fishing pix

[Tom Davenport]

My old digital camera died so I've decided to get a new one, and since 
most of my pictures are fly fishing related, I had a list of features I 
wanted for this camera:

1. Compact to fit in my fishing chest pack.
2. Extreme macro focus for taking pictures of flies and bugs.
3. A full range of camera features, including  complete shutter and 
aperture control and exposure modes, and movie making capability and 
any other goodies .
4. High mega-pixel rating.
5. Good optical zoom
6. Long battery life
7. Under $500.00 price tag.

I have found only one camera that fits all of my criteria: The new 
Pentax Optio 550 (five megapixel).  It costs $600.00 locally, but can 
be bought for $499. on the net. It comes with a long list of features, 
a robust battery, is very compact with a 5x optical zoom, and has a 
macro mode that focuses down to 3/4 of an inch.

Now if it was waterproof and had an external flash hookup it would be 
perfect...

Any suggestions out there?  The swivel Nikons have a great macro but 
are bulky and battery eaters.  Most other compact camera's have limited 
macro modes. None but the most expensive professional models come with 
standard external flash hookup.