low cost cameras

I am looking for a low cost camera, (Sealife DC310 maybe) preferably digital, and just have a few questions/concerns.

So far, all I have used is the underwater disposables from WalMart. They are ok in good visibility but the color sucks. These cameras don't have a flash.
I want it mainly for having pics of me, wife, and just some of the interesting things we see. I am not looking for anything remotely professional nor anything bulky.

Is the small, built in flash on many of the small, lower cost cameras adequate for anything more than close ups?
What about the quality/clarity of these cameras? My experience is that even the low pixel digitals are better than most film cameras.
Thanks

Could you rent one from your LDS and see how that works for you?

I had a 1 mp dive camera that I sold to a friend when I moved to 3 mp. It worked okay for simple shots like you seem to want.

All the dive shots on my gallergy were done with a 3 mp, enhanced by Adobe Elements 3.

The built-in flashes on most cameras are only good to about 2, maybe 3 feet. That means you can do some head & shoulders portraits, or macro. If you do things right, you can take some fantastic photos without any other accessories.

I would look at the low end Canon, Nikon and Olympus cameras. All are better than the camera that goes into the Sealife housing.

My advice for an inexpensive camera would be the Canon A520. It's a 4 megapixel model with very good image quality. Newegg sells the camera for $155.99. Canon's WP-DC60 housing covers all the funcations and is $159.95 at Newegg. For just over $300 you've got a great camera/housing.

My advice, although you might not like it, is to buy a middle of the road digital camera now, say in the $300-500 (if you can for a camera and housing). If you buy a cheap "starter" camera, you'll probably want to replace it shortly after to upgrade. When you upgrade, you will probably go to a middle of the road digital after that, then you'll have your cheap camera still. It is almost like a waste of money.

Why upgrade later... Upgrade NOW, that's my advice.

I wouldn't get bogged down in "low end" "middle of the road" etc - everyone's ideas are going to be different.

Instead I would scroll through this forum to see what advice has been given to others on getting a first camera and also check out www.dpreview.com for pretty indepth reviews of models. Try to choose the one that's right for you. stevesdigicams.com is also a great source of information.

I don't think you can go wrong with the Canon A series cameras and the S70 has some avid supporters too. It has RAW capabilities which can be a really nice feature. If you aren't interested in manual functions at all and are confident that you won't ever be (without them you are going to be restricted, but by learning your camera you can still get some great shots - check out Uncle Pugs) you might like to check out the Fuji F10.

Olympus and Nikon also make good cameras in this range. You can find out if a camera has a housing available at www.digideep.com

There are tons of choices out there...so have fun shopping!!

I'd also like to suggest the Canon Powershot A520, reasonably priced at between US$ 150-200 in the states and the housing is just under $200. Nice mix of manual and automatic controls with pretty good picture quality.

There was an article about it in the October '05 issue of 'Dive Magazine' a UK publication it won editor's choice I believe.

Considering getting it or the A95 sometime in the future.

EDIT: Just saw Deserteagle's post!

Thanks for all the input.
I have a Fuji S5100, but I have yet to find a housing for it, so...

I am not looking for anything too fancy.

I'm not sure what you mean by low cost , but I picked up the new Sealife 5 megapixel and am extremely satisfied with it. The pro set comes with a strobe and a carrying case for approx. 795.00. It does land as well as sea pics and is even less expensive as a stand alone. Great starter cam because of its point and shoot capabilities.