Would love to get her the ELPH but the price
There are some waterproof cases on Amazon for 19,99 --are you saying that those won't work and I will have to buy a very expensive one???
Thanks again everyone---I'm still torn---would really like to surprise her with the underwater feature but it doesn't seem I can get one to do both that and take good pictures the rest of the time
The cheap waterproof cases are nothing like the expensive ones, so you risk getting a leak.
You are correct that waterproof/underwater cameras are limited. Even my Nikon AW100 $350.00 camera is limited, and that is the nature of the beast with underwater cameras. That is why I would never use it as my one and only camera. I have a bunch of excellent quality cameras around here, and they all serve their purpose depending upon the shooting situation. You are not in that boat, as you are looking to get a good quality camera that will be used as a primary camera in different shooting situations.
You are looking at low end cameras with the waterproof cameras that you mentioned, so your indoor shots are not going to be that great at all. Canon Powershots are good camera, and so that sounds like it would suit your daughter's needs very well.
It sounds like budget is a concern for you, so I would try and get the best all around camera you can buy within your budget. Underwater cameras are specialty cameras, so if your daughter really isn't going to use that feature much, but will definitely appreciate a better quality camera, than I would go that route.
Nikon makes some crappy low end Coolpix cameras, so I would stay away from those.
Best of luck in your camera decision, Tiger
