Snapshot: Economically priced and user-friendly. A good choice for those who want an all-around camera for land and sea sports.

Features: Pioneer Research has beefed up their DC line with a new 5-megapixel camera and housing package. With its QuickShoot mode, which kills shutter delay, and video mode, complete with sound, it's ready to capture the action above or below the surface. Depth-rated to 200 feet, the polycarbonate housing is armored with rubber overmolding and outfitted with stainless hardware. Measuring 3.5 in. x 5.5 in. x 3.4 in. and tipping the scales at a mere 16.6 ounces, it's easy to carry all day.The housing gives a nice view of the camera's big two-inch LCD display through an optical-grade polycarbonate window. There's access to power, shutter, zoom, LCD, menu, mode, four navigation buttons, OK and delete functions. A fully multi-coated optical glass lens port makes for sharp images and includes a snap-on ring that accepts accessory lenses. For shooting up-close, the macro autofocus works to 2.3 inches. A 3X optical zoom and 4X digital zoom help reel in subjects that might otherwise be out of range.

A nice complement of preprogrammed exposure modes covers most of the photographic bases. There are modes for land, auto, sports, night, macro, portrait, landscape, window, sea and external flash. Several flash modes are available, and the DC500 will work in concert with SeaLife's accessory slave strobes, which can be purchased as part of a package. Internal memory capacity is 16MB, and the camera also supports an SD card. Movies can be captured at 30 frames per second, and the whole system supports both USB2.0 and PictBridge for connecting directly to a compatible printer. Power is provided by an included rechargeable lithium battery (3.7v, 650 mAh), which is good for about 200 pictures.