Thoughts on the Canon Ixus 80 IS?

Hi there all you dive-bunnies! (as my first instructor called us)

I am a newbie here but am loving the extent of this website and its forums so far! Way to go WetPixel!

Ok – I need some feedback/help and I hope this reaches the right people! I have been diving for 4 years now, but other than lending someone else's camera from time to time on dives I have never had a camera that I could take "unda-da-sea".

We (the BF and I) own a Nikon D50 and have been really happy with it for the last 2 years or so, but due to living in SA and totally getting ripped off in this country we haven't decided to go all out and lavish a good R20-30K on kitting it out with an Ikelite UWH and strobes. I've looked for second hand ones, but no luck! So my thoughts now are to buy a "cute-and-sexy-point-and-shoot" and an accompanying Ikelite housing with the potential to buy strobes at a later stage if necessary. I'd just love to take more than just memories back from our dives – and we've really had some AMAZING ones!

So after a bit of research on the World Wide Web I'm very keen on a Canon Ixus 80 IS – which goes for about R2,500 here (1GBP=R14.60 & 1USD=R8.12) and then getting an Ikelite for around R3,400. I also want a little compact for every day uses when lugging the SLR around is not a functional option. So I am really as we say "smaaking" this little Canon!

I've looked quite intensively into its features and am keen on the following:

- 8 Mega Pixels (let's face it – who really needs more?!)

- 3x Digital Zoom – obviously a diver has to take some risk and try to get up-close-and-personal with some of the creatures, but a bit of zoom could save a finger from being chomped by a moray!

- 2.5" High-Rez screen – bluddy imperialists! That's 63mm to me – not too big but should suffice?

- "Manual" function for when I get comfy underwater

- "18 Shooting modes" of which one is "underwater" which sounds promising for a novice such as myself

- Has video – for when a still just won't do! "H-e-l-l-o Mantas!"

- It's wonderfully small and has buttons as opposed to touch screen

- I can get it in CaNdY PiNk – probably the biggest pull-point for me haha!!

- "Lens Shift Optical Image Stabiliser" which might be good for those darn fish that just won't pose for a good photo!

- "Motion Detection Technology" – (see above) – for those fish who are "on-the-move"

- "Face Detection Technology" – Ok I somehow don't think that applies to Nemo & friends but is cool for over-water-happy-snaps

- Canon boasts that it takes photos in low-light and we all know that there's pretty limited light unda-da-dea!

- "Real-image zoom optical viewfinder" – which is always good to have the option of!

Ok – so it seems I've already made my mind up and am overwhelmed and on cloud-9 with all the propaganda and jargon (which I am! ) so what the heck do I need you guys for, right? Well I'd like constructive crit and hopefully some feedback from someone who may already be using the abovementioned set-up for Underwater Photography. So please guys, give me you two cents/pence/quarters etc. I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks!

P.S. Of course whatever I do buy - I will come back here and post reviews about it for others!