I got an Olympus C740 Ultra Zoom recently. It has a 10X optical zoom so the lense is equivalent to a 38-380mm zoom lense.

I take a lot more wildlife photos compared to fish pictures, plus all of the sports photos of the kids. Now I can zoom in on my sons halfway across the soccer field and get great quality images.

This camera has about 8 standard shooting options, is fully programable, has a variable power flash, and you can save up to 3 program modes. It was like switching back to my old Canon A-1 after all of these years going digital.

I actually get to use my photography skills again now that I get to have some input on modes, depth of field and all that goes into composing a great photograph.

I haven't looked for a waterproof housing, but that might not be a bad idea.