Red,
My college-aged daughter has been using an Olympus Stylus, and it surely takes abuse! I've seen it in action...LOL! It can be used underwater, can be dropped and still work, has macro and super macro availability, and has panorama feature I believe, especially in the 10 MP model. So you might look at that one also. It is just a point and shoot model, so no lens changing ability if you're looking for that. It's a great little camera, one I'd like to have as a purse model, instead of toting the case and camera for the Nikon.
