Canon WP-DC15 Waterproof Case for Canon SD850 Digital Camera

by Canon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.6 x 2.6 x 2.5 inches ; 9.9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000Q2YF80
• Item model number: 2050B001
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 7, 2004

Product Description

Waterproof case for PowerShot SD850IS, Take photos in the rain, at the beach (protects against sand) or even while scuba diving up to 130 feet (30 meters) Housing is equipped with a flash diffusion plate to ensure even underwater flash lighting Front lens glass is constructed in two separate layers to prevent fogging when submerged under water

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Entry-Level Underwater Camera & Housing, September 12, 2007

By 

Nancy Kim - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Canon WP-DC15 Waterproof Case for Canon SD850 Digital Camera (Electronics)

I had recently purchased the Canon SD850IS and wanted to purchase the underwater housing. First off, you must understand that the SD850IS is a point-and-shoot camera - nothing super fancy. I purchased the camera for its compact size and the quality of pictures given the size and that the underwater housing was fairly inexpensive (when compared to dedicated underwater digital cameras).

That being said, the underwater housing did exactly what it was supposed to - protect your camera while going underwater. I did notice some of the fogging that the other reviewer wrote about, however, I attribute that to the high humidity of the locale I was diving in (Jamaica to be precise). Hawaii is also extremely humid and I can easily see how a little moisture inside the case would cause the fogging. After I noticed the fogging the first time, I kept the housing close to the AC in our room - it dried out any moisture so that when I put my camera in and sealed it up, there was no fogging underwater.

Buttons and the scroll wheel were extremely easy to use underwater. (A little less pliable on the surfact). The only negative was that it's nearly impossible to see the button labels (as they are just raised clear plastic icons on the case). Canon did provide a small sticker to indicate the button labels, but there was no good place to put it without blocking the LCD in the back. If you are extremely familiar and comfortable with the camera - this should not be a problem. Otherise, it will take a little while before you get the hang of it. Another small con - the wrist-strap provided is pretty small and weak - my fiance had a spare bungee-cord style strap which we used instead. It worked much better than the wrist-strap as I could clip the camera to my BC and not worry about it slipping off my wrist.

Another small con is the diffuser plate. In theory it's a fantastic idea - in practice, you have to get within 12 inches of the subject you are taking a photo of to get true colors. Any further and the image has the dreaded blue-washed-out look. As the camera is so small though, I understand the flash is pretty weak. Solution is to take an external light with you even in the day to shine on when you take pictures.

All in all, does exactly as advertised for a reasonable price. Being on a budget, a dedicated underwater camera is simply out of my price reach. It was very easy to use and did take some really great photos. I would highly recommend!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Using Canon SD850 IS Camera/WP-DC15 Waterproof Case for underwater pictures/videos, March 9, 2008

By 

Engineer (Concord, NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon WP-DC15 Waterproof Case for Canon SD850 Digital Camera (Electronics)

Length:: 0:29 Mins

Here is an underwater video I took of sea lions at the Galapagos Islands. I was thrilled with the Canon SD850 IS Camera -Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and the WP-DC15 waterproof case Canon WP-DC15 Waterproof Case for Canon SD850 Digital Camera. I got great pictures and videos for very reasonably priced equipment. The underwater setting allowed me to take pictures without getting the excessive blue coloring that you often get with underwater pictures. I highly recommend both the camera and underwater case. I considered the waterproof bags that are available, but after reading the reviews decided that it would be worth the extra cost for the Canon case, rather than taking a chance with an inexpensive bag. I was very careful to follow directions for handling the gasket and put the silicon grease on before each use to make sure it remained waterproof. When not underwater, the camera is very compact and easy to carry around and use.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good case but stay underwater., July 28, 2007

By 

Jacob Rosenberg (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canon WP-DC15 Waterproof Case for Canon SD850 Digital Camera (Electronics)

I bought this case for a trip to Hawai'i and used the housing about 8 different times in various scenarios.
When we took a boat trip around the islands, I brought the housing to keep the camera dry from any splashing, etc. From this, came my primary issue with the case which is that it does not do well in an above water scenario. Not only does the glass in front of the lens smudge easily, but water droplets stay on the front glass and cannot be quickly and efficiently wiped off, I would recommend canned air, but that's overkill in most situations.
I loved the fact that the camera could go underwater and for 80% of the time underwater the photos came out fine, however the housing can fog slightly either in the barrel for the lens or on the back for the viewfinder. I was not able to troubleshoot why this happened, but I put the camera in the case and sealed in before we even went to the water and at a certain point in the water the fogging became more pronounced.
The only other problem I had was sand that got into the locking hinge for the seal and I had to shake and blow the sand out because it wedged against locking slider which wouldn't open.
All in all, I was very happy to have the housing and it gave us some great and not so typical photo ops, but it wasn't perfect.