Customer Reviews

Canon WP-DC16 Underwater housing for Canon A720IS Digital Cameras

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased the Canon A720IS and the WP-DC-16 about two weeks before a trip to Belize. I had enough time to familiarize myself with the camera before leaving, and was pretty happy with the camera in general before taking it diving and snorkeling. The combination of the housing and the camera makes for a great underwater setup for snorkeling and diving. The colors come out just about perfect down to about 10' (similar to using a red filter on a "regular" camera) when using the underwater setting, but going deeper than that tends to produce images that are slightly blue in tint, which need to be cleanup up using an editing program later. The camera (with the little diffuser plate) even worked well on a night dive (in conjunction with my flashlight). For serious underwater work you'll want to add an external strobe, but for my purposes (and I would guess most other recreational type folks) this combination fits the bill with flying colors. Do get the little weight kit that they offer, with two plates the camera and housing is just slightly positively buoyant, without the weights the camera is constantly tugging at your wrist while diving (you can probably skip the weights if you are just going to use it for snorkeling).

Recently purchased this housing in conjunction with Canon A720IS. The camera is a great inexpensive P&S. The housing worked well during a trip to Akumal, I do however have one suggestion/warning to potential buyers.

In full sunlight, the lcd screen is almost impossible to see underwater, while wearing a mask. So you are pretty much shooting blind. If I was not, a former pro shooter, it would have been horrible results. I have seen comments that there is a shade available, this is not correct (yet) -I have contacted Canon and shades are NOT avaiable. I will be working on a modification for myself. Also - familarize yourself with all the functions, underwater, the markings are impossible to see.

Other than those two issues, it worked great - No leaks - suggest getting the weight kit. And use the CHDK hack on the 720IS, it makes all the difference.

After having great success with a similar product, the Canon WP-DC2 for the Canon Powershot A540, we decided to get this underwater case for our Canon A720IS digital camera. The case is light, compact, easy-to-use, and works great for our snorkeling photos during the daytime. However, when we tried using it at night with the camera's flash enabled, the waterproof case design casts a shadow over much of the photo. Perhaps our results would have been better had we attached the flash diffusion plate to the WP-DC16, but this was not necessary with the WP-DC2 in order to take high-quality, underwater night photos. Nevertheless, an very good product!

I've done three dives so far with my A720IS in this case, and it's worked great, with nice pictures (though the camera does have a slightly harder time focusing underwater compared to topside). As the other reviewer noted, the flash doesn't cover the whole field of view of the lens when it's set wide (which is usually the most useful setting underwater). The diffuser *does* help a lot with this though (especially with macro shots), so it's worth using. All of the camera controls are easily accessible in the case, so there's nothing you can't do. The camera in the case is positively buoyant, so buying the extra weight attachments (or creating something yourself) may be a good idea. Remember to check the o-ring before every dive, the case seal does tend to accumulate some sand if it's in a harsh environment, like shore diving.

I have owned two of Canon's underwater housings, the WPDC-16 being reviewed here, and a WPDC-90 for my old A-620 camera. Considering the price of these housings - generally under $150 - and the excellent image quality of Canon's point-and-shoot cameras, the WP-DC housings are an excellent choice for scuba divers wanting to try out underwater photography, but who don't have the ability or desire to invest big bucks for a DSLR or video housing from Ikelite or Light and Motion.

This housing is also a great choice for land photography situations where the environment is very dusty or subject to frequent rain. Note that if it is raining, water droplets on the housing's front port will greatly obscure your photographs, so keep a microfiber cloth handy to wipe water droplets off of the port if needed.

Some considerations about WP-DC housings used for SCUBA diving:

1. The o-ring seals on the control buttons, and the main gasket on the camera loading hatch, should be thought of as "consumable" parts with a definate but unknown service life. What this means is that after a certain number of scuba dives, the housing WILL develop a leak in one of these seals, which WILL flood and destroy the camera. My WP-DC90 housing lasted 45 dives, developing a leak in the shutter button o-ring on the 46th dive. These o-rings are not serviceable (replacing the whole housing would cost less), so I suggest these housings should be retired after some number of dives - that number being whatever you feel comfortable with. I have known divers who got over 100 dives with WP-DC90 housings, but I wouldn't want to risk that many myself. Each WP-DC housing is engineered for one (or two in some cases) specific camera, and will not fit other cameras, so you should give some thought to which camera/housing combination is likely to give you the longest service life.

Canon's point and shoot cameras don't seem to have more than about a two year life cycle, and the A720IS was last manufactured in 2008 or 2009, so be aware that if you currently own an A720IS and buy a WP-DC16 housing for it, you will probably not be able to buy a new replacement A720IS if yours gets lost, stolen or malfunctions. With this in mind, you might want to shop Canon's full lineup of Powershot cameras to see which are the latest models that are likely to stay available for at least a full year or two. The underwater housings are all listed here: [...]

We love this housing! We thought long and hard before settling on the Canon Powershot 720 IS, and the Canon housing DC-16. We did not buy the strobe, and did not need it for daytime diving. This product is fantastic! Easy easy to use! The camera takes clear gorgeous bright shots. We got some incredible pictures. Perfect point and shoot and you can get the fish action fast because you're not messing with settings. I only wish the housing lens had a cover but it is recessed and does not. Camera and Housing - Highly recommended.

This water housing works great. I have access to all the function buttons on the camera and very easy to use. My only minor complaint is that the housing is a little bulky, but most will enjoy the ability to take photos while snorkeling.

Flawless operation,and completely water tight, ten days in hawaii tons of photos and the price was half of as much as the cannon website.

obviously this was made for my camera. remember to clean the seal and put a dollop of silicone grease on it prior to closing.

What's not to like about taking pictures underwater? This is my second Canon underwater housing and I plan on a third someday. These things are great. I take it diving all the time! The flash diffuser has saved numerous pictures that could have been blown out by the flash. My first case did not have a diffuser and what a pain that could be sometimes. Has buttons for every feature on the camera, a very nice closing latch, and is a very functional case. I use the weights that are made for these cases and they work flawlessy. This case calls for 3 weights, but I find that to be little too much and 2 weights to be a little bit light. I stick with 2 because I would rather have my case floating on the surface if I lose it rather than it sinking to the bottom. Great case for the price! I think I paid a little over 100 dollars for it. Ever price an Ikelite case? If you do, you will buy this one instead. Great for kayaking, playing in rivers, ocean adventures, fishing, snow play, anything!