Customer Reviews

Canon WP-DC18 Underwater housing for Canon A650IS Digital Cameras

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

 

 

I purchased this case along with the camera prior to a Caribbean trip where we made 8 dives up to 80 feet. Had no problems with the housing (or camera - separate review of A650IS). The housing gives you access to all functions of the camera, including power on/off so you can load the camera in the comfort and dry air of your room.

Instructions say to not leave the case sealed when not in use so the gasket doesn't lose its seal. As it may be months between uses, I am keeping the gasket ring in a small zip-lock bag, inside the housing which I lock shut. I plan to clean and re-apply the silicon grease before each dive trip.

I searched for many hours on the internet, reading forums and investigating dive sites where people were kind enough to share information about their camera setups. I eventually settled on this casing because it was the only one available for the canon A650 IS at the time of purchase.

The case works well and the flash diffuser serves it's purpose. I took the case to 27M depth. The first time I tested the case without the camera to ensure that there were no manufacturer defects and I advise everyone else to do the same. You can put a piece of tissue inside the case to test for leaks. One of the advanced divers on my first dive with the case shared a horror story about his first case (different model/make) and how a manufacturer's defect resulted in a loss of his brand new camera. Remember to take special care of the o-ring and always grease it with silicone before a dive. Make sure no dust gets on it.

One o the things to note is that this housing does not have functionality to attach a macro lens or an external flash that connects directly to the camera. I have seen a lady on a dive with a strobe that has it's own sensor. Perhaps this casing would not suit one interested in professional underwater photography.

Here are some pics I took with this camera on my first underwater photo shoot! Taken on the South Coast of KZN, the Aliwal Shoal.

http://www.godwriting.org/godwriting/guest-entry-under-the-sea.htm

Santhan Naidoo
Khanyi Media

www.khanyi.com

This thing is really cool. Well, it should be for the almost $200 I paid for it, I guess. The only thing I can say bad about this product goes almost without saying, but I have to mention it: When this thing is encasing the camera, the only audio it is going to pick up is from people and objects very close to the housing. I have taken this camera and housing underwater diving in Mexico (and in the pool in Mexico, lol), in the rain, in storms, snowboarding and snowskiing, and it performed almost flawlessly. To get overly critical, it does have a glitch sometimes (and I really think it's the camera) with the focus setting when recording in HD video with the camera. What I mean is sometimes I will hit record, and it's kind of fuzzy, and then when I try to sharpen the image, it won't cooperate. I'm thinking it's the camera, but it could be a small conflict between the housing lens and the camera lens. Make sure you use the light diffuser (it's an odd-shaped clip on/press on cloudy piece of plastic on a small, thin black cord) when you take pictures, or else you'll get a dark spot in your photos in one corner. Overall, this was money well spent.

We bought this camera housing for a vacation to Florida, and it worked like a charm. Set up is very easy - you apply some of the provided silicone gel to the rubber seal (as you would with any other underwater camera housing), and other than that, you simply stick the camera in and close it. The housing has buttons to allow you to use all the functions of the camera - power, zoom, camera settings, menus, etc, etc. We had a full day of swimming/snorkeling in both fresh and saltwater environments, and the pictures turned out great without a drop of water inside the camera housing. Definitely recommend.

Since the A650 is not being made anymore I wanted to get the underwater housing before it too disappeared. Have not had an opportunity to go diving with it yet (and that's why 4 stars instead of 5, I can't rate it's deep water abilities) but put the camera in it and took several photos (dry land, not underwater) to test the ability to access all the functions (buttons, zoom, on/off, etc...). No problems at all. Can apparently do everything you would normally do. Looks and feels like it's well made. Looking at the photos you can not tell that the camera was in the case when they were taken. Now if you let the glass of the underwater housing get foggy or smeared, obviously the photos will suffer.
Protection from dust, rain, excessive humidity, etc....
I'm pleased with it.

Bought this for a dive buddy we'll check it out them the weather gets warmer

the seller did exelente agreed with everything great and the product was exactly what I was looking for. perfect

The enclosure is everything you would expect from a great company like Canon. The housing has an excellent seal system, very positive latching and great ease of use with gloved hands. The only issue I have had if you can call it that is that, its a smooth surface and occasionally I would have a hard time holding onto it while taking a picture with one hand. Add the weight kit to achieve neutral buoyancy and your all set down to 130 feet. I take this and my camera everywhere I go as its great for diving but also good for any environment that would typically be bad for your camera for example sand, camping or boating.

Both on initial unpack and a test in our pool, I am extremely impressed with both the underwater case and the resulting photos with the Canon a650IS.

The case is solid construction and allows full access to all the cameras controls. The glass window for the lens is very clear and looks high quality. The website photos show the case with the flash diffuser in place. The case itself is actually all clear and attractive in appearance.

I also bought the weight set. With the camera and two weights, the case was floating about 6 inches down in the pool.

I was able to easily use all the controls. Only the shutter is a little stiffer than the camera, but I quickly found the point for focus and previews.

My test photos with the a650is were terrific. I'll try to upload some low resolution shots. I shot some seashells in about 4 feet of water. I used macro, regular and zoom. It was a sunny day in very clear pool water, so I couldn't tell much difference with or without flash.

The a650 has a scene mode and color balance setting just for underwater. The results were very good color - the shells looked like they are sitting on the table. Long shots to the deep end were excellent as well.

Overall, I am thrilled with both the case and with the camera. I can't wait for our next snorkling trip!