Customer Reviews

Canon WP-DC29 Waterproof Case for SD1200IS Digital Elph Camera

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this just before I went to Hawaii to go scuba diving. I went up to 80 feet underwater and took pictures and made movies. There was no fogging in the lens. I didn't use the diffusion plate it was sunny and bright underwater. The pictures came out good just as if you took them on land. The camera is great with the underwater setting.

This is the second waterproof case I got. The first one is for an older camera like 6 years ago. I had issues with it like the fogging. This one didn't and I guess Canon found a way to eliminate that.

Here are two tips that I want to share with you other than make sure your battery is fully charged. 1) Set the camera to Underwater setting before you go under. If you want to take a picture above the water, like if you went snorkeling and want to take a picture of the beach from the water, you can easily switch to Auto. Then when you go back underwater, switch back to Underwater (Program). 2) When you make a movie, try to be a motionless body, moving only the camera. I find that while kicking the fins, both at the surface (snorkeling) or underwater (scuba diving) moves the camera too much that the image stabilization doesn't really work well. The more still you are, the better it looks like those underwater films you see on TV. Easier to zoom in and out.

The most important tip which I learned the hard way but quickly learned via the display after shooting. You MUST allow the camera to focus first before you shoot when it is in the case. Kinda hard when you see a fish or turtle underwater at the last second that you want to shoot before it swims away. That requires skill to allow a little planning.

I also brought it with me when we went to the fair and it was raining outside, I popped the camera in the case and took some fun pictures in the rain. Gotta live a little and have fun.

The buttons on the case is easy to use and everything the only thing that is the opposite is the Auto/Program/Movie switch. On the camera you, slide up for Auto and down for Movie. It is the opposite when it is in the case, you slide down for Auto and up for Movie, kinda hard to get it in Program. Just watch the display to see which setting it is on.

I have had several underwater digital Canons, including G7, S330. I got this SD1200 because wifey also wanted to take pictures while I was messing with my G7 and strobe. Messing, because the G7 camera didn't always take the picture on the first flash, and didn't always fire twice either. No one can use 6x zoom underwater, so the SD1200 with 3x has a shorter "nose" which means a reasonable sized lens cavity, and therefore the internal flash actually works. At 30-60 feet, make sure you are 2-3 feet from your subject, closer is better. In shallower water, depending on the visibility, maybe up to 10 feet. Make sure you have a dessicant pack from a bottle of vitamins, and don't leave the case in the sun at any time, and don't assemble in A/C room: no fog on lenses :)
Another reason for the 1200 is the latest Digic IV, lower power, better software, better sensitivity, and who needs much more than 10 Mpix, it's wasted under water.
Great cam for above water too, even night shots are good, but not as good as a DSLR.
Make sure to try the underwater mode (not aquarium), a bit hard to find, but much better colors (less blue saturation).
Having had a lot of mileage on my previous cases, I found the need to replace small pieces, but can't seem to get any from Canon, you have to buy a new shell.

We purchased the Canon SD1200 IS camera and Canon WP-DC20 underwater housing for it to use for a dive vacation in Bonaire. It was very easy to use, and very light and easy to carry (there is no need for any weight system). We did not have a strobe, and had no problems with light issues. Very sharp photos and realistic colors. Both seahorses 1 foot away, and squidd 10 feet away, came out sharp. Just put it in Manual "Underwater" mode (select DISP to find this hidden selection) and drop it in the housing. Gave the SD1200 camera a 4 star as the size is almost too small and hard to handle outside of the underwater housing, and annoying whirring noise whenever in Auto Mode used on land. Will use my older Canon SD800IS for non-underwater use (I love that camera). I would consider purchasing a different camera/housing combination with a larger display if I did it again, but definitely happy with Canon and the WP-DC20 underwater housing. Of course, we ended up also purchasing a Toshiba 10" netbook to download and view and photos and we love it! For the money, this was a great purchase.

I've owned a Nikonos V & a Ewa-Marine bag (hated it) both of which are hard to use. This housing is simple to use and makes underwater photography a breeze. I used mine for snorkeling and a friend used his diving down to 100 feet so far. If you are a casual scuba diver or snorkeler (or just want to use it by the beach or pool) this product makes underwater photography so easy. The SD1200 has an underwater setting but I never used it and photos & videos turned out fine. The unit floated at the surface in salt water so I wasn't worried when the kids passed it back & forth while we were snorkeling in St. Kitts.

Read the manual on oiling the O ring seal and keep it out of direct light when not using it. Rinse with fresh water after use and wash & dry before storing the unit. I put my O ring in a small plastic zip bag for storage with a fresh coating of oil, a spare O ring would have been nice considering what the housing cost.

What to look out for:
The Canon housing ONLY fit one camera model so make sure you have the right match before ordering. I bought another body just for use with this housing since they change camera models SOOOO often.
It is easy to accidentally switch from "AUTO to stills to video" so keep an eye on that setting.
My zoom lever got sticky but rinsing in clear water fixed that.
Have a fully charged good battery & a card with lots of room before heading out, I never open mine when I'm out at the ocean.

Excellent case! I have been down 80 plus feet on several dives and no problems what so ever. Switching shooting modes or any function is really easy.

I recently purchased a Canon underwater case for a SD1200 and used it for snorkleing on vacation. I look about 500 pictures and it worked perfect. I was a little concerned about the trouble of cleaning the case, but it was easy. I'am very happy with product.

For the money, this camera and housing are an outstanding combination for value underwater work.

The pictures that I've uploaded show some basic snaps using the flash and underwater mode (both will help with color loss). A proper SLR with a housing and external strobe will get far better, professional-looking results; but can be ten times the cost of this point-and-shoot combo.

I've found that the flash (with diffuser) should be used for shooting below 10 feet (3 meters) for best results. Independent of the water clarity, reds quickly disappear and cannot be replaced without using an external light source (such as a strobe, or the internal flash in this case). The built-in flash and diffuser allow for about 10 feet of usable range in the cone.

The camera does perform poorly at ISO equivalencies at or above 400 (images are very grainy). External reviews at other sites will offer objective reviews and shots showing performance at higher ISO settings. Using the underwater program means allowing the camera to automatically set the ISO speed. The internal flash can also help keep the ISO at 200 or below.

I have used a silica gel packet to avoid fogging, and have not used the camera for underwater work without a desiccant. I can't comment on how this deals with fogging sans desiccant.

The camera is positively buoyant, and there is a weight kit that can change the buoyancy, but I haven't tried it - so I can't speak for how it works. The next time I dive with this, I'll probably try to alter the buoyancy with whatever loose change I can wedge into the housing.

I would certainly buy this camera and housing again for underwater work.

This case was used on a couple of recent dives and it performed very well. Pictures were fantastic (after color correction in Photoshop). Assembly and care was straight forward - simply following the instructions that came with the case.

Very impressed have now made 12 dives with case no leaks or problems. have taken camera to 6 dives around 180' the rest averaging 130'. Would buy again.

FOr the occasional diver, one that doesn't do it often enough to merit expensive equipment, this little case is a sweet deal. It performed with very good detail and color. Now, you can't beat physics( red light gets absorbed in only a few feet under water), and the photos (any UW photo), had the typical blueish cast. I was diving in relatively shallow waters (20 feet), so the situation was better and the pictures ultimately reflect the way I saw the reef. The use of the flash was more iffy, but I didn't get the time to play with it. I'll be looking fw to more dives with this photo equipment.