Customer Reviews

Canon WP-DC300 Waterproof Case for S30, S40, S45 and S50 Digital Cameras

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This case is great for underwater work. I have taken it to 120 feet and I has held up fine (it is only rated to 100 feet however, so go deeper at your own risk) I use the flash a lot, but where I dive there is not much particulate in the water, so backscatter was not an issue, except when I was in caves and such. I highly recommend this case to anyone wanting to take underwater photos. An external strobe would improve photos a lot, and I am working on fabricating one to work with my Powershot. There is a tripod mount-style hole on the bottom of the case that facilitates attachment to a strobe assembly. I usually set the camera to automatically power down after 5 mins, this saves battery somewhat. I have been able to take up to 90 shots over the course of about 6 hours (2 dives and a long surface interval) with 80% of the shots with flash. Thats about as far as one can extend the battery's life. Get an extra battery if you plan on doing more work than that without a recharge, Overall it is an excellent product to go with an excellent camera

My order came with:

* The case itself: made primarily of clear plastic with sturdy steel hinges, steel springs for the control pushbuttons, standard screw-in camera stand base also made of steel, snap-lock mechanism with an additional sliding safety lock to keep the case from inadvertantly being opened.
* Neck strap: center portion of strap is approx. 24" x 7/8" long. On either end of the strap are end strap sections approx. 12" x 3/8" used for attaching to case. Altogether almost 3 feet of neck strap.
* Wrist strap (heavier duty than the one that came with the original camera).
* Silicone grease to aid rubber waterproof seal
* Anti-condensation (defogging) solution
* User Guide printed in Japanese, English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Simplified (Mainland) Chinese.

Have used this successfully in shallow fresh water photography just a few times with a Canon PowerShot S30. Flash seems to work well underwater despite warning in User Manual that some of the flash may be blocked or occluded. Ideal for carrying around neck or in backpack in rainy conditions.

The front lens is layered with a low-glare / non reflective coating to reduce outside light interference. This lens is recessed for protection, and mounted in a rugged metallic-looking ring made of plastic.

2 Caution items:

1) If you are used to using the viewfinder for aiming the camera for your photos, on the S30 (have not tried S40), the lower left corner of the viewfinder is blocked off by the front protective lens ring assembly, altogether blocking approximately 35% of the view. I find this completely acceptable because I almost never use the viewfinder, opting instead for the color display for aiming and image sizing.

2) Also, the up-down functions of the SET button is not enabled while using the case. I also find this acceptable because most (if not all) of the options available through this up-down feature are used pretty much only in the camera's configuration mode -- used for non-essential functions like setting your startup sounds, formatting the FlashCard, etc.

Overall, very pleased, and would recommend this over the plastic bag variety for protecting from water, and dusty or sandy conditions. Also provides further protection to the camera for the accident-prone or rough users.

The Canon WP-DC300 is the most fun and useful camera accessory I have ever purchased. The case is crafted for the S30, S40, S45, and S50, and as such enables the user to press all (with one exception) of the buttons underwater, or in the rain. The case is extremely sturdy and can be taken down to a depth of 100 feet.

The housing holds the camera snuggly and can be used as a protective casing, and within the housing the flash functions well. As a previous reviewer wrote, the black ring does occasionally block the viewfinder, although is neither a major problem, nor does this always happen.

The only complaints I have are as follows:
Turning the camera off in the case requires auto-shut-off
There up/down menu navigations are not usable in the case
Lens fogging is a comparative hassle (although canon provides anti-fog solution)

Other than these easily remedied and small downsides, this housing is an incredible addition to the S series Canon cameras. I personally purchased the S50 in part because of this case and I have not been disappointed.

This case is absolutely excellent if you use it for underwater work. The problem is you have to leave the S-30/40 on while it is the case. The battery doesn't last very long even when you keep the digital display off. This case is only good if you use it under normal diving conditions: about an hour or less in the water and you put the camera in the case right before you dive. I wanted to use it for an all day event in dusty conditions where there was a lot of dust and the potential for rainfall/snow/wet conditions exits. I couldn't use it because you have to put the camera, in the on mode, in the case before you leave on the trip, and it sits like that until you want to take a picture. By the time I started to take pictures, the battery was almost dead.
The moral of the story is: if you dive this case is great! Precison made, excellent quality, all you could want in a waterproof case. If you have want a clean environment for your camera during dusty/dirty/damp conditions, this is not the case for you.

This plastic shell makes it possible for you to bring your camera with you while you go bathing, swimming or diving. Usually I buy the "use once" cameras that also are a bit waterproof, but I find that the picture quality not so good. With this underwater casing, I can bring my S40 instead, giving me a lot of nice pictures. I think the price for this underwater camera shell is about 20 "use once" cameras, but regarding the large amount of pictures you can take with the digital camera, I think it is worth it.

In 4 weeks I will take this gadget to the south of Italy for a try diving. As long as the water is clear so there is enough light this underwater camera solution should produce great pictures. When there is lack of light, the flash is not strong enough though. I will update the review when I am back.

A flexible digital camera solution for fun pictures in the wet - perfect vacation gadget

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Back from Italy:
While in Italy, I took around 1000 pictures. About a 3rd of the pictures were really good. Some pictures lacked focus, and some lacked fishes =). Diving in southern Italy, the water is very clear making it easy for the camera to use auto focus. I used macro mode only during this trip and I got some really good pictures. The only problem I had was the battery. After some days I learned how to take pictures without using the LCD screen. Turning the screen off will prevent the battery from going dead too soon.

I am very pleased with the underwater house, and I will continue to use it during my future trips.

Several reviews incorrectly state that the camera cannot be turned off in the case. This is not the case (at least not for the S45). Rather than the normal way (shutting the cover) you hold WB/FUNC for 5 sec to turn the camera off, and use the shutter button to turn it back on.

If you have the Canon S40, just set the timer to turn the camera off in the case. The camera will turn off after the alloted time. Then you just push the shutter button and the camera will turn back on. Saving battery life.

I bought this case for my S40 for a Hawaii hiking, diving and snorkeling trip. I put my S40 into it and went on multiple deep dives, on the deepest I was at 93 feet...no problems at all. It has buttons to work most of the functions on my S40 except the following: 1) no on/off switch on the waterproof case (autoshutoff feature in camera itself turns camera off after a couple of mins), 2) no down arrow button for the controls (didn't miss either during dives). I had it on auto most of the time with the flash turned off. I noticed that on deep dives I did get backscatter if I used the flash.

One of my worries was that the camera case would be too bouyant...but on deep dives it really didn't tend to float too badly. On snorkeling trips, it floated quite well (Boyle, Charles, Dalton, and Henry are involved somewhere in there I think or it was just a perception of mine).

I noticed that the camera burns through its battery quite a bit faster when in the case since there's no way to turn the camera off while in the case (the camera has a feature that turns itself off after a few minutes of inactivity though). It generally lasted 90 to 180 minutes while I was continously using it on one battery charge. I had an extra battery that I bought and changed carefully by drying the case completely before opening during my surface intervals.

I also used the camera case when I hiked through the island's microclimate zones (rainy areas) and it provided me peace of mind when it was drizzling or raining...I never worried about my camera getting wet. It also holds my s40 very tightly making me comfortable with the extra protection it provides - but I wouldn't get it only as a protection case (Its to expensive for that, a bit bulky, and makes the camera eat up the battery)

Overall, if you're going diving, snorkeling, or taking pictures in the rain or very dusty environments, get this case (it was tested by me -- dive beyond 100ft at your own risk). It's the best purchase for this camera I made right up there with the spare battery and larger memory card. I allowed me to really enjoy the digital camera to the fullest extent. It's made by Canon so it fit perfectly too. It's an awesome diving case for your s40 and I took it as close to 100 ft I dared and it held tight. It's worth the price and made me really use my digital to it's fullest.

I took this case with me during my Caribbean cruise and went climbing Dunns River Falls, snuba diving and snorkeling and it worked like a charm. I was able to take great shots underwater -- crystal clear too. My friend also bought the case and he too got great shots.

One caution: Make sure you read and follow the directions when prepping your case. If you do that you'll have no problems whatsoever.

Highly Recommended!!

I am in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. I took this case diving in Ras Mohamed and Dahab. This case works great, it not only allows for complete manipulation of all switches, the case works as far down as 40 meters(120 feet). If you have the S45 camera you can use the WB/FUNC. button to turn off the camera and save battery life. I recomend this case for all divers, but make sure to attach the case to an accesible location so as to not have the camera floating well above you.