Customer Reviews

Canon WP-DC35 Underwater Housing for Canon PowerShot S90 Digital Camera

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The case is great. It fits the S90 perfectly, and lets you operate all the controls with relative ease. You can turn the front control wheel, and you can *press* the rear control wheel in 5 different areas but not turn it. However, this is not a big disadvantage because you can still access all the features of the camera using various button presses, even if you can't turn that rear wheel. It's just a little slower.

Canon builds these cases for almost all their compact cameras, and they've got it down. You don't want to go around dropping the case on random rocks, but it's built pretty solidly, with thick plastic. It's not leaked on me, nor did I ever have any problems with the very similar case for my Canon S30 that I've used over the past 7 or 8 years.

The flash is pretty lousy -- it's blocked by the case, though the included diffuser helps this a bit. But if you do much underwater photography you're not going to want to use the onboard flash anyhow, and this problem is shared with every single other point-and-shoot case out there.

I wish it was wider angle -- the S90 goes pretty wide, but you lose a lot of this once you put it underwater. Some SLR housings have 'dome' windows rather than the flat piece of glass that this one has, and that allows you to get the full wide angle of the lens. Too bad Canon doesn't offer that option here. But considering the price and the rest of the functionality, it's still a bargain.

Note that Ikelite makes a 3rd-party case for the S90 which is pretty similar, but a little more flexible than Canon's: for instance, you can screw on a wide-angle adapter lens in front of their case. That setup would clearly be better... but by that point it's become triple the price of the Canon casing. If you're going to spend that kind of money, you may as well keep spending and buy a full underwater SLR setup.

Update: I have recently had a problem with the window fogging up *between the two front pieces of glass* -- that is, moisture which is internal in the case and can't be wiped away even from the inside. I assume this is an isolated problem with my unit, but I will edit this review if the problem returns.

PROS:
This is a terrific underwater case, extending the S90's reach for a relatively modest price. The camera goes in easy and securely, it has a hefty quality to it (twice the weight of the S90 itself), and I'd even say it looks nice (orange & blue Scuba bling). Best of all, all the controls remain accessible, except that in order to "turn" the rear wheel, you have to press "S" plus left/right. The zoom is actually easier to use with the case on than off, thanks to the big lever.


CONS:
- I found that the case scratches rather easily. After a week of tossing it into my dive bag it has developed some visible scuffs all around, even on the metal around the front glass (aluminum I suppose), and particularly on the back where you'll be looking at the screen. Luckily, the front glass itself seems to be hardened, no marks there at all.
- The included wrist strap is inadequate - you can zip-close it tight to your wrist, but it WILL come undone. I've dropped my camera TWICE on my recent trip and will be looking for a better solution for when the bottom is out of reach.
- The front glass is rectangular and therefore it's impossible to fit a lens cap (for outdoor purposes) or wide-angle converter (think reef shots).


THINGS TO KNOW:
- For actual SCUBA use (as opposed to rafting or snorkeling), you will also need two of the four steel plates from the Canon Weights package, something they really should have included with the case! Especially since they're cheap enough to develop rust.
- For maintenance, soak or at least rinse the case CLOSED in freshwater, preferably after every dive. Never get the interior wet - it will rust. Also, be diligent and relubricate the o-ring with silicon grease multiple times per dive trip, and always inspect the seal after you close the case (the translucent plastic makes this possible). I've seen a case flood on my recent trip, and it's not only an opportunity to learn or practice curse words, but also probably not covered by your insurance.
- Don't forget the moisture eater. When you close the case in a hot, humid climate, the cold water will cool the air inside and it will condense during your dive. If you really just forgot and no one can spare a moisture muncher, try this: cool the case and camera in front of your room's AC and close it in cool air - it will probably still fog up, but you'll get about 30-45 mins of "clear" time (tried this in 81F water).


CONCLUSION:
The CONS list may seem long, but there's no showstopper. The quality is stellar, and I don't think you could go wrong with this housing unless you were a tech or military diver. Still, if you're looking to step up, Ikelite makes a deeper- rated housing, and Fisheye produces a very snug and sleek aluminum case - at the cost of two S90s.

Simply fantastic -- this case is superbly designed, built like a tank, easy to operate, and gives great results.

At first I was wary that my S90 was going to get scuffed by the case, but a solid week of pretty hard use in Baja (I shot 2,600 frames) demonstrated that this was unfounded. During this trip I must have inserted and removed the camera from the housing more than twenty times. The case has little "nibs" -- plastic guides whose ends are covered with rubber tips -- and these ease the camera into place and hold it firmly without damaging the finish.

When using the S90 in the housing, you still have access to every control and function the camera offers. The design is quite clever in that you don't fumble with the controls; the various knobs, buttons and levers all work smoothly and crisply. Only the flash is somewhat compromised; you add a frosted plastic diffuser that pops into place on the outside of the case to improve the results you get using flash underwater. I gave up using the flash at all, as the range underwater is quite limited.

I think the results speak for themselves; I have posted four pictures from my recent Baja trip. During one snorkeling trip we were diving with sea lions. These guys are incredibly quick; they come barreling towards you and veer away at the last instant, which makes them very difficult to photograph. When I returned to our boat I was quite anxious to see what I'd captured -- and the S90/WP-DC35 combo acquitted itself quite well, I think.

Now that I'm home, I plan to use this combo as my primary camera for use during kayaking trips. I am very pleased with this purchase, and highly recommend it to anyone who needs a good, simple camera for underwater use.

One last thing I recommend you purchase along with the case is a product called Moisture Munchers. These are small tubes that contain a dessicant. I found that there is room in the case for one of these, and that made me feel a lot better about keeping the camera in pristine condition while it spent a week in very humid conditions. During the week in Baja I went through two of these capsules.

After buying a Canon PowerShot S90 (a great camera), I was looking through the list of accessories when I came across the underwater housing. I couldn't justify the purchase based on how often I snorkle, so I justified it as a way to help me swim faster in Masters' competitions. I use the housing during training sessions to record underwater videos of my stroke that I can study between workouts. That's been a great training tool, especially because the S90 has slow-motion capability. The housing is extremely well made, intuitive to use - all the camera controls are accessible via the housing controls - and the pictures and videos are as crisp and clear as the water conditions allow. The price initially made me flinch because the material costs appear minimal - mostly plastics and rubber. However, the housing is so well designed and constructed that I knew I made a good purchase decision the moment it came out of the box. That conclusion was confirmed the first time I took underwater video. The underwater housing is simply a great product.

On the second dive at about 45 ft 0.5 mls of water entered the housing and the camera was flooded and ruined. The housing was freshly greased and inspected for hair etc ... The cost = $600 for a series of 10 pictures. Will give the housing for free to a brave person willing to risk his/her camera.

Two months later .... Canon replaced the flooded camera and the housing.

I bought this case for my camera when I went to Zion NP. I knew I would be hiking in water and I didn't want to carry my SLR, so I took my Canon S90 and got this case. It was wonderful, I look spills and some plunges into the water and I never feared for my camera. The case held up well and the pictures came out great. I didn't like the fact that the flash was not available, but my trekking pole also functioned as a monopod. So, I screwed off the top and screwed the case onto the monopod and to some pictures with a longer shutter speed. Next time I'll go to the ocean and use it underwater.

Well built, easy to use and I had no problem getting around the lack of a rear wheel. Major complaint, however, is that the housing does not readily adapt to a fiber optic connection...you have to sort of invent and jury-rig. The camera will also not TTL in manual. What were they thinking???

Other reviewers have noted that this waterproof case provides access to all control input on the S90, except for the rotation of the rear control wheel. While many of the features that can be invoked by the rear control wheel can be accessed in other ways, there are some features that _require_ rear wheel access, and that you should be aware of before enclosing the camera.

For example, on land, I had toyed with the video mode, where turning the rear wheel cycles between the three video options - standard, color accent, and color replacement. Without realizing it, I had left it on the color accent mode. After enclosing the camera in the case and taking into the water, I turned the mode-selection knob to video, and was stuck in color accent mode. I couldn't find a way to the video back to standard mode, no matter what menus I looked in.

Just an FYI - before the camera goes into the case, be sure to adjust the rear-wheel-controlled-settings to where you want them, because you can't replicate all the functionality of that wheel with the controls accessible through the case.

Otherwise, a great case, and highly recommended.

I had an olympus 770UZ and its case (don't remember the name); I was used to the bulky, big and uncomfortable housing; whenever I went underwater I was in "christmas tree" mode, with that huge thing.
The Canon case is wonderful!!! I use it for snorkeling and it's not bulky at all.
All the command but the ring in the back are accessible, but it's not that of a trouble, I usually leave the aperture at 2 and use the front ring for exposure control, but this is just my opinion. The only *negative* thing that I can say is that there is no front cap and I am trying to find a solution to that.
For the other aspects, I am more more more than satisfied. I am actually planning to buy a spare one!

This case is great for what it does. I usually expect to pay a lot more for underwater housing. I agree with one of the other reviews that Canon should have included a couple of weights. The only complaint I have is that they went to all the trouble to include the front ring adjuster but don't have any way to adjust the back ring. This means that you can't have it on fully manual to do aperture and shutter speed. I found a way around it by setting aperture and then using the over - under exposure button but it should be easier. The camera is awesome for underwater (see the slug and cuttle fish pictures) but I won't use flash until I have an off camera option.