Customer Reviews

Canon WP-DC7 WaterProof Case for Canon SD900 Digital Camera

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

 

 

I received this case as a gift and it has made all the difference in the world for someone like me who loves taking pictures and loves the water. With disposable underwater still cameras many people have begun to have such photos in their family albums, but when I came back from vacation and showed everyone my underwater VIDEOS in the ocean and pool it was really inspiring to find more uses for it.

I've used it a dozen times and it's really not as complicated as the instructions make it sound. My only complaint about it is that the videos tend to have a high pitch whining sound as I believe the case interferes with the mic.

This is definitely something to buy.

I had always wanted to get a waterproof housing for one of my cameras. I finally did when I bought the WP-DC7 for my Canon SD900. Wow am I glad I did. This housing is very well made, reasonably sized and lightweight.
Before I received it I was thinking it would be complicated to get the camera in and out of it, but it couldn't be easier. All you have to do is set the camera into the housing face down, close the cover and fold the latch over. The latch has a locking mechanism to prevent it from opening accidentally. You have to hold a sliding button down while you pull open the blue colored latch. You have to take the camera's wrist strap off t o use it in the WP-DC7. It only takes a second to get the camera out to replace the battery or swap memory cards. The case comes with a small tube of silicone grease that you use on the waterproof gasket that encircles the case. You actually take the gasket out (it looks like a rubber band) and with a small amount of the grease on your finger you slide the gasket through it to coat it. this ensures that the seal is watertight. You have to make sure you do this with clean fingers because any dirt, hair etc that gets on it could potentially swamp your camera. I have applied the grease once and now I just inspect the gasket to make sure it still has a light coating. There is plenty of the grease to apply weekly for a couple of years. I think it depends on how much you open and close the case and to what depths you will take it as to how often you should re-apply. The Controls work great. Every button on the camera has its own corresponding button on the housing. The only one that I have any complaints about is the Mode button. It is easy to bump it and change the mode between SCN, Auto, Manual and Movie.
Now that I know that I am more careful not to bump it and check it before I start shooting. I wish the SD900 had alittle bigger LCD display because it takes a little getting used to framing shots underwater.
The best thing is using it and having all the new photographic opportunities open to you. I have used it in pools, lakes and the rain. I don't have to worry about damaging my camera. You can take normal above water photos and it works just as well as normal usage without the case. The only thing you have to remember is to attach the flash diffuser if you are going to do any flash photography otherwise you will get shadowing on your images. I used the flash underwater in the pool with pretty good results when the subject was within 3-5 ft. any farther away and I would recommnend a stronger external flash unit. The colors were true and the cameras underwater SCN setting works great to get the right color balance. We are going to Florida in the coming weeks and I really look forward to utilizing the case when we go snorkling. I highly recommend the WP-DC7 if you are looking at expanding your photographic universe and do not want to be limited to where you can bring your camera.

This is the second Canon underwater case I own (the previous one was for the A540 camera). It performed as expected, except that this one did not come with an LCD hood, which is quite useful in bright conditions.
To avoid moisture forming on the inside of the lens port it is highly recommended to put a small bag of silica gel inside the case. Alternatively, if you keep the case in a dry environment (for example an air-conditioned room), and close it while still there, you will greatly reduce the amount of moisture inside the case.

I have used this underwater case extensively, to as deep as 100'. It has worked flawlessly, and allows for incredible pictures. With proper lighting, you cannot tell the difference between this camera and case, and my $1200 D200 case...

Bought this case because I used to have another canon digital elf and was intrigued by the underwater case a few years back, but I think it was around $300. So now that I have the newer model digital elf and I was heading to Hawaii for a little vacation, I thought I'd research the cost again and it dropped a lot in price to $160'ish. The case MADE the trip. Without it we wouldn't have gotten half of our amazing photos from the trip -- it allowed us to bring the camera with us kayaking, hiking in the rain, zip lining through the forest, and snorkeling. You can shoot photos through the case even if you're not shooting underwater so you can basically just leave the camera in the case all day. And you can access all of the controls with the case on which makes it completely seamless from an operational standpoint. If you own that camera, and you plan on shooting in any weather condition that would be wet (rain, rivers, pools, the ocean, etc) it is a MUST.

I purchased this case before a family Caribbean Cruise. It's perfect. It's very simple to operate. The camera fits perfectly inside and all the buttons are easily accessible. Very easy to operate underwater. Simply turn it on, use the zoom as needed and snap away. I even used it to record an underwater movie and the microphone picked up the sound of the water hitting the case. Very cool.

The only issue is we accidently dropped the camera while it was in a beach bag. I think the most protruding button on the back which controls the function set took the impact and depressed the button on the camera very hard. The button still works, but you have to press much harder than before.

If it was exposed to salt water, be sure to soak the case in fresh water for a while, and then dry it with a towel.

The bottom-line - this is a great case.

After shooting with a Nikonos 35mm film camera for years, I finally decided to go digital. This case is easy to use and I had no leaks. It's slightly bouyant, which is a plus in my view. If you throw it in the water it will plunge downward and then slowly rise to the surface. The weight set (for me) is unnecessary. Picture quality was excellent. Now to the problems... The only time I shoot underwater is while snorkeling, mainly in the Caribbean. So, we are talking bright sun for the most part, and often coming from over the shoulder. And that can make seeing the LCD screen--and composing a shot--tough. It meant that at times I was 'pointing and hoping' rather than 'pointing and shooting,' especially if there was little contrast between the subject and the background. (It's impossible to use the camera's minuscule viewfinder as an alternative.) The other issue is that the thumb lever that controls the mode switch (auto, manual, video, etc.) is very easy to move inadvertently while simply gripping the camera--especially when diving to get a shot. I had to consciously recheck the position of the lever by feel before every shot--it would be great if the lever could be locked in position. That said, this is a quality product and I do not regret the purchase. I'm thinking, though, of trying to make a small hood to provide some coverage for the LCD...we'll see...

This case has worked flawless for me.
I scuba dive every now and then, and always bring this with me.
I have used it with gloves in the cold murky shallow waters of Connecticut, in the coma inducing chlorine swimming pools in several hotels, to the 80' deep reefs in sunny, salty Florida. No problems ever.
As long as you have a good memory for where the controls are, you will be good to go.

Using this case your camera is fully operational under the water. It's a great product to take shots in rain or under the water.

However, you cannot use it with any other Canon camera because of different casing. It would have been good to have a generic waterproof case which works with all 900 series cameras.

Our SD900 died after the warranty and we cannot buy the latest Canon IXUS980 because it's not compatible with the waterproof case.

I am a camera aficionado, not a Pro. I had an old point-and-shoot that I was not using anymore because of the DSLR and my Canon S5. I purchased the water-proof casing to take pictures of my son as he learns how to swim. And it is fantastic! You can use the case in and out of water. I have taken it to beach, rivers, pools, dams, and any other place where the children swim. And you always get the best shots with it! Canon's SD900 is a 10 Megapixel camera. So you don't really need perfect framing if a little post-production editing can fix that for you ;-). The case is sturdy and resistant. Overall, this is a great product to have for beach and water photography. I actually plan to get my PADI certification to take underwater sea pictures now! :-D

The other great thing is that the camera allows you to take video, so with a waterproof case, you can now take underwater video too! How cool is that? :-D

The cons: bear in mind that underwater you can't "see" through the viewfinder or the LCD screen. You need good hand-eye coordination to literally point-and-shoot. The case is bulky, making storage and transportation cumbersome. I ended up buying a separate camera case for the casing itself to solve this. Also, you need to memorize the buttons and positions of the camera settings to be able to use them underwater.