Customer Reviews

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

 

 

This is a good deal in an underwater camera package.

The camera bag fell apart the first day (I wasn't planning to use it anyway), but everything else works well. The included SD card wasn't fast enough to record HD video (get a class-10 card for that), but is fine for still photos.

As for the camera and housing, what you get is a basic 12MP camera with a pretty good dive housing. For the price, it can't be beat. The camera isn't as nice as a Canon, but it works and takes decent pictures. All I did was grease the o-ring and took it to 90 feet. The housing controls are stiff with long travel like most, so don't expect to be doing a lot of snap-shooting. You can hit all the buttons underwater, although the center block is a little cramped.

While the camera comes with a manual, there is very little instruction on the housing or underwater photography at all. In particular it comes with a plastic white-balance card and a slip of paper telling you how to set the WB. Bring that on every dive and memorize the instructions. Use it at the start of each dive when you get to depth, or otherwise you'll be taking a lot of blue-gray pictures and video. Have somebody at a dive shop show you how to remove, grease and inspect the o-ring properly.

Recorded video uses the same settings as stills-- white balance, focus and zoom. The recorded HD video quality is pretty good. Check on YouTube for some samples. It's only one button press to switch from video to stills.

The rechargeable battery ran out after about an hour and a half of constant photos and video (one and a half dives). If you take more stills, it lasts longer, but it doesn't give much warning before shutting down completely. A 16GB SD card will hold about and hour and 45 minutes of HD video, if you could record that long.

Throw one of those 'do not eat' dessicant packets in the housing with the camera to stop it fogging if you dive in humid areas.

I bought this camera a year ago and I can say without doubt - It is absolutely fantastic both underwater and above!!!!! I have had it in 5' viz and 100'+ viz and it works AWESOME!!!!! I just added the slave strobe and I have to say it is just as good as the photos I have seen from other divers I have been on trips with! I took some of the best shots in Cozumel and Belize in a group of pro-photographers and they were amazed at the quality of my trusty IC-12!!!!!!!!!!!! It is worth every penny and then some!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the best underwater digital camera that I have ever had. This little camera with 12MP resolution can take awesome pictures and videos at 720/30 fps. This is my only camera for scuba and land base photography, I just retired my FujiFilm FinePix S1000fd with 10MP because I can take better pictures with my Intova IC12 and only weights a fraction that my old dinosaur, very compact that some time I even forget that I have the camera on the waist soft case. Intova has an excellent support with any questions you might have no matter what is the issue. This camera is so simple to use that even a caveman can use it, my wife is not very good with electronic equipment or computers but she love the Intove IC12 that I got her for her birthday since she liked my camera so much, that was the only way I could have the camera with me all the time, now she has hers and leaves mine alone. I would recommend this camera to anybody that wants to get into the hobby of scuba diving or any sport that required you to be near water, the case is a beauty of engineering and it works any where, scuba, snorkerling, surfing, fishing, jet sky, even camping. What would happen if you are hicking and started to rain? You will need to find a dry place to put you camera but with this baby you can keep taking pictures. I am happy I gound Intova and their great line of products, that I have a few of their toys and use then very often.

I've been waiting for this camera for years! Awesome for this price range! Affordable, easy to use, designed primarily for diving, not as an afterthought to a land camera. Better than other cameras that were never really designed for diving or for depth, and more affordable than any true diving camera that has been on the market in 20 years. Because of 1 fixable design flaw, I'd give this 4.5 stars. Instead I'll go with 5 stars. Awesome camera, no regrets, highly recommended, Kudos Intova!!!

Pros:
1 - Very easy to navigate, learn to use, and more intuitive than my Canon.
2 - Great resolution: in both video and still photos.
3 - Double "O" rings - no leaks down to 75 ft,, not even in between "O" rings. Rated to 180.
4 - Great price position: alternatively, a good camera and a good housing are $100 - $200, each.
5 - Excellent battery life - if you drain it once or twice before first use, and if you turn it off between dives. Do BOTH, and you'll get hours of use out if it. (A. draining is critical for initiating a rechargeable battery. B. Don't expect to use it continuously for 2 whole dives - I used it on and off, and in the 1 minute powersave mode.)
6 - Internal rechargeable battery design. No need to pack a separate recharger.
7 - Plug and play

Cons:
1 - Shadow - this is the only design flaw, and only apparent when the flash is relied upon. But it has an easy "fix." Described by others as a "shadow" I first noticed this snorkeling at dusk. My pre-dusk pictures had no shadow, but in the post-dusk pictures, a faint shadow appeared in the bottom left 1/6th of the frame because the flash was in use. The lens cone blocks out part of the flash. I tested it in a dark room and found that the bottom 1/6th appears completely blacked out. Here's the fix: a single or double layer of a very thin, white, translucent plastic bag. (Depends on bag thickness.) This diffuses the light very well. After that, I saw no problems with any of my pictures at 60 feet. (though a night dive might show it.) Intova could move the flash a smidge. If not, they can add a simple diffusion filter on the flash. But it is so easy to fix yourself.
2 - Feels a little flimsy - yes, the camera is light (which appears to be manufactured by Intova), but once it's in the case, the whole thing feels comfortably compact, strong, and solid.

User Tips:
= See video from my first 4 dives: search "intova IC-12 digital underwater" on Utube
= Don't bother with the 3x telephoto. It works great, but underwater it compounds all particulates, and exaggerates any of the natural shaking of a hand-held camera.

Intova Tips
= After 6 dives, the surface images on 2 of the buttons appear to be partially worn off: the contrast and flash symbols on the pin-wheel.
= Maybe some white pigment in the engraved button labels, to help visibility.
= Include 1/8th oz. silicone grease, as it is recommended for the "O" rings. I traveled 20 miles to by ¼ oz. for $3.25. (include a thimble-full, enough for a lifetime, for $2.)

December, 2011.

Great little dive camera for the price. I don't take a lot of high end pictures. Just taking simple shots.

First case leaked but the company was very helpful and provided replacement. They think I received the first version of the case which had an issue with the capture button. Second case also leaked but only first dive. Recommendation is to dive once with the case only. I think the silicone seal under the power and capture button had to set in place. Now it doesn't leak at all.

Capture time is a little slow, though with an 8 G SD card I mainly take videos. Then if i want I capture an image out of the video I do so using software on my laptop. If you do not dive in a surge or current the camera feature works fine, but I am a Northwest diver (Oregon and Washington mainly) and ideal conditions don't exist here.

Great buy still.