Sony SPK-WA Marine Pack and Sport Jacket for Sony Cybershot W-series Digital Cameras

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 1 x 3 inches ; 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000EFIJVI
• Item model number: SPKWA
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 7, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
The Sony SPK-WA Marine Pack and Sport Jacket for the Cyber-Shot W-series Digital Camera is made to take a camera to the beach or pool, and features a sturdy, damage resistant design that is water resistant as well. This case is perfect for making your DSC-W30, DSC-W50, or DSC-W70 Cyber-Shot usable in light marine photography such as while snorkeling, as well as for rough weather conditions, like rain, sleet, or snow.

The SPK-WA is constructed of white plastic (PC) with silicon-rubber gasketing and a clear glass face to keep out water up to a depth of 9.8 feet, and features water-resistant buttons that allow full access to all your camera's controls. Not only will the water-resistant design keep your camera safe from inclement weather, but the included hand strap helps ensure your camera stays close at hand, both in and out of the water. This unit fastens via its waterproof gasket and buckle system, weighs 5.7 ounces, and has and operating temperature range of 32 to 104 degrees F. The SPK-WA measures 5.25 x 4.0 x 2.75 inches (W x H x D), and comes with extra grease, an anti-fogging lens solution, a spacer, and is backed by a manufacturer's 1-year warranty.

Product Description
Built for the DSC-W30, DSC-W50 and DSC-W70, this sports pack not only protects your camera from unexpected splashes or downpours, it also allows shots to be taken from depths up to 10 feet. The SPK-WA also acts as a protective case for use in sleet and snow. Designed with ease-of-use in mind, this case allows you to operate all basic camera functions with ease. Water Resistance - Waterproof gasket, Buckle Controllable Switch - Power, Shutter, Mode, Macro, Zoom, Flash, Self-timer, Review, Menu,Control, Image Size/Delete Material - Plastic (PC), Silicon rubber, Glass Dimensions - Approximately Width 130 x Height 82 x Depth 64mm ( 5 1/8 x 3 1/4 x 2 5/8 inch ) Weight - Approximately 160 gram ( 5.7 ounces ) Color - White

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Does the trick, October 26, 2006

By	J. Donaldson "Cal-diver" (Camarillo, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased the Sports Pack about a month ago and have used it on my personal watercraft a few times. It is easy to use, all functions of the camera are available through the Sports Pack without opening it, and it protects the camera from both water and somewhat from shock. I suppose it will work to the 10' depth advertized but I'd be nervous about doing that. My main purpose is to protect the camera from salt spray.

Pros
- Simple to use
- Perfect fit for the Sony W50
- All camera functions available through housing
- The price is right
- Glass lens
- Sony supplied a hand strap with a locking knob, and O-ring lubricant

Cons
- Must remove the hand strap of the camera to fit it into the case.
- The optical view finder is blocked by the housing
- Naturally sound recording for videos is blocked by the housing
- The wheel to select the camera mode works but it is a bit sloppy and I have to turn the wheel more than I would expect to select the next function.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works as advertised, September 3, 2007

By	PSW (Clifton, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

I specifically bought the case because I was going whitewater rafting for the first time with some folks from work.

The construction of the case is very simple. It's a two piece plastic construction with two large watertight hinges and a single large gasket is used to seal the two halves of the case. A piece of coated glass in front serves for the lens. Sony supplies an external wrist strap, "grease" for the gasket and anti-fogging solution for the aforementioned front glass.

Without going into too much detail, it works. The rafting trip subjected it to numerous bumps and dings and whatever else have you, and it survived without a leak nor other failure. The only thing that did worry me was bumping it or smashing it into something and that would break the glass in front. However that was a function of the environment, it certainly wouldn't have been an issue at a pool or beach or the like. In addition to the wrist strap, the case also floats so you're never in danger of losing the camera by having it sink out of sight.

As you might imagine the case does add substantial bulk to the camera. The controls are all completely usable, with the possible exceptions of the mode dial and the zoom rocker. The mode dial can be a little bit difficult to change from one setting to the next. To their credit though, Sony does recommend setting the camera to full auto mode before putting the camera into the case. The zoom rocker is a little sliding switch on the case. The design of the control is a bit stiff and you don't have as much precise control through the case. That being said, I have to stress again that the controls were still completely usable, it's just that these two happened to be a bit more fiddly and took more care than the rest. Conversely, the mechanical action of the shutter release was not compromised at all, I was very happy that I could still feel very definite half-press and full-press/release positions. After a day of rafting the rear "screen" had it's fair share of scratches, but after getting banged around by practically everything and spending considerable portions of the trip floating face down in the bottom of the raft it would be tough to expect anything else. Plus, the scratches had no impact on the visibility of the screen.

Finally, for the purposes, for which this product was designed and is marketed, I think the $80 is quite good value for money. I found that most other people who weren't using waterproof cases, were either putting their digital cameras in ziptop bags or using disposable, waterproof, single-use cameras. The cost of such a single use camera plus processing is probably around $15-20, for just 27 exposures. I took >100 photos on this trip, I used the camera just as I always do. To get the same number of exposures I would've had to spend $60-80 for the film and development or resign myself to taking much fewer pictures. I would've also lost the zoom, instant review, ability to delete, etc. All the creature comforts of picture taking that we've become accustomed to with digital. I fully intend to hang on to this camera even if/when I upgrade down the line as my water/outdoor use camera.

Recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Peace of mind, January 21, 2007

By	J. Atwell (Rockville, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this item just prior to a trip to the Bahamas, and right after I purchased the camera. We vacationed on a boat and traveled around in a dinghy, and it allowed me to carry and use the camera without worrying about getting it wet or sandy. I also used it for underwater photos while snorkeling in shallow water. However, the case does cut off the optical viewfinder, and it was difficult to see the screen in the bright sunlight/water/sand glare. That is the only problem I have with the case. All of the other functions of the camera worked fine, i.e., the zoom, changing the settings, reviewing photos, and accessing the menu. I shopped around before buying, and Amazon had the best price.