I just ordered the Underwater Housing for my digi camera

[purbeast0]

Well I was debating whether or not to purchase this because of the price, but I figured since I was getting 3 pay checks this month that I decided to throw it onto a CC.

Here is the one I got.

I am going to Aruba next week and wanted to get this to take some great pics of the water (while in the water) and when scuba diving and snorkelling. I figure this isn't something I do often but I would love to have the best memories possible of the place.

Has anyone else ever used an underwater housing for their camera? If so, do you have any pics?

EDIT: and does anyone have any tips on taking underwater photos? Here is a link with some.

 

[Vegito]

i dont have pics but i use it for paintball games in addition to underwater/swimming... turn off the flash... sometimes the you get glare off the case.. otherwise, it works great for me..

 

[ivol07]

I've also been looking at getting one of those for when I go to Hawaii. I haven't been able to find any pictures that were taken with it though. I have read on some other photography forums that the flash will only work if you are really close the whatever you're shooting. Pretty much the closer you get to the subject the better, I think it's even best to use macro mode....but I'm not sure about that. Be sure to post some pics somewhere when you get back.

 

[purbeast0]

trust me you will see pics when i get back. i have my 512mb stick for my A510 and it holds plenty of pics .

Here is a link to a canon website that has some tips on taking pics underwater:

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/contro...modelid=10149&keycode=underwater_photo

 

[Aharami]

I got one for the A85. At first I was looking at it but decided thats it's not worth the money. But a week before our vacation, my gf shows up at my door with the exact case I was looking at. I dunno how she knew...but she did. So I took it along to cancun.....and let me tell you. its totally worth it. Snorkeling pics came out 200000x better than ones taken with waterproof disposable camera. Also we went to the undergound rivers in Xcaret and those pics came out real nice too. Im really happy with it.

As for the flash, it comes with a "flash diffuser"...you'll know what it is when you get the case. You're supposed to use the diffuser if underwater subject is close...but take it off if subject is far away. Didnt get any over-exposed or glary pics when snorkeling in the ocean. But whenever I tried using the flash underwater in the underground rivers, saw nothing but white spots. Couldnt figure out what it is, but later figured out that white spots are tiny bubbles. There were a lot of people swimming in the underground rivers and caused bubbles in the water which showed up as bright spots in the pictures with flash. Didnt see any of these while snorkeling. Also took some pics at the resort pool...and those came out crystal clear.

Also above-water pics taken with the case is nice too. The only thing that bothered me sometimes was that the glass housing for the lens of the digicam got oily (due to sun blocks or oil from skin) and it was a pain to clean that off without a dry towel or cloth nearby (underwater....go figure). So make sure not to touch the glass housing that covers the lens.

The quality is very very good. Didnt get a drop of water inside. When you get it, read and follow all the directions - clean the outside of the case after everytime you use it; use the grease provided on the yellow rubber surround; test out the case by itself underwater first to make sure there are no leaks; etc.

Oh and anticipate the case to be a LOT larger than what you expected.

Have fun...take lots of pics...and post them all (esp the ones of your gf ) on ATOT!

edit: dont have my pics on the web yet. but I should be putting them up soon. Will give you link for sample pics taken with the case...

edit2: as for taking underwater pics....my camera has an underwater setting...so i just set it to that and took pics. didnt really read any of the tips for underwater photography

 

[SouthPaW1227]

I'm gonna end up getting one for my SD200 for my trip to Hawaii next year. It'll be worth it

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Aharami
I got one for the A85. At first I was looking at it but decided thats it's not worth the money. But a week before our vacation, my gf shows up at my door with the exact case I was looking at. I dunno how she knew...but she did. So I took it along to cancun.....and let me tell you. its totally worth it. Snorkeling pics came out 200000x better than ones taken with waterproof disposable camera. Also we went to the undergound rivers in Xcaret and those pics came out real nice too. Im really happy with it.

As for the flash, it comes with a "flash diffuser"...you'll know what it is when you get the case. You're supposed to use the diffuser if underwater subject is close...but take it off if subject is far away. Didnt get any over-exposed or glary pics when snorkeling in the ocean. But whenever I tried using the flash underwater in the underground rivers, saw nothing but white spots. Couldnt figure out what it is, but later figured out that white spots are tiny bubbles. There were a lot of people swimming in the underground rivers and caused bubbles in the water which showed up as bright spots in the pictures with flash. Didnt see any of these while snorkeling. Also took some pics at the resort pool...and those came out crystal clear.

Also above-water pics taken with the case is nice too. The only thing that bothered me sometimes was that the glass housing for the lens of the digicam got oily (due to sun blocks or oil from skin) and it was a pain to clean that off without a dry towel or cloth nearby (underwater....go figure). So make sure not to touch the glass housing that covers the lens.

The quality is very very good. Didnt get a drop of water inside. When you get it, read and follow all the directions - clean the outside of the case after everytime you use it; use the grease provided on the yellow rubber surround; test out the case by itself underwater first to make sure there are no leaks; etc.

Oh and anticipate the case to be a LOT larger than what you expected.

Have fun...take lots of pics...and post them all (esp the ones of your gf ) on ATOT!

edit: dont have my pics on the web yet. but I should be putting them up soon. Will give you link for sample pics taken with the case...

edit2: as for taking underwater pics....my camera has an underwater setting...so i just set it to that and took pics. didnt really read any of the tips for underwater photography

:thumbsup:

dude you just made my day thats the kind of response i was hoping for. i was really hesitant to get it because of the price and not sure if the $170 was worth it, but from your reaction it seems like it definitely will be worth it. I am not sure if my camera has an underwater setting or not either, but I'll check when I get home.

I was going to just get the underwater disposable cameras to take pics like you mentioned, but then I was like you know what, screw it and went ahead and ordered the casing for my camera. I'm glad to hear the pics are really THAT much better w/the digi camera as oppose to the disposable camera. I can't wait to use this thing!!

Please let me know asap (by PM if you want ) when you get the pics up, I would love to check em out.

 

[rh71]

Apparently there's a limit to the depth you can go to... so I'd be careful... says about 10 feet... which isnt' much if you're considering scuba... EDIT>> WTF ? The case for the SD200/300/400 says up to 9.8 feet, but the rest of the camera cases (SD500 and yours included) are good for 130 feet. Something is up here...

I also can't believe how much these things sell for. There's gotta be a 3rd party company that can do something like this for cheaper...

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

:thumbsup:

dude you just made my day thats the kind of response i was hoping for. i was really hesitant to get it because of the price and not sure if the $170 was worth it, but from your reaction it seems like it definitely will be worth it. I am not sure if my camera has an underwater setting or not either, but I'll check when I get home.

I was going to just get the underwater disposable cameras to take pics like you mentioned, but then I was like you know what, screw it and went ahead and ordered the casing for my camera. I'm glad to hear the pics are really THAT much better w/the digi camera as oppose to the disposable camera. I can't wait to use this thing!!

Please let me know asap (by PM if you want ) when you get the pics up, I would love to check em out.

you wont regret it! and you can use it for your next vacations, in the snow, on the beach, etc etc. It protects the camera from everything.
I'll try to get a couple pics on bbzzdd tonight. will let you know

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: rh71
Apparently there's a limit to the depth you can go to... so I'd be careful... says about 10 feet... which isnt' much if you're considering scuba...

I also can't believe how much these things sell for. There's gotta be a 3rd party company that can do something like this for cheaper...

No these can go to about 130 feet, they are very heavy duty. Atleast the canon ones can go that far. They are also expensive because these don't sell very many as a normal carrying case would. They are engineered very specifically and can withstand a lot of pressure.

EDIT: Linkified, straight from Canon.

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: rh71
Apparently there's a limit to the depth you can go to... so I'd be careful... says about 10 feet... which isnt' much if you're considering scuba...

I also can't believe how much these things sell for. There's gotta be a 3rd party company that can do something like this for cheaper...

it says 130 feet
i think the price is justified when you see the quality of the product.

ok maybe a taaaaaaad overpriced. but who buys MSRP?? gf got mine for $160 shipped

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Aharami

Originally posted by: rh71
Apparently there's a limit to the depth you can go to... so I'd be careful... says about 10 feet... which isnt' much if you're considering scuba...

I also can't believe how much these things sell for. There's gotta be a 3rd party company that can do something like this for cheaper...

it says 130 feet
i think the price is justified when you see the quality of the product.

yeah, read my edit.

 

[Aharami]

oh i even took an underwater video. :thumbsup:

 

[loic2003]

Originally posted by: Aharami
But whenever I tried using the flash underwater in the underground rivers, saw nothing but white spots. Couldnt figure out what it is, but later figured out that white spots are tiny bubbles. There were a lot of people swimming in the underground rivers and caused bubbles in the water which showed up as bright spots in the pictures with flash. Didnt see any of these while snorkeling. Also took some pics at the resort pool...and those came out crystal clear.

I had a similar expeience with dust. We were renovating a Georgian house and were taking photos of the place as we were knocking down walls. The room was just kinda dusty to the naked eye, but when a photo was taken with a flash it relected off all the dust particles and ruined the photo.

I'm looking to get an underwater housing for my camera, but it's already two years old and only 3MP so I might pick up a new camera first.

From what I've seen the housings are pretty sweet. Don't go taking it any deeper than recomended!

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: Aharami

Originally posted by: rh71
Apparently there's a limit to the depth you can go to... so I'd be careful... says about 10 feet... which isnt' much if you're considering scuba...

I also can't believe how much these things sell for. There's gotta be a 3rd party company that can do something like this for cheaper...

it says 130 feet
i think the price is justified when you see the quality of the product.

yeah, read my edit.

I read your edit and checked it out myself, that really sucks man

I noticed how the case for your camera is "All Weather" while most of the others are "Waterproof Cases". Also, the MSRP of the one I picked up is $240 on that site, but it was $160 + $10 shipping. I would assume you could find your all weather case for probably under $100.

man I was like THIS close to buying an SD300 when I was getting a new camera, but I went w/the A510 instead. I'm glad I did

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Aharami
oh i even took an underwater video. :thumbsup:

yea I only have one 512mb card so I'm not sure exactly how many seconds/minutes it can hold + the pics I will have on the camera. I mean hell, at a wedding I went to the other weekend I took like 100 pics lol. And that was just one day! I'm in Aruba for 5 days so I think my 400+ pics will do pretty well for my camera .

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: loic2003
Don't go taking it any deeper than recomended!

unless you are a professional diver, 130 feet is more than adequate. most of the diving tours in Cancun and surround areas were advertising diving at depths of 40-50 feet

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Aharami

Originally posted by: loic2003
Don't go taking it any deeper than recomended!

unless you are a professional diver, 130 feet is more than adequate. most of the diving tours in Cancun and surround areas were advertising diving at depths of 40-50 feet

Not to mention I'm going to talk to my doctor before I leave because I have asthma, and from what I heard I should be okay scuba diving to around that depth. However if I can't scuba dive I'm going to just snorkel.

But it's just cool because I can be in the water and take pics of my GF and I in the clear water, or if we are on Jet Ski's or something I don't have to worry about getting my camera wet, which is going to be the best parts!

 

[Aharami]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: Aharami
oh i even took an underwater video. :thumbsup:

yea I only have one 512mb card so I'm not sure exactly how many seconds/minutes it can hold + the pics I will have on the camera. I mean hell, at a wedding I went to the other weekend I took like 100 pics lol. And that was just one day! I'm in Aruba for 5 days so I think my 400+ pics will do pretty well for my camera .

400 pics? pfffft. amateur.
i filled up my 512 mb card each day :shocked:
but then again, I had a laptop with me :thumbsup:

took like 950 pics over all (after deleting all the crappy ones)
yea...i get shutter happy

 

[RagingBITCH]

!

 

[ivol07]

Originally posted by: Aharami
I got one for the A85. At first I was looking at it but decided thats it's not worth the money. But a week before our vacation, my gf shows up at my door with the exact case I was looking at. I dunno how she knew...but she did. So I took it along to cancun.....and let me tell you. its totally worth it. Snorkeling pics came out 200000x better than ones taken with waterproof disposable camera. Also we went to the undergound rivers in Xcaret and those pics came out real nice too. Im really happy with it.

As for the flash, it comes with a "flash diffuser"...you'll know what it is when you get the case. You're supposed to use the diffuser if underwater subject is close...but take it off if subject is far away. Didnt get any over-exposed or glary pics when snorkeling in the ocean. But whenever I tried using the flash underwater in the underground rivers, saw nothing but white spots. Couldnt figure out what it is, but later figured out that white spots are tiny bubbles. There were a lot of people swimming in the underground rivers and caused bubbles in the water which showed up as bright spots in the pictures with flash. Didnt see any of these while snorkeling. Also took some pics at the resort pool...and those came out crystal clear.

Also above-water pics taken with the case is nice too. The only thing that bothered me sometimes was that the glass housing for the lens of the digicam got oily (due to sun blocks or oil from skin) and it was a pain to clean that off without a dry towel or cloth nearby (underwater....go figure). So make sure not to touch the glass housing that covers the lens.

The quality is very very good. Didnt get a drop of water inside. When you get it, read and follow all the directions - clean the outside of the case after everytime you use it; use the grease provided on the yellow rubber surround; test out the case by itself underwater first to make sure there are no leaks; etc.

Oh and anticipate the case to be a LOT larger than what you expected.

Have fun...take lots of pics...and post them all (esp the ones of your gf ) on ATOT!

edit: dont have my pics on the web yet. but I should be putting them up soon. Will give you link for sample pics taken with the case...

edit2: as for taking underwater pics....my camera has an underwater setting...so i just set it to that and took pics. didnt really read any of the tips for underwater photography

I have the same camera as you. I'm glad to hear the case works great....now I have to go buy one. Please post the pics....thanks!

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Aharami

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: Aharami
oh i even took an underwater video. :thumbsup:

yea I only have one 512mb card so I'm not sure exactly how many seconds/minutes it can hold + the pics I will have on the camera. I mean hell, at a wedding I went to the other weekend I took like 100 pics lol. And that was just one day! I'm in Aruba for 5 days so I think my 400+ pics will do pretty well for my camera .

400 pics? pfffft. amateur.
i filled up my 512 mb card each day :shocked:
but then again, I had a laptop with me :thumbsup:

took like 950 pics over all (after deleting all the crappy ones)
yea...i get shutter happy

yea, i wish I had any kind of laptop to do that with . I would definitely fill the camera up and then some if I could. maybe I can find one to borrow from someone ...

EDIT: or hell, maybe I should bring my desktop

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
I read your edit and checked it out myself, that really sucks man

I noticed how the case for your camera is "All Weather" while most of the others are "Waterproof Cases". Also, the MSRP of the one I picked up is $240 on that site, but it was $160 + $10 shipping. I would assume you could find your all weather case for probably under $100.

man I was like THIS close to buying an SD300 when I was getting a new camera, but I went w/the A510 instead. I'm glad I did

What I don't understand is the SD400 and the SD500 are almost identical. Maybe the SD500 case works for the SD400 also... but they have that listed with the SD200/300 case.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: purbeast0
I read your edit and checked it out myself, that really sucks man

I noticed how the case for your camera is "All Weather" while most of the others are "Waterproof Cases". Also, the MSRP of the one I picked up is $240 on that site, but it was $160 + $10 shipping. I would assume you could find your all weather case for probably under $100.

man I was like THIS close to buying an SD300 when I was getting a new camera, but I went w/the A510 instead. I'm glad I did

What I don't understand is the SD400 and the SD500 are almost identical. Maybe the SD500 case works for the SD400 also... but they have that listed with the SD200/300 case.

I guess the button layout is different maybe? Or something in the dimensions? I know if just one button is in a different place, the case won't work properly because it basically "extends" the buttons, and it will be offset.

I'm sure if you do some research you can find the answer to your question.

 

[lightpants]

I have the canon case for my s200. I let my brother borrow it when he went to the islands this winter. Some pictures he took are here