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Canon WP-DC17 Underwater housing for Canon SD870IS Digital Cameras Description:

Underwater Case for Canon SD870IS Digital Cameras

• Brand: Canon
• Model: 2318B001
• Released on: 2007-11-15
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: 2.70″ h x 3.50″ w x 5.20″ l, .68 pounds

Features

• Flash Diffusion Plate!

Customer Reviews:

Great Underwater Camera Option
We bought the Canon Powershot SD870 IS camera along with this housing just before a vacation, to use while snorkeling. Having destroyed an expensive digital camera on a kayaking trip relying on a more pliable plastic-bag like case, we were looking for a better option. Both the camera and the housing exceeded our expectations. The housing is extremely well engineered, providing full access to the camera’s functions and settings. It’s light, floats, and easy to use (a weight can be added for Scuba divers to ensure the camera does not float away). We were hesitant at first to buy the case thinking that we do not snorkel very frequently, but have found that there are quite a few applications where this makes sense (canoeing, boating, skiing, anyplace where it makes sense to protect against moisture and/or hard knocks to the camera).

GREAT PRODUCT!

Canon WP-DC17 Underwater housing for Canon SD870IS Digital Cameras

Canon WP-DC17 Housing
I recently purchased the WP-DC17 Housing for snorkeling and SCUBA diving in Hawaii with overall good results. It is much smaller and lighter than my dedicated UW video housing and I used it with my SD870IS for both stills and video.

I added a 1 oz. flat lead tire weight with peel and stick Velcro to the metal plate on the bottom for good neutral buoyancy. The « Underwater » shooting mode gave reasonable color balance and saturation to about 15-20′. I had better results setting the white balance in Manual Mode to my underwater white slate; once I calibrated it to a light blue t-shirt on land with decent results. I assigned the Print/Share button to WB which made setting adjustments quick and direct. The camera will « hold » these values until changed. I suggest setting the ISO to 200 or higher for faster shutter speeds under available light. The flash performance was fair at best (as expected) with noticeable backscatter, although the diffuser plate helped. Color saturation and balance deteriorated at depths greater than 60′ but I was able to easily correct for this in Photoshop.

I suggest taking an extra battery as the supplied battery seemed to drain after only 2 or 3 dives. If planning to shoot video, use the largest SD card you can afford and set the camera to 640X480. Windows Movie Maker worked well for editing. Condensation within the housing was not an issue but I always load the camera into the housing in a cool or air conditioned environment. One small complaint: the o-ring channel is clear plastic and it is difficult to see any lint or debris in the channel. It is imperative that this be clean.

Overall, the WP-DC17 is a solidly engineered product that performs surprisingly well and casual snorkelers and divers will enjoy using it.

Nice addtion to the camera
I bought the WP-DC17 along with the Canon SD-870 to take on my vacation to Maui. I originally thought about just purchasing a waterproof/shockproof camera, but didn’t like the idea of having just « average » picture quality that those cameras output. The Canon housing is well made and having all camera buttons accessible from the housing is brilliant. The SC-870 is easy to drop in / take out and once the housing latch is closed, it’s difficult for it to accidentally pop open. A drop of the included silicon grease around the O-ring helps keep the water out. I used it for kayaking, snorkeling, and snuba taking pictures and movies in and out of water. I didn’t really get a chance to test the flash diffuser, which snaps on and off, as the choppy waves were stirring up sand and silt which reflected the flash light as an ugly glare. Perhaps in calmer waters. I saw other Canon WP housing on older SD cameras owned by Hawaiian locals while on the snorkel/snuba boat. This is probably a good indicator to the quality of the housing.

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