- Waterproof up to 5m deep water
- Clear photography using a Superclear PVC lens
- Designed for cameras with and without zoom lenses
- Meets standard reqirements for Japan Industrial Standards
DiCAPac waterproof cases are 100% waterproof, snow-proof, dirt-proof and the perfect investment for year-round protection!… More >>
We just got back from Hawaii and this case survived 3 days of snorkeling and a shark adventure trip without letting in a drop of water. I’m glad that I got this instead of the hard plastic case which costs about 5 times more. During the snorkeling trips I used it mostly in shallow water with occasional dives to about 6-8 ft for closer shots and the case worked quite well. The shark adventure trip we went on was a good test as the sea was rough and we were being swept from one side of the cage to the other the whole time, I tried to keep the camera away from the bars but it still took a few hits, also the waves put a lot of pressure on the case and tension on its cord and they both passed the test. The picture quality: Underwater, pretty good, only problem is the occasional shade from the wall of the objective; Above water, good, 3/5, the droplets that remain on the surface right in front of the lens are hard to get rid of and create a problem, some of my pictures had areas that were blurry or foggy.
One major problem I have (hence 4 stars, not 5) is the difficulty of operating the wheel dial on my Canon SD700IS to switch between shooting modes. Because I don’t want to damage the plastic case I don’t use my fingernail to turn the wheel and it’s pretty difficult to turn it in any other way, especially when you are underwater. Most of the time I just set it to scene mode and then use the push button to change the function mode from underwater to beach and then back, but sometimes I want to record movies for which I have to turn the wheel dial. A minor problem is the loose fit but that’s due to the semi-universal sizing of the case and was to be expected. It is slightly larger than my SD700IS, not a perfect fit and sometimes when I turn on the camera the lens can’t extend all the way because the camera is not positioned well in the case and it gives me lens error which goes away when I turn it off and then turn it back on.
So, would I recommend this product? I guess it depends on the camera that you are going to use it with. For Canon SD700IS (or any other similarly sized camera), yes, absolutely! Just be aware that you will not be able to use all the functions of your camera as easily as you would without the case.
I used this for several snorkel excursions in the Caribbean. Sunscreen rubbed off all over the back plastic and made it hard to see the LCD of my camera so I was shooting a bit blind but thanks to the lens cap there was never any muck over the lens itself. I did have to clear a few grains of sand out of the heavy duty zip lock, but even when there was a bit of sand in the zip no water made its way into the case. The handle loop of the camera got balled up in front of my controls which I had to watch when I inserted the camera. I also ended up with quite a bit of image cut off due I think to fact that my camera has a 28 mm equivalent – without that wide an angle lens I think the image might not have been impacted so much. I didn’t mind it particularly as it clearly identified the shots as something other than typical (it sort of almost made my image into a circle with black on the outside). I wanted cheap protection for my camera and that is exactly what I got. Definitely get the camera pre-set before putting it in the bag and you have to make sure you have the lens centered before turning it on.
Considering the price, this product works very well. I have a Casio Exilim (awesome digital camera) and the fit was just about right although there was still some extra room.
The picture quality is amazing. Certain things, like pictures of my hand, do not look like the picture was even taken under water. The reason I bought this was to take videos of me blowing “bubbles rings” because i was so excited i could do them (do a youtube search and you will be impressed)and wanted to show people. I started doing some research on underwater cases and found i could try this or spend close to what my camera cost for a nice hard plastic one. So far, this has been just fine.
The only bad part about this is not being sure if it will work. Putting a $300 camera in a glorified ziploc bag and submerging it can be slightly unnerving. Also, as in some other reviews, it can be a little tricky pressing the shutter but if you are good with your camera it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
This case obviously is not for diving and it says just that. For the price, it is incredible. I got to shoot some great pictures snorkeling off the coast of Africa. The only dislike to the case is that my zoom lense has room to play in the extension so I cropped a little black edge off some corners of a lot of pictures. It is universal so expect to have to bear some compensation when you are taking pictures. We went about 3M depth with no problems at all. I have read they are easy to tear or damage but I am using mine six months later with no problems.
Cons:
The page about the ‘up ring’ was so confusing, then I realized the English instruction was a terrible translation from some other language, probably Korean, since the product is made in Korea. Then the Chinese instruction is apparently a word-for-word translation from the English translation, which is even more ridiculous.
I have to say it’s a clever and inexpensive design, but as other reviewers said, the lens hole is always in the way, especially for my wide-angle lens camera. And even if I zoom and temporarily find a good position, there is no way to keep it there. I guess I’ll try to put some padding there as some reviewers suggested, and I’ll let you know how it worked.
Pros:
It is waterproof indeed. I tried to put a piece of tissue in there and soaked the case in water for 5 minutes and the tissue is still dry. And of course it is inexpensive.