For long I’ve been dreaming about merging my passions to scuba diving and photography. Those beautiful underwater sights have got to be documented!
Before the Canon G11 I was carrying a Canon S3 which is too big to handle underwater. Seeing the quality of the G11, as well as its relatively small size, I couldn’t resist buying its affordable waterproof case companion for my occasional scuba trips. I did not buy the G11 for its underwater abilities, although it did cross my mind. That said, for some the Canon S90 might be more convenient for scuba photography because of its smaller size and similar abilities. Canon offers the WP-DC34, an affordable waterproof case, capable of going down to 130ft or 40 meters.
Structure
The Canon WP-DC34 is well-built. Almost fully made of plastic it somewhat reminds me of a toy.The inside tube which holds the zoom lens is made of rubber. Under the case there’s a metal tripod mount, which allows you to connect a tripod or other equipment. There are four strap mounts giving you the freedom to attach a strap anywhere on the case. This waterproof case comes unsealed to keep the large O-ring safe. This O-ring needs replacing every year, according to the manual.
On the front, there’s an indentation to which you connect the diffusion plate that comes with the camera. This plate allows the flash light to spread all over the photographs. Using the flash without the diffusion plate isn’t recommended, as the photograph may have dark areas.
Button Accessibility
Access is maintained to all buttons on the camera, except for the control dial on the back. This is the dial that you turn right or left to change some of the settings or select a special mode in SCN mode. There’s a way to imitate this functionality by clicking the Shortcut button together with the right or left buttons. This way you have access to all dials and buttons.
Size and weight
This case is large; as large as a DSLR camera! Have this in mind in case you intend to take it while traveling, like I plan to. One of the reasons it’s so large is to support the x5 zoom of the Canon G11. It is indeed fully supported. Its weight (not including the camera) is 575 grams (20.3 oz), and its dimensions are 153.5 x 107.5 x 119.1 mm (6.04 x 4.23 x 4.69 inch).
What’s in the box
Inside the box are the underwater case, a wrist strap, a neck strap (although Canon advise against using it underwater), a flash diffuser and a tube of silicon grease, used for greasing the O-ring, and a user manual.
Summary
The user manual warns so many times against misuse which may lead to leaks. You must keep the interior clean and dry, and never get it wet. The large yellow O-ring requires extreme gentle care. You have to grease it fully before usage. This requires the removal of the entire O-ring, giving it treatment with a droplet of silicon grease. You must not use another substance. After usage you have to soak the case in clean water for a few hours (sealed!), and never leave it under direct sunlight as it may damage the case. Also, it is important to store this case open (unsealed) to keep the health of the O-ring.
All these warnings kept me thinking if the result of underwater photography is actually worth putting such expensive equipment in danger. I for one can’t wait testing this case in my next scuba session. The first thing I’m going to do is go deep with the case with no camera inside to test for leaks, then take it for a real dive.
There’s a supplementary item that you can buy for this case – weights to keep it buoyant (prevent it from floating you up when diving). This item goes into the tripod mount, but I intend to attach a waterproof flashlight instead to achieve two tasks at the same time. I will discuss this idea in a future article.
Links
Canon WP-DC34 Underwater Housing for Canon PowerShot G11 Digital Camera ($175@ Amazon)
Canon WWDC1 Weight for Canon Waterproof and All Weather Cases ($27 @ Amazon)
