DICAPac Waterproof Camera Housing for DSLR Cameras

Don and I test drove our DICAPac waterproof housings for our cameras today while kayaking. Since we were in our kayaks we didn't shoot underwater, well I tried a couple of shots but it was tricky from the kayak so I focused my attention to above water shots. Don used the Canon G11 and I used my Canon 70D.

The housing for the G11 was super easy to use but the one for the 70D was very frustrating at times. Both produced a lot of vignetting  so we need to be sure we push our lenses up tighter to the plexiglass lens in the housing next time. There were also focus issues but I think that is for the same reason, allowing the camera lens to slip back too far from the housing lens.

The DICAPac for the G11 was a snug fit that made operating the camera through the soft plastic very easy. Aside from some vignette and focus issues Don was having it worked out great.

The DICAPac for the 70D was HUGE. The camera slipped around making me wonder if I had purchased a size too large. The finger openings had little gloves and operating the zoom was extremely frustrating. The finger glove for the shutter worked much better but it was still tricky fishing around for it in the mammoth case.

It was hard to keep the lens pushed up to the plexi lens of the housing so I did get some vignetting and focus issues as well but I think that will improve with practice.

 It does look a bit odd but I felt very secure having my camera safely housed in the case while we kayaked. I was not at all worried about the water damaging the camera.

Here you can see the vignette Don was getting with the G11 case.  

 More Vignetting, but even if it happens you can crop it out later. 

This pond was too murky and buggy for good underwater shots. I need to find a clear lake or stream to experiment in. Also as you can see the lens was not pushed forward enough.

Having said all that, you can get some good photos with these DICAPacs so it is worth the effort of experimenting with them until you get all the kinks worked out. Remember this was my first outing with one so I am sure I will get better at using it. 

This was the first dip, before all the junk got on the lens. I was leaning out of the kayak and it was getting quite tippy so this was actually a misfire shot but I kind of like the etherial quality it has. 

More info on the DICAPacs We Used

UPDATE: The smaller WP-S5 was a tighter fit for my 70D but I couldn't use my zoom lens with it. So I'm sticking with the WP-S10.

Info from the B&H website on the:  DiCAPac WPS10 Waterproof Case for Digital SLR cameras

The DICAPac WP-S10 Waterproof Case will protect your SLR camera when you are using it at the beach, swimming, kayaking, skiing, fishing, sailing, snorkeling or diving. This is a PVC vinyl housing with a polycarbonate lens. It can be used with SLR cameras. The housing meets JIS IPX8 requirements for underwater usage.

The case is compatible with SLR cameras that have a length of 7.5" (120mm) or smaller. The lens can be 2.0" (50mm) to 6" (150mm) long.

Waterproof underwater housing usable up to 16.4' (5.0 m)

Meets standard requirements for JIS (Japan Industrial Standards) IPX8 at 0.5 water pressure (underwater 5.0m), tested for 30 minutes

Has port for lenses 2.0" (50mm) to 6" (150mm) long

All controls are accessible

UV coating polycarbonate on the lens for clear pictures

Ideal for taking pictures in the rain, at the beach, or on the ski slopes

Info from the B&H website on the:  DiCAPac WP570 Waterproof Case for Canon G11
The DiCAPac WP-570 Waterproof Case will protect your digital camera when you are using it at the beach, swimming, kayaking, skiing, fishing, sailing, snorkeling or diving down to 33' (10m). This is a PVC vinyl housing with a polycarbonate UV coated port that allows access to all camera controls. It can be used with larger point & shoot digital cameras such as the Canon G11. The lens port allows the lens to extend out to 1.4" (35mm) and has an internal diameter of 2.1" (54mm). The housing meets JIS IPX8 requirements for underwater usage.

Waterproof underwater housing usable up to 33' (10m)

Has port for zoom lens to extend out 1.4" (35mm)

All controls are accessible

UV coating polycarbonate on the lens for clear pictures

Ideal for taking pictures in the rain, at the beach, or on the ski slopes

Compatible Camera Models

• Canon Powershot: G7, G9, G10, G11, SX100IS, SX120IS, SX200IS, SX210IS
• Nikon Coolpix: P5000, P51000, P6000, L5
• Olympus: C55z, C70z, C7000, C730, C740, C745, C750, C755, C760, C770
• Sony Cybershot: H3, H10, H20, H30, DSC-V1, HV-5V
• Panasonic: LX1, LX2, LX3, TZ1, TZ2, TZ3, TZ4, TZ5, TZ6, TZ7, TZ8, TZ10, TZ15, ZS1, ZS3, ZS5
• Kodak: Z915, Z950, Z148IS
• Samsung: S1050, S850, WB500, WB550, WB650, HZ10W, NV5, NV7 OPS, NV11
• Leica: D-Lux3
• Pentax: Optio 750Z
• Sigma: DP1, DP2

Below  is a video review by CameraRec Toby on YouTube. I highly recommend following Toby on both YouTub: Toby's YouTube Videos and on Facebook: Toby's Digital Photo Recommendations Page on FB  He has a multitude of tutorial and product review videos with loads of free info for every level photographer. He and Christina also do photo critiques via their Flickr group.