Canon WP-V1 Housing!

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Hmm, if you're working back and forth between air and water on the surface, it's probably draining, or doesn't have enough time to fill? Maybe fill it and THEN duct tape it to keep the water in? Dunno... plug the drain holes with a tooth pick? Or a custom plug of some kind?
 
Guys, your opinion on wide angle lenses? Ikelite W-20 or Inon UWL-100? They both look very similar with similar specs. I wonder if they are made by the same source...
 
Guys, your opinion on wide angle lenses? Ikelite W-20 or Inon UWL-100? They both look very similar with similar specs. I wonder if they are made by the same source...

I posted this question in the Underwater Photography forum recently, and have also written to Ikelite asking them the same thing. In the end, it sounds like they're pretty much the same thing, with the main difference being that the Inon can mount to an accessory dome that gives you even wider coverage.
 
There is a real simple solution to the balance issue...
This gives you a wide platform which negates the need for an extra handle or ANY case mods which may hinder the resale of your housing.
The wide platform also increases the stabilization of the unit by reducing small camera movement.

This is a rather bold statement and deserves comment. Undoubtedly, there are other solutions, perhaps even some involving baling wire and duct tape. To suggest that these are comparable to a methodically planned and developed set of mods is ludicrous.
The tripod mount of the WP-V1 is not very thick and is minimally reinforced. Clearly, it was designed for light duty usage. Anything that extends out from the mount will act as a lever and that could spell disaster.
As for the second handle, the benefits should be obvious: Two hands-two handles. How many u/w video cases have you seen with only one handle?

The Inon DBWP1 mount base does it right by both clamping around the lens mount and attaching to the tripod mount. If you don't mind the considerable added expense and complexity, the Inon mount along with D4 arms and floats looks promising. I bought my camera and case when they first hit the market and could not find any dedicated assessories.
Extra bulk, lights, projections, and extensions may improve underwater stability but complicate entry and exit. If you've ever had to climb a boat ladder in pitching, rolling seas when no one was available to grab your camera, you know what I'm talking about. I just slip a cover over the lens, clip the camera to a D ring, and haul myself out. My camera occasionally bumps the ladder and has not been damaged.

I just returned from Taveuni where I did eleven dives, several with max depths in the 110' range. Everything worked flawlessly. I did no maintenance beyond changing batteries and memory cards. The rings on the lens barrel that I was experimenting with ended up about half full of water by the end of the trip. This reduced their buoyancy by about half but was not noticable since they do not offer much to begin with. I'll be checking into other solutions for these.

I dive because I enjoy it. There is already plenty of gear to contend with. Who wants a fiddly, delicate camera or a heavy, bulky one on top of that? I turn on my camera when something interesting is in sight and turn it off and clip it when not. That's it...That's all... I will never be more than an amateur videographer, and maybe a poor one at that, but I like to capture the adventure of the dive. All my mods were planned with these factors in mind. You can plan and prepare properly before you hit the water and have a good experience, or attempt to cut corners and suffer the consequences.
 
A bold statement? Ok. Yeah. I'm bold. I believe in the KISS rule, and I'm not afraid of offering alternatives to those who may be looking for a solution, and may find yours intimidating or the fact that they just don't like your solution. I'm not demanding anybody use my solution. In a community of divers, searching for information, we should all offer as many solutions to challenges we may find in the hope that someone may benefit from our input.

This is a rather bold statement and deserves comment. Undoubtedly, there are other solutions, perhaps even some involving baling wire and duct tape. To suggest that these are comparable to a methodically planned and developed set of mods is ludicrous.
The tripod mount of the WP-V1 is not very thick and is minimally reinforced. Clearly, it was designed for light duty usage. Anything that extends out from the mount will act as a lever and that could spell disaster.
As for the second handle, the benefits should be obvious: Two hands-two handles. How many u/w video cases have you seen with only one handle?

The Inon DBWP1 mount base does it right by both clamping around the lens mount and attaching to the tripod mount. If you don't mind the considerable added expense and complexity, the Inon mount along with D4 arms and floats looks promising. I bought my camera and case when they first hit the market and could not find any dedicated assessories.
Extra bulk, lights, projections, and extensions may improve underwater stability but complicate entry and exit. If you've ever had to climb a boat ladder in pitching, rolling seas when no one was available to grab your camera, you know what I'm talking about. I just slip a cover over the lens, clip the camera to a D ring, and haul myself out. My camera occasionally bumps the ladder and has not been damaged.

I just returned from Taveuni where I did eleven dives, several with max depths in the 110' range. Everything worked flawlessly. I did no maintenance beyond changing batteries and memory cards. The rings on the lens barrel that I was experimenting with ended up about half full of water by the end of the trip. This reduced their buoyancy by about half but was not noticable since they do not offer much to begin with. I'll be checking into other solutions for these.

I dive because I enjoy it. There is already plenty of gear to contend with. Who wants a fiddly, delicate camera or a heavy, bulky one on top of that? I turn on my camera when something interesting is in sight and turn it off and clip it when not. That's it...That's all... I will never be more than an amateur videographer, and maybe a poor one at that, but I like to capture the adventure of the dive. All my mods were planned with these factors in mind. You can plan and prepare properly before you hit the water and have a good experience, or attempt to cut corners and suffer the consequences.
 
For anyone tempted by this rig (as I have been), I stopped by Costco today, and was surprised to see they had a big display of Canon Vixia HF200 video cams. $599.99 out the door. I bit.

(You might be able to find it a bit cheaper elsewhere, but I like buying gear like this from Costco because they make returns so easy and hassle-free.)

We just booked a trip to Little Cayman in early March. I'll have to ask Santa for the Canon WP-V1 housing, and will look forward to testing it out then.
 
Well, we fly home from bali tommorrow, 12 dives in total. For the price and weight and ease of use i think the canon package has done a great job. The first couple of vid's had to much movement but after viewing the video and a little practice we managed to get some great clips.
I think the set up will suit lots of people. For our first underwater video as it is works for us, but as has been shown on this forum if you want to mod the system you can make it suit a semi-pro.
We have had no problems with condensation or weight balance, but will be purchasing a wide angle lens for the next trip!
I did run into a guy with the sony 520 and it looked like the anti-shake worked better than the canon's, he showed me a clip of him riding a motorbike while filming and the picture was as if it was mounted on a tripod, but i am still liking the canon because of the wp-v1.
Will post some footage once i get home and do some editing!
 
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For anyone who's interested, the HF-200 is available from TigerDirect this weekend for $549 shipped- that's a great price. Anyone seen a deal on the case?
 
Well, we fly home from bali tommorrow, 12 dives in total. For the price and weight and ease of use i think the canon package has done a great job. The first couple of vid's had to much movement but after viewing the video and a little practice we managed to get some great clips.
....
We have had no problems with condensation or weight balance, but will be purchasing a wide angle lens for the next trip!

gunsrunner, thanks for the report - look forward to seeing the footage you post. My last dive trip (2 years ago :depressed:) was to Bali, so I'm sure your trip was great.

One question: did you use Canon's weight kit with your WP-V1?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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