Meikon WP DC-38 Housing for Canon

[Hintermann]

I won an old Canon S95 Camera with Canon's own WP DC38 housing and with the INON DC38 Mount base attached. The ensemble is now over 250 dives old and up until 5 dives earlier was working perfectly. Unfortunately, now the housing's zoom button jams under 5 metres and no amount of post-dive fiddling in fresh water has solved the problem. The rest if the buttons are working OK...so far.

The 'naked' camera works perfectly of course.

I am not sure if this can be repaired or whether if I need to replace the housing. The situation is that I have about 80 dives left before I retire from the sport in July next year. But these are expensive booked trips to the Philippines and Red Sea and I would like a fully functioning unit.

My question is, if the problem cannot be repaired and I need to get a replacement housing, I want to keep costs to minimum. I have seen that the Hong Kong made Meikon WP DC38 housing for Canon S95 costs about half of Canon's own product, is similarly shaped and above all, appears to be able to accept the Inon Mount Base. But I know nothing of Meikon housings and would like some advice whether to buy it.

 

[patrickkwk]

I have the Melikon S110 housing. I guess it's a hit and miss kind of thing when buying these housing.

My housing's zoom lever doesn't seem to fit properly on the camera's zoom lever. I can only zoom once before the lever gets stuck.

So instead of using the zoom lever, I changed the zoom function on the lens ring.

Other than that, it's a value for money housing.

Sent from my ONE A2003 using Tapatalk

 

[Hintermann]

Thanks. I admit that changing the zoom operation to ring function did not occur to me. I am sure the S95 has that facility. I'll try it and see.

 

[KeithG]

I have a Meikon housing for my G16. I have had no issues with it. I claim it is the same build quaility as my older Canon housing. The controls are extremely similar. Maybe they are made in the same factory?

I went the cheap route since I wanted to cut a hole in the housing to host a Nikonos wired bulhead connector. The bulkhead works. The housing works fine so I have no need to upgrade to something more expensive.

The meikon G16 housing does lack controls for the front and rear dial. But I knew that going in.

 

[Hintermann]

Thanks Giffenk. I have to also bear in mind that the housing has to last just 2 more dive trips, one to the Philippines in March/April 2016 (40 dives) and back to back Red Sea liveaboards in July 2016 (41 dives). The Meikon costs £88 (around $130) while Canon's own is about twice as much.

My concern is that servicing the present Canon housing with replacement of the O-ring or whatever is faulty with its zoom lever and subsequent pressure testing will cost close to £50. Even then I cannot be certain that the zoom won't jam again. Methinks risking a new Meikon housing might be the better option.

On the Canon S95, the ring function can be used to operate only step zoom, somewhat awkward for underwater photography when time is short.

 

[dfx]

AFAICT the Meikon/Meike housings are identical to the Canon housing with the exception of the closing latch and the colours. My S100 housing finally started leaking through the button o-rings after 150 dives or so. The zoom lever has always had the same issues as described here, but it was workable.

 

[Hintermann]

There is also a very used Canon's own housing available on E-bay for £40 but I am uncertain whether it is better to opt for a new Meikon instead. As I said, I only need it to work properly for about 80 dives, none below the rated 40 metres. The only likely dive where I may go a few metres deeper is the Numidia wreck in the Red Sea but apart from the fact that it will be one of the very last dives of my career, I can always leave the camera behind for that dive.

Incidentally, I checked with Cameras Underwater and confirmed that it would not be cost effective to have the present (zoom-jamming) one serviced.