Need some WP-DC11 specific information..

[Tigerman]

Im about to order a underwater housing for my Canon G7 and avilability (and thereby price) weights heavilly in favour of the Canon WP-DC11 housing. However there is one very specific thing that bother me about this housing.
Ive read about it on some different web sites now and on some it says you can access all functions on the camera with the WP-CD11 housing, while on others it says you cant use the reel thats used to control shutter speed and opening (cant recall what the proper english terms is atm, im tired).
Which is correct? Can you control the shutter speed and opening manually and as such shoot in full manual or not?
If not, does the ikelite housing for the G7 allow this?

 

[Tigerman]

A timezone bump..

 

[vondo]

Having read up on this, I think both statements are true. You cannot access the wheel, but you can access all the functions by simulating the wheel by holding down one button and pressing another.

 

[mrwa]

Yes you can use all the functions in manual mode with the WP-DC11 housing as indicated above. But if you intend to use the CHDK hack for raw shooting, you won't be able to change shutter or aperture in manual mode, thus rendering M mode nearly useless. I would suggest buying the G9 if you want to shoot raw in manual mode.

 

[Tigerman]

I already have the G7 and dont intend to buy the G9. But why wont I be able to change the settings using CHDK?

 

[mrwa]

This is because the CHDK firmware (while it is running only) uses the shortcut (S) button to enter into the CHDK firmware setup (<ALT>) mode, and the original function does not work. So as long as the CHDK firmware is running, the S button can not be used to change the aperture and shutter speed in manual mode (with the WP-DC11 housing). So you have to choose either manual shooting or raw, but can't do both simultaneously. On the CHDK site you will find that some versions of CHDK for other canon models (not G7 as far as I know), have the option of changing which button that is used to enter into the <ALT> mode. So our only hope is that a CHDK developer will take pity on us and some day engineer that option into the G7 firmaware.

Here is how you can get around the problem (allows raw shooting and independent control over foreground and background exposure): Use the "allbest" build and enable Tv bracketing with continuous shooting. I am using a +1 EV bracket. Set your G7 up to shoot in Av mode, maybe C2 = f8, C1 = f5.6, and Av = f4, with continuous auto focus shooting enabled for each. For flash-fill/mixed lighting shots where you want a nice blue (underexposed background), choose an Av setting based on your subject distance, then fire off a couple bracketed shots in sequence by holding down the shutter continuously (+1 EV, +2EV). This works because the camera automatically selects a shutter speed based on the background light which is always too slow (overexposed), but the CHDK software forces the camera to progressively stop down the background with each shot as long as you hold the shutter. It is a bit cumbersom to remain in position while shooting more than one shot, but the results are pleasing and are in raw format. One other note; I have done this successfully with my strobe in TTL mode, and have not tried with the strobe in manual. I'm not sure if it would make much difference though. Hope this is helpful.

 

[Tigerman]

I do use the allbest build at the moment, and the more I try it the more I like the RAW function, but a the same time I like to be able to shoot in manual mode.. Hope I can get both somehow, but I guess I can live with shooting "semi-manual" if I have to. Ill do some tests to see if I really need the RAW function underwater though as soon as I get the housing and the ice get moving away from my water..

 

[mrwa]

I just got back from a scuba trip to BVI where I used the G7 + WP-DC11 + CHDK. I have to say, I found the raw format to be a huge advange in producing nice images. I wouldn't even consider going back to JPEG at this point. I was surprised at how many of my raw images, even those that were lit primarily by the strobe, could be improved dramatically, as compared to the corresponding JPEG, by adjusting the white balance and exposure. You can say goodby to the blue/green hue that dominates so many UW shots. The real challenge is striking a balance between an optimal WB setting for colors while still preserving a natural look to the scenes (ie what it looked like with the naked eye at the time). Hope your ice melts soon!

 

[Tigerman]

Good news, the later allbest CHDK does allow for changing the <alt> button to another button instead of the print button, which means you can use the print+directional buttons to control the manual settings.
Just tested it with allbest build #37

 

[mrwa]

That is great news! I'll have to give it a try too. Thanks for the update!