Phone Case for Diving

[chiayx]

Hi Everyone.. recently been looking online looking for some water proof case for my phone, as the cheap plastic sealable bag they market as underwater case is a joke that doesnt really work well in water, though it will keep it dry if sealed properly, bump into these..
Spec says works underwater up to 15m, and seller claims it can exceed 15m, but do not go beyond 20m.
i've seen buyers posting ok-ok underwater photos, for free divers, scuba divers and snorkelers..

I am wondering, anyone here purchased something similar? and what is your views?
my old camera rig is dead, canon G11 is dead after an unfortunate incident of dropping the camera with it's canon's transparent plastic case 10m into the sea (from seaventures dive rig).. got back into the sea and retrieve it, but the shock damaged the focusing mechanism and it cost too much to repair..

What do you all think? anyone used these before? i probably wont be going that deep.. probably around 12m to 15m.. i would need some filters if it goes any deeper..

This is one of them. selling for CNY169, or USD23.

Here is another one that states it is good up to 20m. But i doubt i can use it underwater without physical buttons.

 

[Lewis88]

I'd go with a well known brand (kraken, sealife, etc.) and not get one of these ali express china specials.

 

[schuylerclark]

I bought a DiveVolk housing last year and I love it. It's pricier than the options you list, but it's a well built piece of gear that will last. I'm about to change phones and just need to get a new insert to fit. I like not relying on batteries, bluetooth, or any additional software that might go obsolete down the road.

 

[Barmaglot]

Phone water housings can be divided into three distinct categories, each with their own pros and cons.

1. Physical buttons on the housing that control the phone electronically, typically via Bluetooth, mimicking a wireless remote. Examples include Weefine/Kraken Smart Housing, SeaLife SportDiver and others, quite likely the first housing that you linked. These housings live and die by the quality of their companion app that runs on the phone inside and actuates the camera. Many users report these apps hanging, losing connection with the housing, being feature-deficient, etc. The SeaLife one appears, at least by what I've seen reported online, to be better than most. A no-name Chinese housing... you'd be taking a gamble. You also need to take care of another set of batteries, as these housings require independent power to function. On the upside, these types of housings can (and sometimes do) feature vacuum testing systems, and the physical buttons can be operated with gloves (important for those who dive in cold water).
2. Physical buttons tapping on the screen - this is the simplest and cheapest type of housings, with spring-loaded buttons penetrating the glass covering the phone screen via o-ring seals, tapping specific points of the screen when pressed. These may rely on a companion app to present on-screen buttons in the specific points, or they might be engineered to work with the manufacturer's phone app - if the latter updates the app and changes the interface layout, the housing turns into a pumpkin. Phone model compatibility is usually also quite limited.
3. Touchscreen access. This is represented primarily by DiveVolk SeaTouch series, which has a clever system for equalizing pressure inside the housing with the sea outside. The volume of air within the phone compartment is minimized, and there is a separate air reservoir within the grip that gets squeezed by ambient water pressure as you descend, thus reducing the total internal volume and proportionally increasing the internal air pressure so that it matches the ambient pressure and reduces the stress on the transparent membrane that covers the phone screen. This gives you the ability to operate the phone touchscreen with your fingers, just like you'd do on land, with full access to phone functions, and you don't need any apps, extra batteries, etc. On the downside, this makes vacuum seal testing impossible, as the housing relies on the presence of air inside to function, and it doesn't work with gloves (there are special pads that you can attach to your gloves' finger tips to operate it, but reportedly they don't work all that well). The housing in your second image looks like it is built for touchscreen access, but I don't see a pressure compensation device anywhere, which is likely the reason it is restricted to fairly shallow depths. How well that will work is anybody's guess.

 

[chiayx]

Phone water housings can be divided into three distinct categories, each with their own pros and cons.

1. Physical buttons on the housing that control the phone electronically, typically via Bluetooth, mimicking a wireless remote. Examples include Weefine/Kraken Smart Housing, SeaLife SportDiver and others, quite likely the first housing that you linked. These housings live and die by the quality of their companion app that runs on the phone inside and actuates the camera. Many users report these apps hanging, losing connection with the housing, being feature-deficient, etc. The SeaLife one appears, at least by what I've seen reported online, to be better than most. A no-name Chinese housing... you'd be taking a gamble. You also need to take care of another set of batteries, as these housings require independent power to function. On the upside, these types of housings can (and sometimes do) feature vacuum testing systems, and the physical buttons can be operated with gloves (important for those who dive in cold water).
2. Physical buttons tapping on the screen - this is the simplest and cheapest type of housings, with spring-loaded buttons penetrating the glass covering the phone screen via o-ring seals, tapping specific points of the screen when pressed. These may rely on a companion app to present on-screen buttons in the specific points, or they might be engineered to work with the manufacturer's phone app - if the latter updates the app and changes the interface layout, the housing turns into a pumpkin. Phone model compatibility is usually also quite limited.
3. Touchscreen access. This is represented primarily by DiveVolk SeaTouch series, which has a clever system for equalizing pressure inside the housing with the sea outside. The volume of air within the phone compartment is minimized, and there is a separate air reservoir within the grip that gets squeezed by ambient water pressure as you descend, thus reducing the total internal volume and proportionally increasing the internal air pressure so that it matches the ambient pressure and reduces the stress on the transparent membrane that covers the phone screen. This gives you the ability to operate the phone touchscreen with your fingers, just like you'd do on land, with full access to phone functions, and you don't need any apps, extra batteries, etc. On the downside, this makes vacuum seal testing impossible, as the housing relies on the presence of air inside to function, and it doesn't work with gloves (there are special pads that you can attach to your gloves' finger tips to operate it, but reportedly they don't work all that well). The housing in your second image looks like it is built for touchscreen access, but I don't see a pressure compensation device anywhere, which is likely the reason it is restricted to fairly shallow depths. How well that will work is anybody's guess.

thanks for taking the time to reply. good information. there is still time for me to slowly browse. It is true about the companion app, many complaints about it in the reviews. Weefine/kraken is a bit excessive of an investment for something i wont be using that often. used to use ikelite on my canon powershot camera..

alternatively, and probably the cheapest solution, is to get new o-rings and new battery for my gopro hero 7 silver.. havent touched it for a very long long time and its laying somewhere in my storeroom..

 

[tursiops]

You can buy a used underwater camera for not much money. At the depths you are going, you don't even need a housing for some of hem.