Review of Canon WP-DC60 Under Water Housing

There is no doubt that in the sub $200 range the Canon A520 is one of the better camera's available. DPReview and Consumer's Reports have both rated it highly. The A520 (and the almost identical A510) have a lot of features that are not found on many cameras in this price range. Three features that are of interest to divers are: the ability to choose manual modes, macro focus, and an underwater scene mode. We purchased one of these camera's last year to augment our SLR, due to it's light weight and full exposure control. We found that it produced very good quality images especially when given it's low cost.

This year we decided to try the A520 underwater and purchased Canon's matching WP-DC60 underwater housing. The housing is made of clear plastic with a 130 foot (40M) rating. Unlike some housings, this one provides access to all of the camera's functions. You can turn it on and off (important in a dive where you will be running the LCD a lot, draining batteries), shift to macro, change ISO... everything. While the buttons are all labeled, it is by casting their names into the plastic, which is difficult to read underwater. This isn't a problem if you are familiar with the camera, but underwater is not the place to start figuring out which button does what. Canon includes a flash diffuser and a hood for the LCD display. The case is very close fitting to the camera the result being that the unit is only slightly positively buoyant. Adding a brass snap (there are four locations where lanyards, straps, etc can be attached) makes it slightly negative, which we prefer.

The controls are a mix of plastic and rubber buttons, but the thru-housing shafts are metal and appear to be serviceable. While they don't look up to Ikelite's quality, they are reasonably well made and a far cry from the fittings on the Snap Sites 35MM (also reviewed on this site). The latch looks to be the only cheap part of the system. Conversation with a local dive shop confirms that the latches are fragile and parts are not available. Still, given the rapid pace of camera development and obsolescence I would assume that the housing was designed to last about as long as the camera. Thus, unlike an Ikelite, where the case can be modified to fit a new camera, this is a disposable item.

Optically, there is a two layered, anti fogging, window for the lens to see through, and a black baffle in the lens tube shields the lens from side light. The LCD screen is shielded internally with soft rubber and an external rubber shield continued about an inch outward from the body. We found this screen made viewing the LCD much easier.

There is only one user serviceable o-ring. It is yellow, which makes seeing hair and such easier than on traditional black o-rings.

We have used the housing on several dives without incident. As there is no provision for an off-axis flash, the potential for backscatter is significant. Try to avoid flash as much as possible (the underwater scene mode biases the camera away from flash and tries to make some green correction). We have also noticed that the long shutter delay (common on many digital cameras) means we often move a bit in relation to our subject between the time the auto focus locks and the shutter fires. This can result in out of focus pictures, especially when close or in macro mode, and takes some getting used to.

We like the housing camera combination. It is affordable, produces good snapshots, and has enough manual overrides to allow one to get creative.