REVIEW: Canon PowerShot A95 with WP-DC50 waterproof case.

"ajames" <ajames54@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:0cih11ltai6r8hcbefjp8lhnrdcn41fuku@4ax.com...
> Review Canon PowerShot A95 with WP-DC50 waterproof case.
>
> Samples to follow to alt.binaries.images.underwater
>
>
> Background.. I am quite familiar with film cameras (I worked
> professionally until I decided that a regular pay check was a good
> thing) but I had almost no experience with digital before I purchased
> this camera two weeks ago. My total experience with U/W photography
> prior to this was the occasional rental of Nikonos equipment for
> snorkelling.
>
> Initial impressions of the camera were good.. it seems to offer a
> level of control that I appreciate. It looks like I will be able to
> override the cameras settings and make the changes I deem necessary to
> get a good image. The LCD monitor is large and reasonably easy to see
> even in the case. The case has buttons that make all of the cameras
> controls accessible. The Case itself comes with a handy neck strap ..
> (yeah right).. I don't know about you but I was not totally
> comfortable with the idea of having a buoyant object strapped around
> my neck while diving, fortunately the cameras wrist strap also fits
> the case and was ideal for diving. Finally according to the manual
> there is a custom-shooting mode that is designed specifically for
> underwater photography, this seems like quite a feature.
>
> After using the camera for a week and taking 5 dives, two deep (30 -
> 35 Meters) two shallow (20-25 Meters) and 1 shore (max depth 12
> Meters) as well as a few hours snorkelling I've got to say this is a
> great toy.. I am hugely pleased with the purchase and have zero
> regrets.. I do however have some comments that anyone who might be
> thinking about purchasing a dive camera might be interested in.
>
> The Case: Overall very good but it is best to be familiar with the
> cameras buttons before you attempt to use any but the most basic
> functions while the camera is in the case. Not surprisingly the
> buttons on the case mask the identifiers on the camera itself and
> while the case has its own identifiers they are rather hard to see.
> The "modes" dial is easy to use and quite visible I was changing
> through Auto / Program / SCN / Movie quite often, be sure to wiggle
> the selector and ensure that you are set correctly in the mode you
> want as the indents do not really translate to the case and if you are
> not fully in the mode you want the camera will not function. The zoom
> function is flawless and easy to use. I was also able to move through
> the various flash modes without issue.. Additionally the Case comes
> with two levels of flash diffuser to help reduce backscatter, however
> there was so little suspended matter in the water column that I can't
> really judge its effectiveness the only dive with any issue was the
> shore dive and then only occasionally.. so it either works very well
> or it was a non issue due to water conditions.
>
> Shooting:
> As mentioned above Shooting was easy. There were times however that I
> wanted to change to manual focus or macro focus or to set the exposure
> compensation these were all options available to me but despite a
> quick read of the manual, there was nothing really intuitive in the
> display or on the camera to help out. So I would suggest that you use
> all the functions you might possibly want (a lot) on land before you
> try and use them in the water. As far as the results went I found the
> underwater mode to be useful only in the first 5 meters or so, part of
> the pre-programmed function is to keep the flash off except when
> absolutely necessary, to eliminate backscatter. This resulted in a
> number of photographs where the camera had set a shutter speed low
> enough to cause motion blur. Using the Camera in Auto mode was fine in
> most circumstances, however at depth I really wanted the flash on all
> the time and that required I set the camera to Program mode (always on
> is not an option in automatic mode). Movie mode was a blast.. the
> little short clips available are not too impressive on the camera but
> when I loaded them on to the computer they not only looked good but I
> found out that the mic. On the camera is sensitive enough to pickup
> the sound of me breathing and the sound of bubbles rising.. very cool
> (IMHO).
>
> Issues:
> The number one issue I had was battery life.. set in Program with the
> Flash always on the camera just chewed through the batteries, I had
> what I thought were a good set of NiMH rechargeables (I'm going to
> have to test that theory) and by the end of the dives I was getting a
> low battery warning. Having two sets of rechargeables is a good idea
> and I will do so in the future. The issue is the flash, on any other
> mode the batteries were fine for twice the amount of shooting. The
> second issue I had was shutter lag, there is no such thing as a "snap"
> shot with a digital .. and the lag lost me a couple of shots (some of
> those fish move FAST!) it wasn't a huge issue but it was something I'm
> not used to, the film gear allows you to take a shot as soon as you
> press the button. (So when my buddy spooks a 4'6" Barracuda and it
> rockets out of the rift 8 feet from me there is no chance to get the
> shot with compact digital). I don't yet know this to be the case but I
> get the impression from the manual that I can seriously reduce the lag
> by using more manual settings ... I hope so as I am fully comfortable
> with manual cameras, I will be doing some experimenting. The final
> issue I had was the viewfinder/display.. it is larger than most in
> this type of camera and was certainly OK to use, it was not as easy or
> as convenient as the wire frame from the Nikonos, unfortunately
> nothing like that is an option with this camera so I am going to have
> to jury-rig something.
>
> On a final note.. I don't even know why they bother including a 32 Meg
> compact flash card with a 5-mega-pixel camera, that is almost a joke
> .. I bought a 512 and will make sure I have at least another 256 for
> the next dive trip ( I plan to take more movies)
>

Thanks for the review.

Your comments apply equally well to the A75/A85 c/w WP-DC30 housing. Turning
off some of the features (red-eye, assist beam) reduces that shutter lag
considerably. Those features do not work when using the housing anyway.
Using manual focus helps even more.

Review Canon PowerShot A95 with WP-DC50 waterproof case.

Samples to follow to alt.binaries.images.underwater


Background.. I am quite familiar with film cameras (I worked
professionally until I decided that a regular pay check was a good
thing) but I had almost no experience with digital before I purchased
this camera two weeks ago. My total experience with U/W photography
prior to this was the occasional rental of Nikonos equipment for
snorkelling.

Initial impressions of the camera were good.. it seems to offer a
level of control that I appreciate. It looks like I will be able to
override the cameras settings and make the changes I deem necessary to
get a good image. The LCD monitor is large and reasonably easy to see
even in the case. The case has buttons that make all of the cameras
controls accessible. The Case itself comes with a handy neck strap ..
(yeah right).. I don’t know about you but I was not totally
comfortable with the idea of having a buoyant object strapped around
my neck while diving, fortunately the cameras wrist strap also fits
the case and was ideal for diving. Finally according to the manual
there is a custom-shooting mode that is designed specifically for
underwater photography, this seems like quite a feature.

After using the camera for a week and taking 5 dives, two deep (30 -
35 Meters) two shallow (20-25 Meters) and 1 shore (max depth 12
Meters) as well as a few hours snorkelling I’ve got to say this is a
great toy.. I am hugely pleased with the purchase and have zero
regrets.. I do however have some comments that anyone who might be
thinking about purchasing a dive camera might be interested in.

The Case: Overall very good but it is best to be familiar with the
cameras buttons before you attempt to use any but the most basic
functions while the camera is in the case. Not surprisingly the
buttons on the case mask the identifiers on the camera itself and
while the case has its own identifiers they are rather hard to see.
The "modes" dial is easy to use and quite visible I was changing
through Auto / Program / SCN / Movie quite often, be sure to wiggle
the selector and ensure that you are set correctly in the mode you
want as the indents do not really translate to the case and if you are
not fully in the mode you want the camera will not function. The zoom
function is flawless and easy to use. I was also able to move through
the various flash modes without issue.. Additionally the Case comes
with two levels of flash diffuser to help reduce backscatter, however
there was so little suspended matter in the water column that I can’t
really judge its effectiveness the only dive with any issue was the
shore dive and then only occasionally.. so it either works very well
or it was a non issue due to water conditions.

Shooting:
As mentioned above Shooting was easy. There were times however that I
wanted to change to manual focus or macro focus or to set the exposure
compensation these were all options available to me but despite a
quick read of the manual, there was nothing really intuitive in the
display or on the camera to help out. So I would suggest that you use
all the functions you might possibly want (a lot) on land before you
try and use them in the water. As far as the results went I found the
underwater mode to be useful only in the first 5 meters or so, part of
the pre-programmed function is to keep the flash off except when
absolutely necessary, to eliminate backscatter. This resulted in a
number of photographs where the camera had set a shutter speed low
enough to cause motion blur. Using the Camera in Auto mode was fine in
most circumstances, however at depth I really wanted the flash on all
the time and that required I set the camera to Program mode (always on
is not an option in automatic mode). Movie mode was a blast.. the
little short clips available are not too impressive on the camera but
when I loaded them on to the computer they not only looked good but I
found out that the mic. On the camera is sensitive enough to pickup
the sound of me breathing and the sound of bubbles rising.. very cool
(IMHO).

Issues:
The number one issue I had was battery life.. set in Program with the
Flash always on the camera just chewed through the batteries, I had
what I thought were a good set of NiMH rechargeables (I’m going to
have to test that theory) and by the end of the dives I was getting a
low battery warning. Having two sets of rechargeables is a good idea
and I will do so in the future. The issue is the flash, on any other
mode the batteries were fine for twice the amount of shooting. The
second issue I had was shutter lag, there is no such thing as a "snap"
shot with a digital .. and the lag lost me a couple of shots (some of
those fish move FAST!) it wasn’t a huge issue but it was something I’m
not used to, the film gear allows you to take a shot as soon as you
press the button. (So when my buddy spooks a 4'6" Barracuda and it
rockets out of the rift 8 feet from me there is no chance to get the
shot with compact digital). I don’t yet know this to be the case but I
get the impression from the manual that I can seriously reduce the lag
by using more manual settings ... I hope so as I am fully comfortable
with manual cameras, I will be doing some experimenting. The final
issue I had was the viewfinder/display.. it is larger than most in
this type of camera and was certainly OK to use, it was not as easy or
as convenient as the wire frame from the Nikonos, unfortunately
nothing like that is an option with this camera so I am going to have
to jury-rig something.

On a final note.. I don’t even know why they bother including a 32 Meg
compact flash card with a 5-mega-pixel camera, that is almost a joke
... I bought a 512 and will make sure I have at least another 256 for
the next dive trip ( I plan to take more movies)