Canon releases underwater housing for an HD Camcorder at $599

Was checking out the new Nikon 300s and decided to find out what's new with Canon.

I was blown away when I saw that Canon just release a video housing for the new HF20 Camcorder for a retail price of $599 (street $499).

Any suggestions on what would be a good video light set up for this system?

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controll...fcategoryid=173

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controll...p;modelid=18339

Glad to see someone can make a case for under $1500!! Maybe this will get other case makers back into something called reality with their pricing.... Found that case for under $400 WOW

http://www.cameraaddict.com/viewproduct.aspx?id=10713451

I am also intrested in what lighting will work with this set up

Not really fair comparing this case to an Ikelte, L&M or Gates on price. I have no idea how well or bad it will work, but just looking at it you can see the money difference between it and $1500+ housings.

Not really fair comparing this case to an Ikelte, L&M or Gates on price. I have no idea how well or bad it will work, but just looking at it you can see the money difference between it and $1500+ housings.

You don't have access to the menu function which means everything is more or less automatic.

For the lightning, I would suggest avoiding heavy trays/lights. The housing is definitely more fragile than what the other brands offer. Apart from that any video light should work as the camcorder remains the same from one housing to another.

You don't have access to the menu function which means everything is more or less automatic.

 

For the lightning, I would suggest avoiding heavy trays/lights. The housing is definitely more fragile than what the other brands offer. Apart from that any video light should work as the camcorder remains the same from one housing to another.

Canon WP-V1

Record Start/Stop

Telephoto and Wide Zoom

Photo Capture

Preview

Scene mode also available which is designed to adjust white balance for underwater conditions.

no menu functions other than scene mode? Thanks for pointing that out

Yes you are right, the camcorder is the same, but the handling, filter, port can make a difference on the quality of the uw video. At a minimum I would get a wet uw filter.

Just bough the HF10.

My old housing now is obsolete and am looking for housing for this model, is anyone aware of an ozzy company that sells these for similar prices.

Lighting will definately be an issue unless you can have a mounted headlight maybe?

donga.

We've shot the HF20 underwater in the WP-V1 housing and it worked fine. I wouldn't consider it overly fragile, it's just not made from the thicker plastic as Ikelite which costs more to do. The Gates and Light & Motion housings are made form machined aluminum, which costs much more to produce and are produced in much smaller numbers. Also the other brands tend to have more controls, and each additional control adds to the cost.

The housing has a 67mm threaded port which accepts the popular 67mm wide angle conversion lenses form companies such as Inon and Ikelite. You can also add a color correction filter.

Stix is coming out with a tray system for this housing that will have 2 ball mounts for lights. I can suggest the Fisheye LED 1000 lights, as they are self contained and small relative to the amount of light they put out. The handles and tray system carry the weight of the housing and lights, so there's no extra stress on the housing due to using arms and lights.

I'll try to get pictures up of everything as soon as we get the products in.

Best regards,

Jim

Jim

Are you talking about the Inon base for the WP-V1?

Wow this housings look great, do they fit all Canon camcorders?

I have a WP-V1 with an HF200. I have been looking for a place to write a review of my experiences thusfar in the hope that prospective buyers can get an idea of the strengths and weaknesses from a user. The few reviews I found are not helpful. I will begin with this reply to the post. The housing is thin polycarbonate, much the same as other compact camera housings. If handled with a normal amount of care, it is plenty strong enough. The depth limit is stated as 130'. You can probably push this a bit and get away with it, but if deep work in a professional setting is your goal, nothing like this will do. I think that much is obvious. As JimDeck stated, it accepts 67mm threaded lenses. Unless you are shooting macro, using a common consumer video camera in a case with a flat port without a wide angle lens is a waste of time. The case with camera is very buoyant. You need the WW-DC1 weight kit or something similar. With an Epoque lens on the front and no weight kit, the case if very unbalanced. I have made modifications which bring the balance to near neutral and my intitial disappointment has turned to satisfaction. My requirements are probably different than most of you as I only shoot in natural light. For me, a camera needs to be fairly compact, without protruding light arms and accessories. When not videoing, I clip it to my BC and forget about it. No one needs to grab the camera from me to board a boat, or hand it to me when in water. The case needs to be small and light enough to pack in regular luggage. No special carrying cases will do. Luggage is already enough hassle. No other housings are anywhere near as compact and lightweight. The Ikelite housing is the closest match but it is a pain in the neck to try to view underwater because the viewer cannot open all the way. The Bonica Snapper--well, if you have handled one, no other comment is needed. I nearly bought an Exacti with Epoch case but it is not nearly the camera the Canon is. I have photos of the mods necessaty to make it a great performer and will post later if there is interest.

I have a WP-V1 with an HF200. I have been looking for a place to write a review of my experiences thusfar in the hope that prospective buyers can get an idea of the strengths and weaknesses from a user. The few reviews I found are not helpful. I will begin with this reply to the post. The housing is thin polycarbonate, much the same as other compact camera housings. If handled with a normal amount of care, it is plenty strong enough. The depth limit is stated as 130'. You can probably push this a bit and get away with it, but if deep work in a professional setting is your goal, nothing like this will do. I think that much is obvious. As JimDeck stated, it accepts 67mm threaded lenses. Unless you are shooting macro, using a common consumer video camera in a case with a flat port without a wide angle lens is a waste of time. The case with camera is very buoyant. You need the WW-DC1 weight kit or something similar. With an Epoque lens on the front and no weight kit, the case if very unbalanced. I have made modifications which bring the balance to near neutral and my intitial disappointment has turned to satisfaction. My requirements are probably different than most of you as I only shoot in natural light. For me, a camera needs to be fairly compact, without protruding light arms and accessories. When not videoing, I clip it to my BC and forget about it. No one needs to grab the camera from me to board a boat, or hand it to me when in water. The case needs to be small and light enough to pack in regular luggage. No special carrying cases will do. Luggage is already enough hassle. No other housings are anywhere near as compact and lightweight. The Ikelite housing is the closest match but it is a pain in the neck to try to view underwater because the viewer cannot open all the way. The Bonica Snapper--well, if you have handled one, no other comment is needed. I nearly bought an Exacti with Epoch case but it is not nearly the camera the Canon is. I have photos of the mods necessaty to make it a great performer and will post later if there is interest.

Question:

Which is better for uw video: HF20 or HF200?

What software do you use for color correction or backsplatter, if necessary?

Is Canon better than Bonica?

Thanks, Alisa

Hi all,

New member here so i apologize for the stupid question. Just picked up the Canon HF200 and excited to test it out in the water, but i'm at a loss as to where to set the "underwater mode". I've read through the manual, but can't seem to find it anywhere.

Thanks in advance.