I just bought a Canon Powershot A570 IS and WP-DC12 underwater housing rated to 130 feet. I was aiming to get a WP-DC28 for my G10, but I was able to get this whole setup plus a 4GB card for less than the cost of just the WP-DC28 housing, so I went for it. I figured it would be good to have just about anything in order to start being able to shoot underwater and get a feel for it.
What's next? Does anyone have experience with this combo? What settings should I have it set to for the best shooting underwater? Does anyone have suggestions on how to practice with it?
I don't have any experience with the A570IS and its housing but I would suggest that you spend some time in a pool with it taking images of flowers (artificial), small stuffed animals and the like so you can get an idea of how it functions underwater before you actually go diving. Then take a look at the images after you've loaded them to your computer. You'll be able to adjust your settings based on the results. What the image looks like on the camera screen inside your housing, viewing it with your mask on, is often quite different from how it looks on your computer after you've uploaded the memory card and view it on your monitor!
And before you take it on a dive in the ocean, you might want to take the housing without the camera inside to depth to see if there are any leaks. That way, if any water inadvertently gets inside the housing, it won't damage your camera. AFAIK, trying it out in a pool is not sufficient for this test as the camera does not go deep enough.
I've heard that using dessicant packs inside the housing can be a good idea to eliminate fogging depending on environmental conditions before the dive.
Congrats on your new purchase! Be sure to post your images here after you've had the chance to go diving with it.
Ellen
