Canon PowerShot S70 and Underwater Casing WPDC40

When I first started looking at the Canon Powershot S70, I wasn’t sure if it could be used underwater or not. The Canon website for Australians made little mention of the Underwater Housing.

Then, I found very favorable reviews from some Scuba Divers, so I’m having a serious look at this camera for Scuba Diving.

I also found good reviews from people using the camera on land, so the camera is a good buy.

In this review, I’m concentrating mainly on the camera’s Underwater Features, although many of the above water features are important too obviously, for Scuba Divers.

DCRP reviews the Canon PowerShot S70 . This is what they say..

The Canon PowerShot S70 is a good choice for someone wanting an ultra-high resolution camera with a wide-angle lens and compact body. With 7 Megapixels at your disposal, you can make enormous prints. Noise levels are higher than the 5 Megapixel cameras of days past, but not as bad as the 8 Megapixel models that were introduced earlier this year. The S70’s photos are colorful, sharp, and well-exposed. One of the nicest features of the S70 is its 3.6X zoom lens, which starts at 28 mm (not too common these days). But with that wide lens come some tradeoffs: moderate barrel distortion, blurry edges/corners, and more purple fringing (than the PowerShot G6, which uses the same sensor). Telephoto-lovers will also be disappointed in the S70’s 100 mm telephoto end, though that can be improved upon by using the optional 2X teleconverter. The S70 has a compact (but not too compact) metal body which is well designed, save for the door over the memory card and battery slots. One negative about that compact body is that the lens and flash are placed closely together, producing quite a bit of redeye in flash photos.

The S70 has a full suite of manual controls, including shutter speed, white balance, and focus. A nice feature is the ability to bracket for focus, which comes in handy in tough focusing situations. Low light focusing is good, thanks to the S70’s AF-assist lamp. I found the LCD to be on the “dark side” in those situations, though, since it doesn’t gain up very much.

A few other things worth mentioning: there’s no live histogram in record mode (still!) and the movie mode isn’t so hot due to its time limit and sluggish frame rate.

Between the PowerShot G6 and S70, I think the former is clearly the better choice for photographers. If you want something with a smaller body and wider lens, the S70 gets the nod. I do believe that most folks don’t really need 7 Megapixels of resolution, and with that in mind I’d recommend looking at the PowerShot S60 to save yourself a few bucks. Regardless of which model you choose, all three cameras take good pictures, while offering good performance and plenty of manual features.

Digital Camera Headquarters has a Press Release of the Canon PowerShot S70

This is what’s the Press Release says about the Underwater Possiblities.

“Underwater Possibilities For year-round vacations, Canon’s new PowerShot S70 digital camera is compatible with a new optional underwater housing, the WP-DC40. Designed for capturing fabulous underwater photos while snorkeling, in the pool, or just to protect the camera while boating or on the beach, the housing is available for an estimated street price of $240*. For the underwater enthusiast, Canon will offer a new waterproof case weight set (WW-DC1) that is compatible with all of its underwater housings. Available in packs of four, these weights allow the camera to “stay put” for steady underwater photography.

To capture the best underwater shots, the PowerShot S70 digital camera includes a new “underwater” preset for the white balance. This feature automatically sets the camera to the correct white balance for underwater shooting so photographers do not have to worry about the difficulty of operating manually.”

I asked the ScubaBoard Forum Users what they think of the

Canon PowerShot S70 and Underwater housing WP-DC40

Pakman says:

“I currently have the S70 and DC40 housing along with an inon d2000 strobe.
The housing is good to 40m (i’ve only taken mine to 35m). The buttons are bit clustered in the back but should not be a problem unless you are using really thick gloves. I have not had any issues with leaks or any failures so far. The housing is actually pretty compact so makes a great little package to take along for those quick snap shots. This is pretty much your only option. I do not know of any other housing for the S70. And of course the S70 takes great pics and has full manual features and RAW. Do a quick search for “S70″ in this forum and you should see a number threads on it.”

CNET Users review the Canon PowerShot S70

“This is a very good camera,espically for underwater use”
by Thorpeee - May 4, 2005

Pros: “easy to use,simple instructions,yet great pictures on
shore or 60 ft below the surface ”

“Cons: the only slight negative is battery life, but I guess the reviewers needed
something to complain about.”

“I bought this camera christmas/2oo4 and have used this camera on land and
60 ft under the water [with the wp-dc40 underwater casing] When you take time to read the instruction booklet you can bypass most of the battery problems! The video feature is very passable and for the price most exceptable! The sieze
makes it very portable and easy to put in your pocket The under water feature which allows for clear detail pictures has all my scuba buddies really impressed with the normal and macro setting at 80 ft. ”

New look PowerShot packs 7.1 Megapixels

Canon, leader in photographic and imaging technology, today announces the 7.1 Megapixel digital still compact PowerShot S70. Incorporating the same rich feature set as the 5.0 Megapixel PowerShot S60, the new S70 is distinguished by a stylish two-tone dark metallic and black body. New UA lens materials allow for a reduction in lens size, enabling an elegantly sleek body shape despite the lens’ impressive 28-100mm focal length and 4cm macro specification.

The extensive list of high-end and semi-professional features include simultaneous RAW and JPEG file recording, 15 sec to 1/2000 sec shutter speeds, AF and AE lock, manual focusing and an intervalometer for automatic time-lapse photography. Optional accessories include a wireless controller,
2x tele-converter and a 40m depth waterproof case. Also included is a pre-set white balance mode for underwater photography, Print/Share button and the latest PowerShot S-series user-interface for fast, simple and intuitive navigation.

“This extraordinarily compact camera is packed with a sophisticated array of technologies,” said Malcolm HIlls, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging in the UK and Ireland at the camera’s launch. “With 7.1 Megapixels and many features borrowed from our digital SLR range, the S70 is expected to appeal to professionals looking to add a compact camera to their usual kit, and serious photography enthusiasts looking for uncompromising specifications.”

CNET Editor reviews the Canon PowerShot S70

Though it fails to garner the same across-the-board high marks as its predecessors, the Canon PowerShot S70 nevertheless acquits itself very well as an enthusiast’s compact. A 7-megapixel camera with a 3.6X zoom lens, the
S70’s first-rate photos and flexible feature set appeal now as much as they ever did. Only poor battery life and average performance hold it back from attaining better grades.

For those who own the Canon S70 already, a

Firmware Update has been announced.