Sony Housing MPK-P1

[Sue]

Hi there

I've got a Sony Cybershot DSC-P1 and I'm willing to buy its housing MPK-P1. Sony says it will make it up to 30 meters (100 feet).
Does any of you have it or have ever tried it? What's your opinion over it?

Sue

 

[Mick]

Hi Sue.

I havent actually used the Sony housing myself.
I work for Sony at the moment and I can tell you that a dealer has sold about 20 of the camera's with the housings and he has not had a complaint yet. One of them I know has been deeper then the 100ft for more then 15 mins on several occasions without any problem. The Sony dealer is one that specialises in UW video, so he has seen it all.

I would love to see some of your pics as I am thinking of getting one myself !


Good luck

Mick

 

[Sue]

Hi Mike

Thanks for your reply. that really help me out to decide. he point is that having a Cybershot that I use perfectly for surface pics i prefer to invest in its housing (assuming it works perfectly), rather that spend the same amount in a specific UW camera, and then travel with two different cameras.

My concern now is that I'm having problems getting it around. My Sony dealer is taking more than 2 weeks to get it, so I'm considering an online order. Do you happen to know any online Sony dealer? (must be in Europe, due to high customs taxes when out of it).

In what concerns my Cybershot performance, I'm quite happy with, mainly because this is an update from my old Fuji which was 1.3 megapixels.
I'm planning to use it fully in my April trip to Cozumel. I'll show you my pics afterwards.

Cheers

Sue

 

[Maggie]

Try Videoquip.co.uk They sell Sony cameras + Sony housings. I dont know if they have the particular one you are looking for but good luck.

 

[Sue]

Thanks for the tip Maggie. I haven't seen the MPK at their site, but I've contact them by mail to know if they have it

Cheers

Sue

 

[Mick]

Hi Sue.

I have been sent one pic from my dealer taken on the P1 with the housing. The pic is quite small and I dont know what the conditions were when it was taken. I do know that this lady is new to SCUBA and this is her first try at UW photography. The pic was taken without any light or strobe, just the camera on it's own. In my opinion, it looks very good and I am quite impressed. My girlfriend is thinking about buying one herself. Dont think that because I work for Sony that I am trying to sell this, I actually have been given a package and will be leaving at the end of this month so I really have nothing to gain. I personally like this camera setup because it is so small and easy to use and you dont have any developing costs. For me it would be perfect as neither my girlfriend or I intend to become professional photographers, we just want to record our diving adventures !!!


Hopefully I will have some more pics soon, my dealer is taking a group to try it out in the next couple of weeks.

Happy snapping !


Mick

 

[Sue]

I was finally able to order my MPK housing from Sony and they said I'll get it this week, so hopefully I'll try the housing next weekend (depending on the weather)
I was advised to try it without the camera inside to be sure that it doesn't floods.
I'll let you know...

Cheers

Sue

 

[Sue]

Got it finally!

Looks very solid and handful

I'm gonna try it this weekend, so Monday I'll post my comments

Sue

 

[Sue]

Mick

I've tried the camera/housing. Saturday I took only the housing and everything went fine: no leaks at all.

Saturday in my first dive I put the Cybershot inside and took loads of pics. Apart the fact that I need to improve my skills with the camera uw, I was very worried because it started to have some condensation inside. I thought it was a leak or something, but after the dive it was completely dry inside, so I realized that it was due to temperature differences: it was hot outside (around 20C) and I didn't protect the camera in the boat. As the water was cold (14C) some condensation appear.

In the second dive I took the camera in a box, and it was ok - no condensation.

Both dives were around 13/15 meters, so I didn't try it in maximum recommended depth, but I just wanted to start.

In what concerns pics quality, I can say it's good enough (I used high resolution), but I still have a lot to learn.

Cheers

Sue

 

[Autometic]

These might help (they are NOT mine, just found the web-links). I have been trying to find pictures made by the P1 underwater prior to buying this camera. I think I will get myself an early birthday present.....

http://homepage.eircom.net/~vengerov/uw_photos.htm

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jcmorgan/hurgarda1.html

Autometic