Well, I finally got the Canon housing in for my S90. Now I have to decide if I want to keep it, or exchange it towards the Ikelite housing instead.
Here are my overall impressions:
This housing is better made than I recall from my prior Canon housing, several year ago. Not as sturdy as the Ikelite housing for my S90, but sturdier than I expected, still. As far as I can tell, the main downsides vs. the Ikelite housing are:
(1) Shallower depth rating (130' vs. 200') (on a related note, some Canon housings have had issues with weak springs allowing buttons to become stuck in at depth, but most do not have a problem with this... it remains to be tested for this housing)
(2) You'll need an adapter to add aftermarket lenses (wide angle or macro), and currently Dyron is the only one I've seen, and it ain't cheap (~$100) (I really hope Inon decides to make one, especially an AD adapter)
(3) Legendary Ikelite customer support, vs. the practically infamous lack of any meaningful support from Canon
(4) Ikelite housing is made of sturdier stuff in general.
Upsides:
(1) I was very impressed with the precision fit of all the control dials and rods. All push or turn in the precise place needed. The mode dial turns the top mode dial very positively. I believe it is a thick rubber disk that is compressed against the dial when you close the housing, and thus easily maintains enough grip, regardless of depth, to turn the dial. The left side control for the front control ring has "gears" whose "teeth" positively engage the mode dial, turning it perfectly, and delivering tactile feedback in addition to the on-screen display. Again, it's position will make it impervious to depth issues. The zoom lever is spring-loaded to return to center... significantly, the Ikelite housing is NOT spring loaded, and there is little tactile feedback on the mechanism, and you can't see the control arm from behind the screen since the control is in the front of the camera.
(2) On-board strobe. The diffuser panel actually stands a chance of working, unlike the Ikelite housing. The lens tube is considerably smaller than the Ikelite tube, clear, and the flash clearly extends to a visible location from the front. Based on my experience with other Canon housings, this layout should work relatively well.
(3) Price. The Canon housing is more than $100 less than the Ikelite housing ($175 vs. $300 at current pricing)
Anyway, I have yet to see any photos of the Canon housing online (just the Ikelite one, which shipped first) so I thought I'd take a few and look it over closely, for those trying to decide for themselves which they want to purchase.
The full collection of photos (including higher res versions) can be found here: Canon WP-DC35 Underwater Housing For PowerShot S90 Camera
I hope it's helpful for someone! A few from the collection follow (not my best work, but it shows what it needs to, for an evening spent in front of the television!)
Inside control surface:
Back panel, showing control labeling moulded into plastic:
Left side control dial for front ring:
Top controls (Power, Ring Mode, Zoom lever, Camera Mode):
Lens at widest position (28mm):
Flash raised, clearly above lens tube:
Housing with Flash diffuser in place:
More photos and higher res versions linked above. Enjoy! (don't forget to scroll down and click to the next page, there are over 30 photos)
I really need to make a decision about this housing, and soon, because I'm dying to start shooting with this camera!
Here are my overall impressions:
This housing is better made than I recall from my prior Canon housing, several year ago. Not as sturdy as the Ikelite housing for my S90, but sturdier than I expected, still. As far as I can tell, the main downsides vs. the Ikelite housing are:
(1) Shallower depth rating (130' vs. 200') (on a related note, some Canon housings have had issues with weak springs allowing buttons to become stuck in at depth, but most do not have a problem with this... it remains to be tested for this housing)
(2) You'll need an adapter to add aftermarket lenses (wide angle or macro), and currently Dyron is the only one I've seen, and it ain't cheap (~$100) (I really hope Inon decides to make one, especially an AD adapter)
(3) Legendary Ikelite customer support, vs. the practically infamous lack of any meaningful support from Canon
(4) Ikelite housing is made of sturdier stuff in general.
Upsides:
(1) I was very impressed with the precision fit of all the control dials and rods. All push or turn in the precise place needed. The mode dial turns the top mode dial very positively. I believe it is a thick rubber disk that is compressed against the dial when you close the housing, and thus easily maintains enough grip, regardless of depth, to turn the dial. The left side control for the front control ring has "gears" whose "teeth" positively engage the mode dial, turning it perfectly, and delivering tactile feedback in addition to the on-screen display. Again, it's position will make it impervious to depth issues. The zoom lever is spring-loaded to return to center... significantly, the Ikelite housing is NOT spring loaded, and there is little tactile feedback on the mechanism, and you can't see the control arm from behind the screen since the control is in the front of the camera.
(2) On-board strobe. The diffuser panel actually stands a chance of working, unlike the Ikelite housing. The lens tube is considerably smaller than the Ikelite tube, clear, and the flash clearly extends to a visible location from the front. Based on my experience with other Canon housings, this layout should work relatively well.
(3) Price. The Canon housing is more than $100 less than the Ikelite housing ($175 vs. $300 at current pricing)
Anyway, I have yet to see any photos of the Canon housing online (just the Ikelite one, which shipped first) so I thought I'd take a few and look it over closely, for those trying to decide for themselves which they want to purchase.
The full collection of photos (including higher res versions) can be found here: Canon WP-DC35 Underwater Housing For PowerShot S90 Camera
I hope it's helpful for someone! A few from the collection follow (not my best work, but it shows what it needs to, for an evening spent in front of the television!)
Inside control surface:
Back panel, showing control labeling moulded into plastic:
Left side control dial for front ring:
Top controls (Power, Ring Mode, Zoom lever, Camera Mode):
Lens at widest position (28mm):
Flash raised, clearly above lens tube:
Housing with Flash diffuser in place:
More photos and higher res versions linked above. Enjoy! (don't forget to scroll down and click to the next page, there are over 30 photos)
I really need to make a decision about this housing, and soon, because I'm dying to start shooting with this camera!