Canon WP-V1 Housing!

[Conchchowder]

going to try this housing in the Coral sea (Mike Ball) in a week. Hope to post the results in October. The reviews of this camera are critical of the "low Light" performance What I have read suggests that no filter is necessary for the hf 200. Question, is a silicone treatment necessary for every dive or just every now and then?

It doesn't say...but the manual sucks anyway.

It tells you how much lube you should put on the gasket, but not how often. It also tries to tell you how to remove the gasket but doesn't give you the tried-and-true method: use a credit card to gently remove it.
I'd examine it carefully if you have brought it/used it in the surf where sand can get into the crack of the housing. I rinse mine well and then make sure the hinge is paid attention to so there is no rust development there.
DO NOT USE AN EXTERNAL FILTER
It will inhibit actual light entering the lens.

 

[aquaspider]

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I have posted 2 vids shot with the HF200/WP-V1 but they were made before the mods. I have not made a vid describing the mods. I was planning to post pictures and a description but it doesn't seem to work that way here. I guess I'll have to get busy on a video and post a partial link when complete.

As far as the silicone and the V1 goes, its use should be the same as with any other plastic case. Personally, I now eschew the silicone grease entirely because it attracts dust, dirt, dried salt, and other small contaminants. This was always a minor issue with me since it meant cleaning the o-ring and the seating area often. Then I read something that made sense and I had not considered: "The grease itself is not what seals the opening". After application, you always try to remove any accumulation, leaving as thin a coating as possible anyway. So, if the grease is not the sealant, why use it? I now clean the o-ring and seat after a week or so of use on a dive trip. I use spray silicone in a puddle in my palm and thoroughly soak the o-ring. If you let it sit for a few minutes, you'll notice the darkened color and like new appearance. The ring will be slightly damp. Just slip it over a clean detent and forget about it. I do this for my Ikelite housing, a compact housing for my wife's camera, and the WP-V1. The liquid silicone does not attract dirt and is easy to keep clean and reapply.

If you are worried, test it yourself. Do the treatment as described and take your empty case as deep as it (and you) are safe to go. I treat the rubber foot pocket of my full foot fins the same way and the rubber seems more pliable. There have been reports about treatments like ArmorAll damaging rubber over the long run. Silicone spray is not the same thing. Salt water is not the best thing for rubber either. And, I hope you are not going to use an o-ring until it rots and cracks. My oldest case o-ring is over three years old and is still in good shape. I may change it soon just to be safe.

 

[jim hoppe]

thanks for the response. Since the housing is new I suppose it is not necessary to remove the ring and use the grease. I don't have the weights, is the housing close to neutrally buoyant or will that be a problem. Too late to do anything about it since we leave for Au tomorrow. Will give it try anyway and see how it looks.

 

[aquaspider]

The case with the camera inside and no accessories outside is buoyant. I suggest you grab an ankle weight or two to wrap around the case or make some other temporary weight setup and attach it to the tripod mount. Have a good trip.

 

[Conchchowder]

Go to Walmart and pick up one of those grey and black, segmented tripods. The ones you can attach to anything. Attach it to the tripod mount and then wrap the ankle weight around that...or wire-tie it to one of the legs. When you need to do a shot, set the tripod up to keep the camera steady and the ankle weight will give the camera some mass to help prevent shake while swimming. If you DON'T do this, expect about 10% of your video to be usable due to cam shake. Besides, you can clamp the camera to shipwrecks for swim-by's and rocks as well.

 

[jim hoppe]

excellent advice and thanks for the quick response. On land tiny cameras hand held make for shaky video. Same is true underwater. It would be cool to come home and have people say, "was that shot on a tripod" with Conchchowder's suggestion I could say yes. Off to Walmart I go. Thanks to you both.

 

[aquaspider]

I have completed a how to video on mods to the WP-V1 as suggested and posted to YouTube. I am not allowed to post a url, so try 'Canon WP-V1 Modification' in the search box, or add the last part of the link 'watch?v=CA81nKputs'

Or go to my channel 'youtube.com/mindlife' and find it there as the newest upload. I hope someone appreciates the effort. If only we could get manufacturers to have a look at these forums and give the buyers what they are asking for.....

 

[KiiY]

Great job on the video!

Let me try posting the link here: YouTube - Canon WP-V1 Modification

Weight restrictions when traveling by air are really causing me to rethink and try to trim down my kit. Despite its limitations, the WP-V1 is looking pretty interesting and your mods would sure make it more usable.

 

[nwflyboy]

I'm new to UW video (unless you want to count a few low-quality clips shot on a Can Powershot A610 on point & shoot and Canon housing). I'm looking for a good quality video setup that meets the following criteria:

1. price $1k or less
2. very good quality for topside video
3. small, compact
4. has a minimal housing for underwater work - small, compact for travel and in the water, with minimal stuff hanging out

I'm looking at the Canon Vixia HF200. Costco.com has them for $650 (I know it can probably be found a little cheaper elsewhere, but I like buying from Costco since returns are painless and hassle free, if I decide I just don't like it).

I see here that Canon sells their housing for it, and it looks very attractive, although I also see some issues - problems with balance and holding the rig steady seem to be the primary complaints. I am not likely to be brave enough (or skilled enough) to modify the housing as described above/on youtube. So my questions are...

Does this rig sound like the best setup for me?
Just how serious are the balance/steadiness issues when used without modifications?
Are there any good alternatives that would work better for me, given my criteria?

Thanks!

 

[Conchchowder]

There is a real simple solution to the balance issue. get some 1/4" screws and large washers. The threads on the WP-V1 are 1/4". get some pvc grating such as this (or anything similar)

Attach the housing to the grate as to allow for any lens you may have attached to the housing, to hang over the edge of the grate and notch-out a bit of the grate if you need to.

you can simply attach counter balances to the grate using bread bag ties and once you have achieved balance, you can mark which weights to remove if you want to use the camera w/o the extra lens. Attach them securely with zip-ties once you have achieved balance.

This gives you a wide platform which negates the need for an extra handle or ANY case mods which may hinder the resale of your housing.

The wide platform also increases the stabilization of the unit by reducing small camera movement.

It has the same effect as this
The Levelcam Video Camera Stabilizer for Documentary, News and Event Videography
but square.

I hope you understand my concept. If you don't, feel free to reply.