Review: Canon HF20 camcorder in a Canon WP-V1 underwater housing (with video)
From my review of the Canon HF20 and WP-V1 underwater camcorder set on Gizmodo:
But once I got underwater and watched many of the divers struggling with their rigs, catching protuberances on errant kelp fronds, I felt a little better about wielding this simple Canon setup. As a point-and-shoot (and shoot and shoot) piece of equipment, the whole rig is simple, capable, durable, and—especially compared to similar underwater gear of just a couple years back—cheap enough that it won’t be a tragedy when it gets lost at sea. The street price of the HF20 (an AVCHD camcorder with 32GB of flash memory) is $800; the WP-V1 can be found for around $400.
Arlo
Certainly not much to complain about with the video(s); nice job! If I had to nit-pick, I’d say the small size of the case made for a few instances of jerky video, but really, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment.
I’ve been diving with one of those large Ikelite cases around a Canon IS5. Once in the water, those heavy cases become almost neutrally buoyant, but their mass (and two handles) certainly help stabilize your shot. I didn’t ever feel it got in the way, but then I haven’t dived in a kelp bed yet, either.
My wife and I are planning a world trip, however, and there’s no room for such a contraption. I might look into something smaller like what you reviewed. Thanks!
Aug 24, 2009 @ 4:32 pm