G9 waterproof housing and grip kit ?

[wd-40]

Has anyone used the underwaterhousing WP-DC21 with the grip kit attached?

Just wondering if I will have to take mine off to use it (not got the waterproof housing yet, it's on the way).

Also (as it's only for snorkelling not diving) how "needed" are the compensation weights ?

thanks in advance.

[///M3Matt]

i dont think the thumb button on the back would be an issue....the front grip might pose a threat. i would also like to hear from people who own the underwater housing as I would eventually like to pick it up :)

[JohnJ80]

I just looked at it quickly as I was packing the other night, but the housing fits the camera like a glove. I doubt the kit would work in the housing.

J.

[wd-40]

Just for info.

WP-DC21 has arrived and I have had to take the grip off, thumb rest is fine in place.

[JohnJ80]

I just got back from a sailing trip in the VI - just got back last night. Used the G9 and the WPDC21 - worked very well. Highly recommend (as have others) that you purchase the Canon weight kit - you need all three weights in place in order to have neutral buoyancy.

Just starting to process images now - here's one (pls excuse obvious novice mistakes when shooting underwater):

http://www.pbase.com/image/91069082.jpg

Pretty clear to me, that shooting underwater is much harder than it looks.

A couple of comments:

+ Shooting RAW on the G9 is absolutely wonderful. I'd say that for this alone, the G9 is a terrific underwater camera.

+ Flash diffuser is a must if you are using the flash. If you don't use it, you get big shadows where the lens obscures the subject from the flash. If you plan on using this at any depth, plan on external flash.

+ Weights are a must. Without them, the enclosure is hard to handle as it is too buoyant.

+ While I didn't take it to any depth, the enclosure looks like it works great. Easy to use in the water, all controls come to hand well. Relatively intuitive to use

J.

[andydajo]

Great Shot John, thanks for the advice about the handling and weights, I am buying a Canon housing myself for a trip to the Cayman Islands in April.

[cicopo]

I'm going to buy the housing soon (out of stock at B & H right now & I have a big order to go with it) and will be pairing it up with 2 external strobes, which should make for some good shots. And yes underwater photography is very different, no way to plant your feet & lock the arms while moving with the waves or current. I do advise everyone to make whatever camera & housing they use to be neutral both to make it easier to control & just in case it gets away from you it won't rapidly head up or down but it will just hang there until you grab it again.

[JohnJ80]

I'm going to buy the housing soon (out of stock at B & H right now & I have a big order to go with it) and will be pairing it up with 2 external strobes, which should make for some good shots. And yes underwater photography is very different, no way to plant your feet & lock the arms while moving with the waves or current. I do advise everyone to make whatever camera & housing they use to be neutral both to make it easier to control & just in case it gets away from you it won't rapidly head up or down but it will just hang there until you grab it again.

I think that will be a great set up. I'd add at least one next time I go and do this. The flash makes a huge difference and the separation from the camera also makes a huge difference.

I haven't spent a ton of time studying the G9, but is there a way to get a faster shutter speed than 1/60s when using the flash - like high speed sync on my DSLRs? That I found to be the biggest problem - motion blur when using the flash.

J.

[cicopo]

With my previous camera (S1 IS) I was able to demand that the flash would fire up to & including at 1/250 sec so I am expecting the G9 to allow it too but haven't checked yet (will do tonight because that's important to me) in manual mode. I then needed to match the F stop & shutter speed as best as I could for each situation as fast as I could if the original settings needed to be changed. Some samples from the last dive trip are here.
http://picasaweb.google.com/cicopo/CozumelDivingWithBlueXTSea
You can use the "more info" button just to the right of the photo (where the file size is shown) to see the basic settings.

[cicopo]

I have run the camera through it's paces with the flash using manual settings and it will fire at any setting under and including 1/500 sec PLUS it will default back to 1/500 sec if a faster shutter speed has been selected, which I guess is Canon policy thinking that the flash & a higher shutter speed will create unreliable results.