bit-tech Shopping: Canon AW-DC50 All-Weather Housing

Rating: 8

Time with product: 18 Days

Strengths: clear plastic, very high quality, perfect fit

Weaknesses: EXPENSIVE!!!bulky, requires cleaning and washing, you need to apply the lubricating oil around the rubber seal

Summary: this thing works well... only thing is it's very pricey. I bought a DryPak waterproof "bag" to use at first from REI, but that simply didn't work out at all. I couldn't access the camera controls, and also the plastic was not very clear, causing photos to be blurry and badThis this has very good optical quality GLASS (not plastic!!) near the lens, making for good, nice underwater shots. Only problem is in hot weather it steams up....I bought this and took it to the test in Hawaii. Went snorkeling all over the place with it. Shots came out as good as they can... for some reason underwater lighting messes up your shots.The clear plastic also got scratched up easily, even though I was very careful with it, wrapping it in a towel. The part where the lens is is actually made of glass and has a metal rim so that very important part did not get scratched up.

Rating: 6

Time with product: 16

Strengths: good for taking pictures in the pool or on the beach

Weaknesses: can't go below 10 ft.

Summary: i made the mistake of not reading the specs carefully enough before buying this case. i wanted to use it for scuba diving but unfortunately the case is only rated to 10 ft. i'll be looking for a different case & perhaps camera for taking pictures under water.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 60 Days

Strengths: Easy to use

Weaknesses: Very expensiveBulky

Summary: I bought this for my trip to the Niagara Falls, so that I can take my camera down to the bottom of the falls and on the boat ride. It's very easy to use. You just put the camera in and close the case. However, it's expensive, especially for something that's only going to be used for a few times only.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1 Month

Strengths: Ease of use, nice design, protects your camera from the elements.

Weaknesses: Cost, bulky (does not fit into your pocket like the camera itself does without the case), has a separate flash filter piece to carry around.

Summary: We used this camera on a ski trip recently because we have learned in the past what wet snow can do to a digital camera. This All Weather Case served the purpose we needed-- protection of our camera. It is bulky; however, I was still able to keep it in the pocket of my ski jacket. It also comes with a separate flash filter. Although, we didn't end up needing to use it even with the flash. The pictures turned out great. We didn't use the neck strap-- I thought it was a little much (it's a thick, bright yellow strap). I have no complaints about this case. If you need a case to protect your camera from the elements-- this is a great option. It is a quite costly in my opinion, but it's better than the alternative-- having to replace a damaged camera that was not properly protected from the elements. We're planning to use the case more at the pool and beach this coming summer.