S1 IS underwater casing - good for beach?

[canonmommy]

We're taking a trip to the beach soon & I'd like to avoid ruining my S1 with sand or water. For those with the WP-DC20 underwater casing, can you tell me how you like it for above-water shots? Does it allow you to use all the camera functions, or are there limitations? Will the pics come out as clear with the casing? I'd hate to buy this if it won't allow me to take the same quality pics that I'm used to with the S1. TIA for your advice!

[bluevolume]

The most important thing about taking pictures on the beach is the ability to run fast.

[cvicisso]

I've got a few similar threads (concerning waterproof enclosures) going in a few different places, but since you brought it up and since my purchase ended up being an S2 IS... I guess it's applicable here too.

I live at the beach, my wife and I just had a baby (9 months ago), hence - I'm looking at protection from sand and water too - plus, some occasional pool time, snorkeling, yada yada yada...

Since Canon isn't offering a waterproof enclosure for the S2 (yet), I was considering an AquaPac (http://www.aquapac.net/) as an alternative. Not as sexy of course, but it's a fraction of the cost of a Canon housing, and I can use it for other cameras too. Anyone have any experience with one of these - or can you suggest something else?

Anyway - didn't mean to hijack your thread, just thought maybe someone knew something about both. :D

[canonmommy]

I saw those too. I read on another site that those types of products have the potential to tear, get a hole in them, etc., although I don't know about that particular brand. Since we're going to be on vacation with a very active toddler plus a very clumsy mommy :D ,I'd like something that will be sturdy!

Hopefully someone will have advice for both of us!

[bluevolume]

OK -- I'll post a serious response now. :-)

I have had a little experience with waterproof cases, as some of my clients used them in their outings. It makes sense to buy a case made for your specific camera if possible, since its obviously going to fit it the best and will keep the camera in the correct position for picture taking. We used to have a case similar to the AquaPac mentioned above -- but ours was made for an SLR and it had what looked like a lens filter built-in to the clear plastic. This snapped over the end of the lens and helped keep the camera in position. The AquaPac looks like it is engineered well enough to keep your camera safe, but I would wonder about keeping the plastic area flat enough that it didn't distort the images, and also about keeping the camera in the middle area of the bag (seems that it would want to slide to the edges).

For your specific question, it sounds like taking beach pictures is something you're only going to do this one time on vacation. Given that, I'm not sure its the best idea to take your digital camera to the beach at all. Photography aside, pretty much anything you take to the beach is going to end up with sand in it -- and it doesn't seem worth the risk to get a few beach shots. If you were going to be taking shots there regularly, then I think it would be very worthwhile to look into some kind of environment-proof case.

Maybe you could just pick up a couple disposable cameras for the beach?