Underwater Housing

<p>Hi!<br />New to this forum and have a question - I'm going to the Bahamas in February and am planning to go snorkeling and scuba diving. Can someone help me figure out what the best housing for my camera would be? I read that I can get good pictures with a regular digital camera. I have a Canon Powershot SD 1200 IS Digital ELPH that has been sitting in my drawer for the past 3 years and I want to find underwater housing for it. <br />I really cant afford to buy anything super pricey right now so I saw this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0050051QI/?tag=nmphotonet-20" rel="nofollow">Polaroid Dive Rated Waterproof Housing</a> but I fear that the only way to get crisp nice images would be with something like this <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCUBA-DIVING-NEW-CANON-WATERPROOF-CASE-WP-DC29-for-IXY-110-IS-SD1200-IXUS-95-/201248757919?pt=US_Camera_Underwater_Housings&hash=item2edb5c589f" rel="nofollow">Canon Waterproof Case</a> that has been discontinued...<br>

any thoughts? does anyone have examples of underwater pictures taken with a Powershot? If so, what did you use for housing?<br>

thanks for your help!</p>

<p>You get what you pay for -- I would not trust any camera to a $20 underwater housing. Also, many things with the Polaroid name on them these days have nothing to do with Polaroid -- the company has scaled back to next to nothing and is licensing its name to anybody who wants to sell just about anything.<br /><br />You could look at underwater housing brands like Ikelite and some of the others. Another option is some of the diving masks with built-in cameras. Good housings are not cheap and the mask-camera combos might be good for "getting your feet wet" with underwater photography.</p>

<p>Back in the "Stone Age", I used to purchase disposable film cameras just for these types of uses. All waterproof housings have an indefinite life expectancy, and their seals are reliant on all sorts of variables. Just one stray piece of hair trans versing an O-ring will cause travesty at 30 feet.</p>

<p>Personally, I would suggest renting an underwater camera (like the PowerShot D30) from a reputable company: Lensrentals.com, Calumet, or the like. Spend the extra couple of dollars for the insurance, and enjoy your vacation nearly worry free. Most the p&s underwater cameras are rated for 66-99 feet, well within most of the snorkeling and scuba diving parameters of the Bahamas.</p>

<p>Best regards...<br>

-Dave</p>