New Canon D20 Underwater Camera

[pmk]

Canon's finally updated the D10.....

http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/prod ... ershot_d20

GPS (but not underwater), underwater macro, HD vid, improved low light shooting, 3' screen .... but no RAW file format.

pmk

[liamsaunt]

do you know when it is going on sale?

[pmk]

The rumor mill says May but it could be earlier.

[Agent99]

I'll look forward to reading reviews. Saw this here

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2012/02/07

The PowerShot D20 camera is expected to ship in May 2012 for an estimated retail price of $349.99.

[surfnh]

Cool....we just got back from 2 weeks surfing in PR and our Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 developed a small bubble in the lens. So far it doesn't show up in the pics, but I sent it back to Olympus yesterday to get it ready for STJ. The camera is 15 mo's old, out of original warranty, so glad I spent $50 for another 2 year extension on the warranty. Our first Olympus died out of warranty.....I normally never buy warranty extensions but I totally recommend it for these underwater cameras, they are really high end electronics. The guy at Olympus yesterday told me they recommend sending the underwater cameras back to Olympus once/year to replace the seals. Oh well, don't recall reading that in the directions.

Its interesting.....Olympus is replacing their models once/year and has maybe 4-5 different underwater models, Canon updates less often but has one really good model, I'd say this is somewhat equivalent to the high end Olympus 810 now. I like the look of this Canon, specs are similar to Olympus, maybe we try the Canon next.....but only with extended warranty!

[BillVT]

We've had our D10 for about 2 years now. It has been really good for us and reliable. The only drawback to the camera has been a slight softness in the image that liamsaunt had mentioned awhile back. I wonder if the D20 will address this issue?

[mit43]

I'd like to see if they have made any upgrades to stop the Leak issues that have plagued over 50% of all the D10 reviews I have read. That is the only reason I have waited for the next model to come out before buying one.

[surfnh]

I'd like to see if they have made any upgrades to stop the Leak issues that have plagued over 50% of all the D10 reviews I have read. That is the only reason I have waited for the next model to come out before buying one.

Honestly I think the leak issues affect all makes of these underwater compact digital cameras, not sure of the percentages but people with problems tend to be more vocal than people without. Its all about the seals and proper maintenance of them. Some people have great luck, some not so great, just don't be surprised when they fail. That's why I keep saying, get that extended warranty on these devices....they're a blast to have but definitely sensitive.

[BillVT]

I hope I'm not jinxing my camera now, but as surfnh mentioned, I think maintenance is important. After every use in saltwater we soak our D10 in fresh water for 5 or 10 minutes and wipe it down. So far, so good.

[surfnh]

I hope I'm not jinxing my camera now, but as surfnh mentioned, I think maintenance is important. After every use in saltwater we soak our D10 in fresh water for 5 or 10 minutes and wipe it down. So far, so good.

yep, we do that too, I'm sure it helps, but we've still had some issues. Someone on this forum about 6 mo's ago mentioned some seal treatment work they do on their camera to keep them in good shape, can't remember what exactly that was??

[jmq]

I have used a silicone lubricant on the removable o-ring of my underwater camera case with success. Maybe a little bit wiped with a Q tip on the rubber seals of an underwater camera would help, but make sure that wouldnt void your warranty. You can get a tube of lube on line or at your pool supply stores - its used on the O-rings of pool filters too.

[jmq]

dpreview also liked the Panasonic and Sony models but like all UW cameras these also seem to get their fair share of complaints about leaks and 1 star ratings on amazon.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q311wat ... page12.asp

That said, a user is much more likely to go on amazon and b*tch about a leaky camera than one that works perfectly OK so I dont think you can conclude that X % of UW cameras leak. Plus, what % of leaks are user error?

The point made about the extra warranty is a good one, as well as previous discussions here about how Canon has a decent rep for providing good customer service when something does go wrong.

[KTinTX]

Awesome! I LOVE my D10. Two STJ trips plus numerous pool parties and it is still going strong. Definitely will get this before our June trip this year and throw the D10 in my bag as a backup. I agree that the freshwater soak seems to be key, along with inspecting the gasket for sand, hair, etc. any time you open the battery/sim compartment door.

[lisa mcg]

jmq....didn't you mention that vaseline will work to seal as well?

[jmq]

jmq....didn't you mention that vaseline will work to seal as well?

I hope not, because I dont think that in the long run petroleum based products like vaseline is good for repetitive use on these kinds of gaskets/seals/o-rings. I believe that silicone based is better in terms of chemical compatibility.