Test diving with the Canon WP-DC800

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The lens sleeve
The little piece of rubber tubing located in the shell may seem simple but it fulfills a very important purpose. If this gasket is not maintained or missing, you'll have plenty of headaches taking pictures underwater. The temperature of the water lowers as you go deeper. As cameras are made of electronics, heat will be produced when in operation. Therefore, the air in the casing will be heated and thus may condense in the interior of the shell, resulting in blurred images. What the lens sleeve does is to isolate that particular portion from the heat sources in the camera. This way condensation will not occur at the most important part of the case--where the lens is facing--and you'll be able to capture usable images. Canon goes one step further and provides anti-fog liquid for use. All you need to do wipe the internal of the casing with this solution.

The catch
The only mechanism preventing your expensive digital camera from becoming a useless chunk of metal is the catch on the waterproof case. If the catch is too loose, you'll run the risk of accidentally flipping open the shell underwater. If it's too hard to open you may break some of the plastic parts on the casing. After careful examination, we decided that Canon's implementation is actually pretty good. But do keep a look-out for people not familiar with the catch, who may try to pry open the case with brute force. The Japanese manufacturer does not provide warranty for its camera accessories, so breaking the catch will render you about S$400 short in your change.