A Modest Proposal...With Canon

Those of you who have read Swift may recognize the phrase...but I assure you I am not going to horrify you too much. It really is a modest proposal that I have in mind.


 Darren Jew is coming along to the Shoot Photography Workshops in a week or so - please Google on over to the Shoot website and get the details for yourself. Darren is the underwater specialist for Canon - or maybe that should read that Canon is the equipment manufacturer for Darren Jew. Whichever, Darren makes anything look good underwater - whales, sharks, whale sharks, Queensland politicians - anything.

He uses...wait for it...Canon cameras and lenses. I believe his are the big DSLR models - probably the 5D MkIII but go along to the lecture at Shoot and find out for yourself. He'll be letting people see and try the gear and if anyone can advise you on underwater housings or operation it will be Darren. He's been there, done that, and floated to the surface.

Here's the modest proposal - you might like to get your feet wet in the underwater business, so to speak, with a small compact underwater camera form Canon. A new shipment of them came in at the start of the week and are in the showcase now. I've got one on the editorial table right now - the new PowerShot D20.

It has been developed from the previous PowerShot D10 model - that one was an appealing little egg-shape  that had the best reviews for image quality on DP Review of all of the compact underwater cameras. The D20 has changed the shape somewhat to provide a more secure grip. Amusingly enough, it has morphed from and egg shape to a fish shape. One presumes that there will be an accessory that is shaped like a chip...

Sorry, couldn't resist that.

The camera will fire out 12.1 megapixels, full HD video, SDHC card, jpeg images,and GPS log files. It records sounds ( presumably "glub, glub...") and is waterproof to 10 metres. Interestingly, the instruction booklet that comes with it has a chart of accessories that are available and there is a separate waterproof case called a WP DC 45 - presumably this lets you go to a greater depth for a longer period.

It might not be what Darren uses, but it suggests itself for use as a great beach and surf camera as well as for surface snorkeling. You could get an armful of plastic Schleich whales and sharks and dive underwater in your bathtub and break into the big-time art market.

Actually,don't mention that to Darren. He's a nice guy and it wouldn't be fair to take his market away.