I realize this is like walking into the NY Giants training camp holding a Nerf football, but maybe there's something to be gleaned from this...

I have been 'playing' with a variety of these pocket cams for the last two years. A few were available with a WP housing. I bought three purpose-built WP cams .. plus a 'Weather Proof' Panasonic - ooops?! - not WP. One, a WP Olympus was really cool because I was a steel brick.. but consumed saltwater for no known reason? I'm actually afraid to submerge my Pentax Optio.. so carry it like a normal cam.

I bought other cheap housings and mod'd them to suit a different camera.. I've tried the WP bags you carry a cell phone in - if you like soft focus. ...but, this is perhaps the most elegant (cheap) solution I have found.

http://wetstuff.com/camera/WP1.jpg

... it is little more that 20mil, vinyl boat-window material. My first efforts were with a seam sealing machine you use to make plastic bags ..but the seam was only about 5cm. I also did a simple, taco-fold ..but that makes a bad corner at the fold. I also attempted to make them 'fitted' - but you are better off not. This one is the best; large margins ..and sealed with a common household iron. It works perfectly: all the controls are available. When the battery dies - I am done.

http://wetstuff.com/camera/BC1.jpg


.... I use these little cams in a variety of situations. I attach them to my board .. attach them to my kites ...even, arm or leg.



http://wetstuff.com/movie/BC.mp4 This is a fractional clip from a couple of days ago. Somehow it runs slow on my Mac, but frankly I care less about the results than solving the problem of getting the little buggers to work. These little cams seem to be getting better by the week.

Jim Cancil
Salisbury MD

Sealing with an iron is probably most reliable.
I have also had a lot of success gluing this stuff with ordinary superglue.
ps it glues to the material neoprene-coated fabric used to make better-quality inflatable boats too.

Richard ... interesting thought: neoprene + clear vinyl. I keep .5 thru 5mil neoprene for other projects .. just never thought about a marriage between the two. I make a 'wrap' out of 3mil, textured neoprene with loop velcro on the other side to grip the 'housing'. ...the loop Velcro on the back of the neoprene mates to a variety of Velcro hook bases.

Jim

Here's this same cam yesterday. I am riding kinda lame - new kite - fluky West air - (fill in the excuse _________ ) .... http://wetstuff.com/movie/WT1.mov (40MB) Cheers.

I tried to make a waterproof housing using these two materials for a camera for use on board a boat.
It didn't really work because the neoprene was too thick.
But it showed potential.

Richard, not to drag this out if you're not interested ... but if aboard a boat - this would not be submerged, eh!? Because, simply sewing the materials together would be suf-fish, no? I assume you wanted to do this with a full size cam...

... and if sewing, there are even more trick, marine 'window' materials. I like my stuff because it's dirt-cheap and single use is all that is warranted for the task. I tried one of these for a Canon VIXIA and Panasonic SD9 I have ..but could not get anything that made me happy in my ADHD limits of about 10min.

I've got a version that can go up a flag halyard to a spreader. Have not had the time to test it yet.. Cheers.

jim

Hi Jim
This was an Atlantic crossing a couple of years ago. No, the camera would not have been submerged (probably). But over the course of three weeks in all weather I wanted something bombproof. Salt air permeates everything over time.
In the end I didn't have anything suitable and there is therefore very little footage of rough weather in the film. Sewing might do but gluing would have been better (especially if you can't sew).
I'm shooting other kinds of films now. I thought I'd throw it in in case you or anyone reading this thread found it useful.
Am going to try out your ideas - thanks. Not now though. Next summer. I'm a wimp!