SPECIES EVOLUTION: Canon PowerShot G12
2. On land: housing and external flash
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For this test of the Canon G12 we have used the Ikelite 6146.12 dedicated housing, which can also host the Canon G11. The housing comes standard with port cover, diffuser, deflector (to deviate
the flash when fiber optics connection is used), strap, bracket with connection
for Ikelite strobe, and maintenance kit. As
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external flash, we have used the smallest on from the Indianapolis company, DS 51, which operates in TTL: the flash is provided with electric cable with Ikelite connector, modular flexible arm, and diffuser to cover the field angle of the wideangle at 28 mm equivalent. |
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The housing is in transparent polycarbonate with usual squared shape typical of
Ikelite, and redundant with respect to the size of the camera. However this
makes it easier to position the various controls accessing all the functions of
the camera, including the dial at the back, which differentiates the G12 from
the G11. The port is dimensioned to host the full extension of the zoom, and at
the same time to avoid the vignette effect in wideangle: its diameter is 10 cm,
and therefore it requires adapters for macro or wideangle add-ons. The port
shows a slot for fitting the wide diffuser for the on-board flash providing a
good lighting of the field with tele focals, whereas with the wideangle it
cannot prevent some shadow in the lower right corner of the frame. The result
is anyhow better than we could expect at first glance. On the front of the
housing we find, in addition to the port, the front dial control, which must be
pressed to be operated: a spring takes it back
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into position. The housing top contains the over- underexposure dial and the one for shooting mode selection. Both work on friction with a soft rubber contact surface. We the find the power button and thezoom control. On the right side, the shutter button: well dimensioned and with good sensitivity. The left side contains the quick selection control. On the back, we find on the left the strobe cable socket, the ISO dial control, the joystick control, and the controls to operate all the camera buttons, with no exception. The buttons are necessarily close to each other and require a perpendicular pressure for optimal operation. In correspondence with the display, a rubber frame inside the housing provides a protection from external light, improving vision. The flash connection shoe is fastened to the bottom side through two bolts and is provided with a rubber coated handle and with a release button for handling the flash. |
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The housing has two robust side lever safety locks. All parts ar in stainless
steel.
The camera is fastened through a screw to the removable back on a bracket with
two catches. To replace battery and memory card you must detach the
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camera from the bracket. To the back is also attached the flash cable to be connected to the camera hot shoe. The optical vewfinder cannot be used with the camera in housing because it is almost completely obstructed by the port. |
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We have used the DS 51 flash, very light and compact. The light source is linear
and it is advisable to use the diffuser to extend the angle and to better
distribute the light cone. On the back of the flash is the reachargeable
battery seat, which can take 4 AA alcalines, or NiMH, or Li Ion. The lid with
o-ring is fastened through an easily
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accesible screw. It also has a flash-ready lamp and a selector with the positions OFF, TTL, and the 5 power values, manually adjustable with half-stop intervals. In the lower part, by the bracket attachment, we find the sturdy electric sync cable socket. |
DS 51 FLASH TECHNICAL SPECS
6146.12 HOUSING TECHNICAL SPECS
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Material
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Polycarbonate
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Max Depth
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90 m
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Diffuser
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YES, included
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Power
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50 watts
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U/W Guide Number
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9
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Charge time
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About 1.8 sec at full power
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Color Temperature
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5700° Kelvin
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Weight
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0.6 kg
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Price
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€ 432
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Material
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Polycarbonate
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Max Depth
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60 m
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Diffuser
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YES, included
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Extra Flash
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YES, electrical
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Power
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Ni-MH 7,2 V Sanyo battery
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Charge time
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About 1.8 sec at full power
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Optical Add-ons
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Wide Angle Conversion
Underwater removable Dome
WD-4
Underwater removable
macro adapter
accepts M67 lenses
9306.82
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Price
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€ 650
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Weight
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2.7 kg with camera slightly negative in water
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© duwphoto.com
2011