Taken out of the underwater housing, the DC1200 camera looks no different from your standard modern 12-megapixel digital point & shooter. More on that later.īelow you can see the SeaLife DC1200 in action (note the diffuser on the flash that's a must-have accessory). It makes the camera infintely easier to use underwater. NO MORE TINY BUTTONS! Instead, there are five large push controls that SeaLife calls "piano keys." If that sounds like a minor thing, it's not. The one big difference between this latest SeaLife and its predecessors, as well as virtually every other underwater camera, is its controls. The arm is not very long-just about eight inches-but, lacking the usual adjustment knobs and wheels, is simple to bend into whatever position, angle and direction you want. Unlike some strobe and bracket gear that are unwieldy and weigh a ton, the plastic/rubber/foam rubber SeaLife flash assembly is light and doesn't get in the way. The flash assembly that comes with the Elite (1 flash) and Maxx (2 flashes) packages is equally handy and no-nonsense. That makes this all-important seal convenient to examine, clean and replace, but also easy to pop out, crimp, and get lost. As in past SeaLife cases, the thick black O-ring sits loose in its groove. The case is easy to hold and ergonomically correct. It's a hinged clamshell with a fairly small latch that can be a bit of a fingernail buster. The SeaLife DC1200 housing can handle depths to 200 feet-a lot deeper than the 130 feet depth limit recommended for recreational diving.Ĭase construction is simple. And it also provides extra shock protection should you drop the camera while on land (or on a boat). All that rubber makes perfect sense underwater where the camera may bump against rocks, get dragged along the bottom, and is just generally exposed to more abuse than above water. They are made of tough polycarbonate completely encased in grippy black rubber overmolding. Those familiar with Sealife cameras know that unlike those clear plastic consumer camera underwater cases with their bright color accents, SeaLife underwater housings are all business. The contents of the SeaLife DC1200 Elite bundle Below you can see the contents of the package (plus a separate rechargeable battery set): We got the DC1200 Elite package (US$899 list) that includes the camera with housing, one SL961 strobe with arm and optical flash link, the SL970 pop-on wide angle lens, a travel case, and some odds and ends. Sealife usually sells their cameras in various bundles that either contain just the camera and housing, or the camera, housing, strobe(s), lenses and other useful things. The DC1200 is SeaLife's most recent and significantly improved underwater digital camera offering. The DC1200 is SeaLife's latest greatest, and had a chance to put the system through its paces during a recent camera review trip to the Honduran island of Roatan. SeaLife's business model is not complex: start with a simple but competent digital camera, optimize it for underwater use, make a tough underwater housing for it, and then offer the camera in various configurations with or without external flashes, lenses and other accessories.
The company prides itself in offering a whole array of underwater cameras and accessories, with all the strobes and lenses interchangeable with any SeaLife camera. That's because SeaLife's been doing underwater cameras since 1993, and underwater digital cameras since 2000. Seems like no matter where you go, someone has a SeaLife. If you're a diver, chances are you've been seeing a lot of SeaLife cameras. Blickenstorfer photography by Carol Cotton) Very clearly the best SeaLife underwater camera yet Scuba Diver Info - Camera review: SeaLife DC1200
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