Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony SPK-WA Marine Pack and Sport Jacket for Sony Cybershot W-series Digital Cameras

I purchased the Sports Pack about a month ago and have used it on my personal watercraft a few times. It is easy to use, all functions of the camera are available through the Sports Pack without opening it, and it protects the camera from both water and somewhat from shock. I suppose it will work to the 10' depth advertized but I'd be nervous about doing that. My main purpose is to protect the camera from salt spray.

Pros
- Simple to use
- Perfect fit for the Sony W50
- All camera functions available through housing
- The price is right
- Glass lens
- Sony supplied a hand strap with a locking knob, and O-ring lubricant

Cons
- Must remove the hand strap of the camera to fit it into the case.
- The optical view finder is blocked by the housing
- Naturally sound recording for videos is blocked by the housing
- The wheel to select the camera mode works but it is a bit sloppy and I have to turn the wheel more than I would expect to select the next function.

I specifically bought the case because I was going whitewater rafting for the first time with some folks from work.

The construction of the case is very simple. It's a two piece plastic construction with two large watertight hinges and a single large gasket is used to seal the two halves of the case. A piece of coated glass in front serves for the lens. Sony supplies an external wrist strap, "grease" for the gasket and anti-fogging solution for the aforementioned front glass.

Without going into too much detail, it works. The rafting trip subjected it to numerous bumps and dings and whatever else have you, and it survived without a leak nor other failure. The only thing that did worry me was bumping it or smashing it into something and that would break the glass in front. However that was a function of the environment, it certainly wouldn't have been an issue at a pool or beach or the like. In addition to the wrist strap, the case also floats so you're never in danger of losing the camera by having it sink out of sight.

As you might imagine the case does add substantial bulk to the camera. The controls are all completely usable, with the possible exceptions of the mode dial and the zoom rocker. The mode dial can be a little bit difficult to change from one setting to the next. To their credit though, Sony does recommend setting the camera to full auto mode before putting the camera into the case. The zoom rocker is a little sliding switch on the case. The design of the control is a bit stiff and you don't have as much precise control through the case. That being said, I have to stress again that the controls were still completely usable, it's just that these two happened to be a bit more fiddly and took more care than the rest. Conversely, the mechanical action of the shutter release was not compromised at all, I was very happy that I could still feel very definite half-press and full-press/release positions. After a day of rafting the rear "screen" had it's fair share of scratches, but after getting banged around by practically everything and spending considerable portions of the trip floating face down in the bottom of the raft it would be tough to expect anything else. Plus, the scratches had no impact on the visibility of the screen.

Finally, for the purposes, for which this product was designed and is marketed, I think the $80 is quite good value for money. I found that most other people who weren't using waterproof cases, were either putting their digital cameras in ziptop bags or using disposable, waterproof, single-use cameras. The cost of such a single use camera plus processing is probably around $15-20, for just 27 exposures. I took >100 photos on this trip, I used the camera just as I always do. To get the same number of exposures I would've had to spend $60-80 for the film and development or resign myself to taking much fewer pictures. I would've also lost the zoom, instant review, ability to delete, etc. All the creature comforts of picture taking that we've become accustomed to with digital. I fully intend to hang on to this camera even if/when I upgrade down the line as my water/outdoor use camera.

Recommended.

I bought this item just prior to a trip to the Bahamas, and right after I purchased the camera. We vacationed on a boat and traveled around in a dinghy, and it allowed me to carry and use the camera without worrying about getting it wet or sandy. I also used it for underwater photos while snorkeling in shallow water. However, the case does cut off the optical viewfinder, and it was difficult to see the screen in the bright sunlight/water/sand glare. That is the only problem I have with the case. All of the other functions of the camera worked fine, i.e., the zoom, changing the settings, reviewing photos, and accessing the menu. I shopped around before buying, and Amazon had the best price.

I bought this item for my sister for the holidays. She swims for her school and wanted to take pictures with her friends in the pool during practice and swim meets. I must admit the case worked better than what I had thought. It's well built and easy to use. Basically you put the camera in the case and simply latch the door closed. All the camera functions can still be used, even the zoom or accessing any of the menus. I would have liked to see the case rated for a deepth of at least 15-20 ft (like Sony other models) or at least be priced a little lower. I blame that on Sony, and the reason I only gave it 4 stars. Amazon had the lowest price around and it arrived in record time. Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase and my sister thinks it was her best gift. Thanks Amazon !

i've used it in the pool and in the beach. we were able to take satisfactory underwater pictures. although the colors of the corals and fishes weren't as sharp and clear i assume because of lack of lighting, the pictures came out good and way way better than disposable underwater camera pics:) what's nice about this is you can take it to the beach or pool and capture priceless moments of kids enjoying the water, without the fear of getting ur camera wet or getting sand into your camera.