We canoe/kayak down various rivers and creeks. I wanted a way to take my $1500 camera on the water without fear of damaging it.

The Sports Pack is completely water proof (up to 7m). I've submersed the case in a test and in a real-life situation and the camera stayed dry.

The case does not cause any noticeable reduction in picture quality. It is relatively simple to operate and assemble. You have only the basic functions of the camera while in the case, so you need to change any setting for the camera before putting it in the case and advanced camera features are not able to be used.

My only concern is the scratch resistance of the plastic over the lens area. So far I haven't had any problems but I've only taken on the river for about 30 hrs.

All told, I'm very pleased and if you plan on filming in or near water I would recommend this case.

You need to add some weight to the casing to keep it from being so buoyant- we put some shot in a large pill bottle and tied it with a shoe string. The controls are easy to use, and it gives a nice, clear picture. A good buy for filming any water-related activites.

I bought this for my Florida trip. It worked perfectly while I was doing snorkeling. Well this is what it for. But also, when I use it on my air boat ride, it worked well too. I wouldn't say I enjoyed to see other's camcorders got wet but I was happy I had my protected.

Pro: Easy of using, does what it says it does.
Con: Needed to have a weight to keep the unit stable under water. It is hard to hold it when too close to the surface while windy.

This just worked. No other way to say it. Needed to protect my HDR-HC3 during some planned water shooting while windsurfing at Cape Hatteras. Figured for less than $200, this was worth a shot. Never got to open the box before the trip, but took it with anyway, just in case. Temptation was too strong, and I decided to have a go in the field. Managed to configure the camera and housing in the front seat of my car at the beach, close it up, and shoot some great on the water video of a 20 kt day at the Canadian Hole. Too cool. Only two minor issues, neither worth a star...

1) The instructions for where/how to mount the camera in the housing are a little tough to follow. Only because Sony put one set of directions in like 50 different languages on a very large fold out sheet made of very lightweight paper. Didn't help I was trying to do it in a car with cold hands on a windy day. But still, the directions were not all that ergonomic. Functional? Completely. User Friendly? No...
2) The reflective viewfinder worked well enough, but you had to shield ambient light or you couldn't very well see what you were shooting at. Admittedly, this was an extreme test environment of bright mid-day sun on the surface of the water with lots of reflection due to wind and wave action (including lots'o'whitecaps). Mainly requires an adjustment in your shooting posture, specifically to put your face up against the housing, which is a little awkward at first, but then completely endurable...

Added bonus, which surprised me: Audio take while in the housing was quite good. Conversations with those being filmed and observers nearby were completely intelligible. Didn't expect that, but very pleasantly surprised. Means your color commentary can continue unabated...

This underwater casing is wonderful! I took it to record video on my Sony DVD-405 camcorder while snorkeling along the Mayan Riviera coast in Mexico. Other casings for this camcorder cost much more ($800), but they are rated for much greater depth for scuba diving.

It was very easy to use: first, attach the bottom plate (provided by the kit) to the camcorder, second, hook-up the camcorder with the cable provided (don't forget to turn the viewfinder around), third, slide the camcorder into the casing, fourth, grease the O-ring, put in a desiccation pad, and apply the non-fog liguid.

Then, just close the case, press the outside power button and start recording. I was amazed by the quality and how easy it was to use. We had good light, clear water and lots of fish to video. The best video was filmed in mid-afternoon with the sunlight coming in at an angle. We took the casing down to a depth of 12 feet but we filmed fish and stingreays who were in water as deep as 30 feet and still got good pictures.

The casing floats on the surface without any weight attached to it. I had no problem recording and moving the camera around under the water. The viewfinder works differently than recording without the casing and takes a few minutes to get used to it.

For snorkeling pictures, just a few feet below the surface, using this casing produces great quality with great value.

This is my 4th underwater housing, and the second Sports Pack I have used. It works great with my HDR-HC3, keeps it clean and dry for boating and outdoor adventure. Not heavy-duty like housings designed for deep water, but fantastic for snorkeling and fishing trips. Cons: Hard to see the display screen unless you are at the exact right angle and the control buttons are somewhat small and hard to use smoothly.

Absolutely fantastic. Also works with the new generation of Sony camcorders (DVD308, 508, etc.)

This unit is also compatible with my Sony HDR-UX7. Love it. HD and underwater. What a great combo!

THE SPORTS PAK IS EVERYTHING IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE.
IM USING IT FOR MY CANON HV20 WITH SOME MODIFICATIONS.
I ORDERED IT OVERNIGHT THOUGH AND IT DIDN'T COME ON TIME FOR MY VACATION.
VERY DISAPPOINTED IN DELIVERY (DHL). SHOULD USE UPS. SECOND PROBLEM WITH DHL.

Bought this enclosure few weeks ago and had few chances to test it out in couple places. First, before my vacation in Miami I tested it in the pool and the image quality was amazing! I have HDR-HC3 and filmed in HD. Case worked well, though i couldn't really see anything under water in the viewfinder until i adjusted the LCD screen brightness to the max. Though this is very common issue when you use LCD equipment underwater so don't blame enclosure for that. Image quality is GREAT, case is well built and you will enjoy it. Couple thing you may consider to buy in order to make it a perfect case: First - you need to add some WEIGHT, otherwise you will struggle trying to put it under water - get 3Lb weight at your local sports store (I got very standard weight for divers that has two long openings where I inserted a screw that matched tripod screw on the bottom of the case, get screw from a hardware store and you are set) this weight is pretty much unnoticeable because it is very small in size and work very well. Second thing you may want to buy is a red filter to make your image quality perfect - I got "automatic magic filter" (search for it on yahoo) and attached it to the antiglare screw in cover that comes with the case - this made a BIG difference in the underwater shooting quality - colors are so natural and real! Simply amazing! I really didn't expect so much quality for about $150 I invested in all this equipment (not counting camcorder), very happy with the case and looking forward to build my "underwater" home video library. Definite buy.

This product works excellently, but the support from Sony is questionable. There's an "A" model, a "B" model, and a "C" model. Depending on when Sony released their product, the owner's manuals may be incomplete for your model of camcorder. Don't bother with Sony, but do use online search to find discussion groups. They solved my questions.

este articulo es muy delicado, sin embargo proporciona mucha divercion y posibilidades, no es muy resistente pero me gusto mucho.... recomendado pero no para uso extremo.

I got this item because I love my expensive, fragile camcorder and really want to protect it. The price was unbelievably good and I like the fact that it can work with almost any newer Sony camcorder. However, I didn't expect it to be this big and bulky. Regardless, it fit pretty well in my hand and it's easy to use. The fact that there's a built in water-proof stereo mic is amazing. Really, it's not any bigger than a standard, fabric camcorder bag and you can just throw it over your shoulder when you're not shooting videos. I'll definitely use it on the next cruise!