It might be full-on winter right now, but if you have visions of shooting underwater videography of sharks or just the kids in the backyard pool this summer, check out the latest gadget from Canon.

Canon just announced a new WP-V1 Waterproof Case for the VIXIA HF20 and VIXIA HF200 Flash Memory Camcorders. You can dive up to depths of 130 feet to capture exciting underwater adventures. The compact and light-weight housing hugs the camcorder like a wet suit, enabling easy on-camera operation and control.

Checking in at $600, the housing isn’t cheap, but none of the true underwater housings are. The VIXIA HF200, pictured here, has an MSRP of $750 and the VIXIA HF20 runs about $900. Both will be on the market this coming April.

A rule of thumb for anyone wishing to do any underwater shooting, do your research on the housing first, then decide on the camera. In most cases, one size does NOT fit all.

Read our underwater shooting tips here: In Depth Video Tips and Dive in! The Water’s Fine.

Find our more about the Vixia HF-20/200 AVCHD camcorders on our blog here: http://videomaker.com/community/blogs/videonews/tag/vixia/

And more on Canon’s underwater housing from this press release issued Feb. 18th, 2009: Read the rest of this entry »