The SD870 IS was my third point-n-shoot from Canon’s PowerShot line of compact cameras. It had a nice little wide angle lens, optical zoom and coupled with the various shooting options and compact size, made it a super versatile camera for capturing above water memories. I took it everywhere.
When I got the underwater photography bug, I was pretty excited to see that Ikelite made a housing for it, and was able to get one right before a trip to Belize in 2010.
The housing includes two plastic “cards” that snap onto the lens port. One is a diffuser for shooting with the internal flash. The other is an opaque deflector which is necessary when using a strobe sync, like the one on the Ikelite AF-35 strobe.
I didn’t initially purchase the AF-35 strobe, and tried my hand at using available light for distance shots, and the internal flash for close ups. I had very limited success with this set up.
On the Belize trip, I wasn’t too happy with my initial results (using internal flash)…the captain was kind enough to loan me his AF-35 strobe. Unfortunately, neither of us knew I needed the deflector card to make the strobe sync work (I didn’t even have the card with me). This resulted in a ton of very dark photos…frustrating!
By our 2011 Utila/Roatan trip I had purchased my own AF-35, but even with the deflector card, I wasn’t having consistent results with the strobe in auto. Since I barely knew what I was doing I don’t think I even attempted manual mode. Here’s a thought…bring the damn manual next time! Still, I somehow managed a few good shots.
I finally got the strobe dialed in, and after some additional practice, finally had a fairly successful day shooting in the Puget Sound.
In summary, the Canon SD870 with the Ikelite housing and strobe was a very cost effective way to see if I liked underwater photography. But it is a pretty limited system. The camera doesn’t have a true manual mode…you can tweak settings like exposure, metering and white balance, but it won’t allow you to modify the aperture or shutter speed. Within the confines of a properly set AF-35 strobe you can get some decent results up close. But anything in the distance requires some serious natural light.
This table summarizes the equipment, and includes some links for specifications and current buying options.
| Component | Canon PowerShot SD870 IS | Ikelite 6240.87 Housing | Ikelite AF35 strobe/tray | Ikelite padded carrying case |
| Purchase date | 2008 | 2010 | 2011 | 2011 |
| Condition | Very good | Very good | Like New | Like New |
| MSRP | $329.00 | $279.00 | $430.00 | ? |
| Specifications | Canon PowerShot SD870 IS | Ikelite Housing for Canon SD870 IS | Ikelite AF-35 Strobe | |
| Availability | Discontinued – Used | Discontinued | New/Used | ? |
| Where to Buy | Amazon | ? | Leisure Pro | ? |
| Current price range | $9.00-19.00 (used), $105 (refurb) | ? | $200-300 (used) | ? |
| Asking Price | $0.00 | $0.00 | $100.00 | $0.00 |
