Swimsuit anxiety is a fairly common phenomenon, but this year, when packing for my Punta Mita vacation. I experienced a whole new kind of paranoia.
Swimsuit anxiety is fairly common, but I was far more paranoid about the driSuit my iPhone would be rocking on vacation than my own swimwear.
In addition to buying myself a new bikini for the beach I also bought a “scuba suit” waterproof case for my iPhone called the The driSuit endurance protective case for the iPhone 4 and 4S which I had purchased from Photojojo for $60.
DriSuit instructions, read for the first time on the beach in Punta Mita
I thought it would be a cool way to kick my mobile photography for this blog to the next level if I could add some underwater images. Other mobile photographers I know had suggested other waterproof camera cases such as those made by OtterBox but I found their website confusing. They have defender cases for iPhones, but these aren’t listed with their waterproof cases. So I was waiting for a waterproof case that was made specifcially for my iphone 4s. That’s why I jumped at the driSuit.
Here’s how I tested my cool new iPhone scuba suit, and some of the resulting images, time lapse, and video I shot on my vacation in Punta Mita, Mexico.
Tip: When purchasing cool new mobile photography toys, be sure to open them and read the instructions before you go on vacation.
Reading the instructions, it was suggested for “peace of mind… do a simple water submersion test” with the driSuit
I made the mistake of wanting to keep my driSuit in the case until I got to the beach in Mexico. When I read the instructions, I realized I had failed to do the simple “peace of mind” test for waterfastness. So I missed a whole day of shooting, which would have been helpful to get me over some of the learning curve that comes with new iPhone accessories.
When I got back to my suite at the St. Regis Punta Mita, turn down service had included a lovely, romantic bubble bath with rose petals. So I got out my driSuit and did the submersion test by weighing it down with a marble soap dish for 10 minutes. It passed the test and kept the tissue I had put inside completely dry, so I was good to go.
This Lovely bubble bath in my suite at the St. Regis is where I tested my driSuit.
I backed up my iPhone (just to be safe0 and went out to the beach to test my driSuit the next day.
The driSuit is well designed and easy to open and close, and I appreciated the loop that came included so can keep it around your wrist. I found the most difficult part of the driSuit getting used to using the fluidic touchscreen. It takes some practice to get used to using it and requires you to press harder than you normally would. This can be especially challenging while bobbing in the ocean. After a few tries, I was able to switch between using the ProCamera app, the iPhone native camera (and switch it to video mode), and the TimeLapse App.
Here’s a video of my driSuit for iPhone’s first underwater escapades launched from the beach at the St. Regis Punta Mita, Mexico:
TimeLapse Test Shoot with the driSuit
While I didn’t get any stunning images out of my first time out with my driSuit, I’m pretty happy with the pictures of the nearby surfer which came out without significantly degraded quality you often get shooting through an additional piece of glass.
Most importantly, I’ve gained some confidence with the produce and plan to use it in my pool at home to master the fluidic touch screen before hitting the waves in ocean next time.
Surf’s Up in Punta Mita, mobile photography image, shot using ProCamera while in the driSuit
So far I’m impressed with my iPhone’s new bathing suit. The driSuit is easy to open and close, convincingly water tight, and I’m pretty sure I can master the fluidic touchscreen. I’m glad I bought I bought it and hope it fits the iPhone 5 whenever it gets released.