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Wetpixel Hangout #1 is on air! Join us live.
Wetpixel’s first-ever live video hangout has just gone live (9am PST, June 5, 2012). Moderated by Wetpixel publisher Eric Cheng, the hangout features Wetpixel editor Adam Hanlon, noted underwater photographer Alex Mustard, Berkley White of Backscatter, and Ryan Canon of Reef Photo & Video. We are chatting about underwater use of the Nikon D800, Canon 5D Mark III, Olympus OM-D E-M5, mirrorless cameras, video monitors, and some of the locations we’ve been diving. Click through to see the live video or to ask us questions; if we’re no longer live, you’ll be able to watch the archive from the beginning.
Scarlet X and Gates Deep Epic testing
Wetpixel member Jon Shaw of gincleafilm has posted test underwater footage shot with a RED Scarlet X housed in a Gates Deep Epic housing onto Vimeo. It was shot over 6 dives at locations including Fish Rock Cave, South West Rocks, the HMAS Adelaide and Fairy Bower in Sydney, Australia. The footage is 4K, 25fps in REDCODE 8.1. It is interesting to note that lens used by Jon is the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye.
Paper suggests crown of thorns stranding due to starvation
BBC Nature reports about a paper published in the journal “Coral Reefs” that pinpoints the cause of a mass stranding of crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) (COTS) as starvation. The starfish are well known for their voracious appetites for coral and the destruction that this predation causes. In this instance, the reefs around Ishigaki island, Japan, had an “outbreak” of (COTS) in 2009. At that time, the reefs had around 60% coral. The starfish have now reduced this to less than 1%, and the paper suggests that this lack of food caused a mass stranding with over 800 COTS emerging and dying on a beach in January 2012.
Sea & Sea releases renderings of MDX-5DMkIII housing
Sea & Sea has released CAD renderings of their housing for the Canon EOS 5D Mark III SLR. Full details and specifications of the new housing have not yet been released, despite a planned release date of June 2012. From the rendering, it would seem likely that the housing will continue with electrical strobe triggering and that the controls and latch system are similar to those of the previous MDX-5DMkII housing.
Wetpixel live video hangout preparation
If you’re interested in Wetpixel’s first live video hangout next Tuesday, June 5 (9am PST / 5pm BST), head on over to your Google+ account and install the Google voice and video plugin. Having a Google+ account and installing the plugin will ensure that you don’t miss the beginning of the Hangout; you can watch in the G+ environment and ask questions using the comment stream.
If you’re interested in watching but don’t want to register for Google+, there will also be a live YouTube video stream you can watch. We’ll post the link here when the Hangout starts.
May/June edition of DIVE magazine published
The May/June edition of DIVE magazine has now been published for viewing online. Articles in this issue includes images from the Deep Indonesia contest, as well as from the University of Miami’s contest held earlier this year. Douglas Seifert has two articles, the first a feature on whale sharks (Rhincodon typus), and the second exploring the recent events in the Komodo National Park. Tobias Friedrich explores the use of white backgrounds in underwater photography, and John Boyle presents the first of a series of interviews with underwater camera operators, this one being with Leandro Blanco. Lastly, there is a guide to diving in the Maldives.
DIVE magazine is available to view online for free after a simple registration.
Alex Mustard reviews Olympus OM-D E-M5
Wetpixel Associate Editor Alex Mustard has completed an extensive review of the Olympus OM-D-E5 micro 4/3 camera. This is, he feels, an important camera regardless of whether you are currently shooting an SLR, compact or an alternative EVIL camera. He finds that, despite a somewhat disappointing housing and some issues with lag when shooting fast-moving subjects, that:
“The E-M5 is a fine camera with strengths well suited to underwater photography. Its image quality is certainly a match for the popular DX/APS-C SLRs and therefore is entirely appropriate for large prints, publication and almost any use. It is a good all-rounder, but its abilities in shooting in low light are particularly noteworthy, given its remarkable ability at high ISO and image stabilization.”
Issue 23 of African Diver is available
Issue 23 of African Diver magazine is now available for download. Articles include a guide to diving the Azores and Aaron Gekoski is the featured photographer. The magazine features two conservation articles, one on shifting baseline syndrome and the other on a memorial for sharks and other marine animals that die in shark nets off the coast of KwaZulu Natal. The women and diving section features Georgina Jones who has a passion for the marine creatures of the Cape.
Africa Diver magazine is free to download in a pdf format