Wetpixel/Under The Jungle Cenote Workshop 2021
Articles
Study investigates manatee hearing
A study published in the The Journal of Experimental Biology entitled “Audiogram and auditory critical ratios of two Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris)” has investigated whether manatees’ hearing, or the lack thereof, is the reason behind them being the victim of boating inflicted injuries. Researchers from the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium have carried out tests on two manatees, and have found that they are capable of not only distinguishing sounds, but can also sense sounds within a frequency range far outside that of human hearing. In addition, the subjects were able to distinguish sounds against a background of other noises.
It is well accepted that manatees have poor eyesight, but this research suggests that their hearing should help them avoid contact with boats. The research continues to attempt to find out the reasons for the incidence of collisions with boats.
Blackmagic Design releases cinema camera
Amidst a slew of new products and updates announced at the NAB show in Las Vegas, Blackmagic Design has announced the release of their new new BMD Cinema Camera featuring a 2.5K image sensor with 13 stops of dynamic range. It features a built-in SSD recorder, open standard uncompressed RAW and compressed file formats, compatibility with quality EF and ZF mount lenses and LCD touchscreen monitoring plus metadata entry, all in a hand-held design.
The new camera will start shipping in July at a retail price of $2,995, which includes a copy of DaVinci Resolve software. Interest has been so high that it crashed Blackmagic’s website!
Call for entries: 2012 Scuba Diving Photo Competition
The 2012 Scuba Diving Photo Competition is now calling for entries. It has four categories, namely: Macro, Wide-Angle, Behavior and Divers. It is offering prizes including dive vacations and equipment and the winners will be featured in the August 2012 issue of the magazine.
Full entry details and the contest rules are on the Scuba Diving magazine website, and the deadline for entries is 30 April.
Canon 5D Mark III product advisory issued
Canon has issued an advisory about its new 5D Mark III SLR: “In extremely dark environments, if the top LCD panel illuminates, the displayed exposure value may change as a result of the AE sensor’s detection of light from the LCD panel.” Users have reported that shining a light or torch onto the LCD panel affects the camera’s exposure settings too. Canon do not, as yet, have a fix for the problem and the company “is now examining the countermeasures”.
The advisory requests that people register their cameras with their regional Canon office, as this will allow them to be notified by email when a fix becomes available.
Nikon Hackers release firmware patch for D7000
The team at Nikon Hackers have released a firmware patch for the Nikon D5100, D3100 and D7000 that removes the 20 minute time limit for video recording. As reported on Simeon Pilgrim’s blog, this may pave the way for more complex hacks of Nikon’s camera firmware in the future. It should be borne in mind that these modifications are somewhat developmental so please use with care and be aware that using them may invalidate warranties.
Underwater Journal issue 24 available
Issue 24 of Underwater Journal features an article about how exclusive photography and detailed research has provided some potential answers about the discovery of a WWII-era Helldiver aircraft found off the coast of Jupiter, Florida. Also in the issue are updates on Grand Cayman’s Kittiwake one year after its sinking, and on Bonaire’s popular Salt Pier Dive. The editors report on one of South Florida’s most popular shallow wrecks, while correspondent Mike Bartick details the adventures that await in Raja Ampat.
Underwater Journal is available as a free download in pdf or iPad format.
Aquatica closes down NEX 7 housing plans
In an email, Canadian manufacturer Aquatica has announced that is has closed down its project to release a housing for the Sony NEX 7 EVIL camera. This does not affect its current AN-5 and AN-5n housings for the NEX-5 and NEX-5n respectively. The reasons for the closure of the project are:
“Prime among the reason is the actual production delay of the Sony Corporation in delivering the NEX-7 camera to the mass market, this resulted, from the public point of view, in a certain loss of interest in this camera model. The direct consequence of this was a net reduction of inquiries regarding an underwater housing for it.
Lastly, and of strategic importance, is the recent arrival of some impressive new DSLR cameras on the market which, understandably, will require the designing and manufacturing of housings to be prioritized for theses highly sought after camera models.”
Underwater images from Nikon D4 posted in forum
Wetpixel Associate Editor, Alex Mustard, has posted underwater images taken with Nikon’s new D4 SLR onto the forum. Alex is underway with completing a review of the D4’s underwater performance in the cold clear water of Iceland which, once completed, will be published here on the Wetpixel front page. In the meantime, he is posting a trip report, images and his thoughts about the new camera on the forum. He writes:
“Nikon promote the D4 as pushing limits and certainly the dark, narrow canyon of Silfra, under heavy clouds, is a perfect test for high ISO shooting (especially because the clear water necessitates stopping down to have enough depth of field to keep everything in focus and get good corner sharpness). I wouldn’t review a more mainstream camera in such extreme conditions - but the D4 should be tested in conditions that push limits and the next 10 days will be testing those of the camera and me!”