Wetpixel/Under The Jungle Cenote Workshop 2021
Articles
Frank Pope writes about the shark fin Godfather
Times journalist Frank Pope has written in his blog and in his newspaper about an extraordinary interview with Dr. Giam Choo Hoo. In it, Dr. Choo Hoo, the elected Asian representative and longest-serving member of The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Animals Committee, asserts that he will continue to campaign for sharks to be left off the CITES list that he controls (despite them being on the IUCN lists), and he admits that:
“Because Shark fin Soup is the number one most prestigious thing to serve at a big event in China, Chinese people do not want it banned, and therefore he campaigns for that result”.
When pressed, he refuses to answer questions about his possible commercial links to companies supplying shark fin products, and likening the questioning to be akin to asking him questions about whether he was divorced, or how many children he had. In the light of this interview, it is not hard to understand why and how CITES has consistently failed to respond to issues around shark finning.
Alex Mustard to speak at the London Dive show
Wetpixel Associate Editor, Alex Mustard, is to speak at the forthcoming London International Dive Show (LIDS). He will be speaking at 11.15 on both days of the show at the North Gallery on “Become the Champ – How to Win Underwater Photography Contests”.
LIDS also plays host to the “PhotoZone” area, with talks from Alex Tattersall, Saeed Rashid, “Duxy” Duxfield and Mark Koekemoer amongst others. The show is being held at Excel, London, on 31 March and 1 April. Wetpixel will be on hand to report from the show, so please check back here soon.
Seacam Sea Flash 150 Digital Review
As part of his Seacam 60D Prelude field test review, Drew Wong tested Seaflash 150D strobes with it. The Seaflash 150D is the only ETTL compatible strobe for Canon that has 2nd curtain sync. With up to 130° , 4400°K beam and a quick charging Li battery system, the Sea Flash 150D is the top of the line flash system from Seacam. Find out how it does as Drew Wong puts in through the ropes in Bali and South Africa.
Dive the World magazine
The publishers of the Dyk magazines in Scandinavia have announced the publication of a magazine called “Dive the World”. The aim is for it to be image rich and story focused. Issue one was actually released in January, and issue two, due in April will feature a portfolio from Ethan Daniels and the second in a series of Nature Notes articles by Wetpixel’s Alex Mustard. Also featured in the publication are friends of Wetpixel Stephen Wong and Takako Uno as well as photographers Magnus Lundgren and Marcus Roth.
Dive the World is available quarterly by subscription.
BSoUP releases photobook
In late 2011, the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP) invited members to submit images taken in British waters for a photobook to promote the society and showcase underwater photography, particularly at events like dive shows. The 58 page book, compiled by Alison Major, is now available to order online and you may preview the contents at photobox. The password required to access the preview is LIDS2012. The book costs £56.99 ($89.50), however the publisher is currently offering a “buy two, get another free” offer.
Sony releases the α57 SLR
Sony has announced the release of the α57 SLR. The camera features a 16.1 megapixel CMOS sensor with a native ISO range of 100-16000 and a BIONZ processor which gives a claimed shooting speed of up to 12fps. For video, the camera support the AVCHD 2 codec, which now features 1080p60 and 24 on NTSC models or 50p and 25p in PAL countries. It also has phase detection AF and full control over P/A/S/M modes whilst shooting video. Lastly, the α57 has a new 1440k dot resolution electronic viewfinder.
The new camera will be available in April, with an 18-55mm kit zoom lens for $800 or body-only for about $700.
DiveFilm HD celebrates 100 episodes
DiveFilm HD celebrates its 100th high-definition podcast episode at iTunes with “Befriending Giants,” an award-winning short video by Shawn Heinrichs. Created for the conservation group Shark Savers, this film tells the story of a unique relationship between whale sharks and the fishermen of a small village in the Philippines.
“Over the years, DiveFilm podcasts at iTunes have been a great way to raise public awareness of the beauty and fragility of the ocean world through short videos by underwater filmmakers, and this film embodies the spirit of great video storytelling,” notes DiveFilm HD podcast curator and Wetpixel Moderator Mary Lynn Price.
DiveFilm HD podcasts are produced in association with Wetpixel and are available to download on iTunes
Achtel announces RED housing using Nikonos lenses
Australian manufacturer Achtel has announced the release of a housing for RED Epic and Scarlet cameras which uses Nikonos lenses to provide “no more porthole view, port distortions, aberrations or fuzzy edges.” It is compatible with the following Nikonos lenses: UW-Nikkor 15mm F/2.8, LW-Nikkor 28mm F/2.8 (water resistant, land only use), UW-Nikkor 35mm F/2.5 and W-Nikkor 80mm F/4.0. By using Nikonos lenses the housing does away the need for lens ports hence allowing for quick lens changes too.
The DeepX is also very lightweight, weighing in at 10kg complete with camera, batteries, monitor and lenses. Achtel is now taking deposits for the DeepX and it will be available at a price of AUD 15,700 ($16,480).