Wetpixel/Under The Jungle Cenote Workshop 2021
Articles
Cayman Islands extend grouper fishing ban
The Cayman News Service reports that the Cayman Marine Conservation Board has published a notice announcing that the Nassau grouper fishing ban in spawning areas during the spawning season has been extended for a further eight years; giving the endangered fish an opportunity to continue their recovery. REEF has been active in studying the grouper populations to provide data to groups that worked alongside the Department of Environment to secure the extension, as the existing prohibition was due to expire this month. The continuation of the ban was necessary to ensure that the last viable spawning aggregation in the Cayman Islands, located in the West End of Little Cayman, did not collapse.
Nauticam releases NA-D7000V housing
Previewed at DEMA, Nauticam has now released details of the NA-D7000V housing, an updated version of their NA-D7000 housing for the Nikon D7000 SLR, which is also optimized for video use. Principle updates include that the multi-controller, info and OK buttons have been moved closer to the right hand and a lever added to allow the zoom/focus gear to disengage when wide bodied lenses to be loaded. Stainless steel saddles have been added, connecting the handles and housing body to add strength when mounting heavy strobes or lights to the handle balls.
The new housing will be available from 1 January at a retail price of $3300. We aim to review it very soon, so please check back for a detailed report on the new features.
Apple updates Aperture
Apple has released an update to Aperture. Version 3.2.2 of its photo editing app fixes various issues most notably those associated with the integration of Apple’s iCloud and iOS, specifically fixing a flaw that limited Photo Stream from working beyond the first 1,000 images for some users. It also adds new gestures including swipe gestures that can be used to navigate between photos, and pinch to zoom automatically activates Zoom mode in the Viewer. Lastly, the update fixes some bugs that relate to using Aperture with Mac OS X Lion, including fixing incorrect color profiles attached to externally edited images, and crashes related to using brushes.
The update is free to Aperture owners and is available via software update or the Apple support site.
Book review: Final Cut Pro X Visual Quickstart Guide
Steve Douglas reviews the Final Cut Pro X Visual Quickstart Guide by Lisa Brenneis and Michael Wohl. The book, published by Peachpit Press aims to be a practical resource for editors to refer to whilst actually editing. Steve finds that:
“All in all, this new release from Peachpit meets the high standards and expectations we had and found for early versions of the Quick Pro Guides from Peachpit. No where, that I could find, is it suggested that you go online to find information on tools or features that were left out. “
ULCS releases polecam for GoPro cams
Ultralight Control Systems (ULCS) has released a polecam system for the GoPro POV cam that retails at under $30. Featuring a 24” painted wood pole with two end fitting variations. One of these fittings allows the attachment of a GoPro tripod attachment, the other a 1” ball. If the latter is fitted, the cams can be mounted using the GoPro cages made by the company. These options are all available now.
At DEMA, ULCS also demo’d a unique pan fitting for the polecam and GoPro. This has not been released yet.
OWU and DEEP Indonesia contests accepting entries
The previously announced 2012 Our World Underwater and DEEP Indonesia competition are new open and accepting entries. Held by Wetpixel in conjunction with DivePhotoGuide, and hosted on the UnderwaterCompetition.com site, the two competition have come to represent two of the most prestigious underwater imaging contests in the world.
Full entry details are available on the Our World Underwater pages, with still and video entries being accepted now and closing on 23 January. DEEP Indonesia is also accepting photo entries now, but has a closing date of 10 February. 15% of all entry fees will be donated to marine conservation causes.
Patchmaster offers special discounts for Wetpixel members
Patchmaster is offering a special discount to Wetpixel members on the purchase of their lightning, lightning and sound combo or three-in-one triggers. The lightning trigger will release the shutter of your camera when exposed to a flash of lightning, the sound trigger will trigger a flash when a sound is made (e.g. balloon or champagne cork popping) and the three-in-one can be set to be triggered by either lightning, laser or as a timelapse. They are available for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Olympus and Minolta cameras.
The discount codes are as follows: WTPXL3IN1 will save you $19.00 on the three-in-one model, WTPXLSTLT will save you $10.00 on the sound + lightning combo and WTPXLLT gets you $10.00 off the lightning trigger. There is a limited availability on this promotion, and the codes are only valid until 28 February 2012, so please place your order with Patchmaster soon.
Firmware update for Lumix GH2
Panasonic has released a firmware update for the LUMIX GH2 EVIL camera. Version 1.1 adds support for 24Mbps video to be shot at 1080p 30fps (or 25fps on PAL European units). It also offers an area enlargement of the AF focus area on the LCD screen, increased burst shooting rate, a “half-press” shutter release and the ability to switch the touch-screen controls off.
Many of the GH2 cameras in use have had their firmware hacked to incorporate non standard features. It is reported that this update disable the current hack, although it is also reported that a new version will be released soon. The firmware update is available from Panasonic’s support site.