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Comprehensive review of Canon T2i on Backscatter
Sterling Zumbrunn has published a comprehensive review of the Canon T2i on Backscatter, including a review of the current housing choices. He identifies the camera as being the “most exciting SLR offered from Canon this year,” and the testing was carried out on it by a total of eight individuals in a variety of environments worlwide.
To summarize his findings: The camera gives exceptional performance and amazing value. Positioned as an entry-level SLR, it’s performance and feature set are anything but entry-level, and it provides an ideal step-up from a compact camera. It’s small size and weight make it also very suitable for traveling or blue water divers, at the expense of some compromises in “performance, ergonomics and construction,” when compared against the Canon 7D.
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Aquatica launches AN-5 for NEX-5 camera
Aquatica has announced the release of the AN-5 housing for the Sony NEX-5 EVIL camera. Despite a very small form factor, it features a flash activation lever, a pair of optical strobe connectors and 300ft/90m depth rating. Aquatica has also designed a series of compact ports for use with the NEX-5 lenses as well as an adapter that allows the sue of existing ports. Lastly, due to the absence of a viewfinder on the camera, the cameras LCD screen can be angled at 15° within the housing to allow fore easier framing.
Dreams of Kelp - Liquid Grandeur Mystiquez
Mikko has posted a video on the forum which he describes as:
“Scuba diving the magical kelp forests of California Channel Islands. Close to the California mainland, yet worlds apart, Channel Islands encompasses eight remarkable islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, San Clemente, San Nicolas, Santa Catalina, and Santa Barbara) and their ocean environment, preserving and protecting a wealth of natural resources. This is a journey to the dreamlike underwater habitats of San Clemente and Santa Catalina islands and their ever dancing kelp forest. Isolation over thousands of years has created unique animals, plants, and archeological resources found nowhere else on Earth and helped preserve coastal southern California as it once was. Shot on location, on the liveaboard Vision of Truth Aquatics in September 2010.”
Canon EF 8-15mm f4L lens sample videos features underwater clips
Canon has posted a sample video from the EF 8-15mm lens, showcasing it using EOS 5D Mark 2 and 7D cameras behind custom dome ports in Sea & Sea MDX housing. The scene from Palau includes the famous Jellyfish Lake and Germany Channel. Underwater scenes from California’s kelp forest are also included as are some time-lapse photography sequences. Watch the opening sequence carefully to see how this lens performs.
Eric Cheng interviewed on Small Aperture
Eric Cheng has been the subject of an interview in Small Aperture: a web-based photography news outlet. The interviewer questions Eric on how he got involved in underwater photography, and his photographic motivations, as well as the usual queries about what equipment he uses, and whether it is scary to shoot pictures of sharks. In addition, Emma the tiger shark is erroneously mentioned as being the only “chick” he is interested in!
Registrations for Digital Shootout 2011 open
Registrations for the Digital Shootout 2011 are now open. It will be held around the Divi Flamingo Resort on Bonaire from 18-25 June 2011. The Shootout caters for photographers and videographers at all levels, and includes the chance to try out demo gear and to participate in a contest with over $25,000 worth of prizes run during the event.
In addition, there will be seminars and workshops run by industry professionals like; Berkely White, Dan Baldocchi, Sterling Zumbrunn, Mary Lynn Price, Erin Quigley and Jim Decker.
Sony firmware updates for NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras
Sony has released firmware upgrade version 03 for its NEX-3 and NEX-5 EVIL cameras. The update changes several features in the user interface, as well as allowing the use of a constant aperture while shooting video. The mount adapter LA-EA1 has also had a firmware update and with this, the cameras now have autofocus when using Sony/Carl Zeiss A mount lenses.
Scientists use Flickr image to track whale’s movements
Boston.com has reported that scientists have used a tourist’s image of a whale fluke, posted onto Flickr, to match with pictures taken by scientists of the same whale to show that it made an unprecedented 6,000 mile journey from Brazil to Madagascar. Whale number 1363 in the Antarctic Humpback Whale Catalog was first spotted by scientists off the coast of Brazil in August 1999, swimming with another whale for an hour. The scientists took skin samples and did genetic analysis, determining that both whales were female.
Skipping on two years, Freddy Johansen, a Norwegian tourist on a whale watching cruise, took a photo of the same whale’s flukes as it swam with two other whales off the east coast of Madagascar and then uploaded it onto Flickr some while later in 2009. Gale McCullogh, liaison to Flickr for the Allied Whale research group at the College of the Atlantic, Maine, matched the two images and was hence able to track the whales movements. McCullogh said:
“This to me is just an incredibly exciting way of reminding people they are our whales — they’re not the biologist’s whales.’’