Nauticam is accepting pre-orders for their housing for the Canon EOS R50 with the RFS 18-45mm lens. In a departure from previous designs, the NA-R50 has a fixed port with a bayonet mount that can accommodate water contact optics. The fixed port makes for very compact housing. Strobe triggering utilizes the camera’s built-in flash via fire optic bulkheads.
Retra has announced that they have developed full voice control for their Retra Pro Flashes in a significant technological leap forward. With the new firmware, photographers can now adjust the flash’s output by simply talking to it, or by asking it questions.
ADEX is calling for submission to their 2023 Ocean Gallery. This is billed as the world’s largest digital photo gallery with 3000 images. The display will be featured during the 2023 ADEX show in the Sands Center, Singapore from 31 March to 2 April.
The United Nations are soliciting entries to the tenth World Oceans Day Photo Contest. Categories include: No Time To Waste, Putting the Ocean First, The Wonderful World of Tides, Ocean is Life, Big and Small Underwater Faces, and Underwater Seascapes. The deadline for entries is 23 April, with the winning images being announced at the UN on 8 June during the World Oceans Day celebrations.
The BBC reports on the passing of the High Seas Treaty by the United Nations last week. The agreement aims to add 30% of the planet’s high seas into marine protected areas (MPAs) by 2030. The new MPAs will only allow activities within these areas but only “provided they are consistent with the conservation objectives.”
Issue 131 of Underwater Photography (UwP) magazine is available to download. It has articles about the UPY 2023 and Wetpixel/DPG Masters winners and reviews of the Marelux SOFT Pro snoot by Kate Jonker and Sony strobe triggers. Great White sharks and Hanifaru e are featured, along with Baja and Sulawesi.
The San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition (SDUFEX) is calling for entries to the festival, which will be held on 6 and 7 October 2023 at the San Diego Qualcomm Auditorium. Full details of rules and procedures are available from the contest’s website, and the submission deadline is 15 June.
The transition of full frame mirrorless cameras from SLR has reduced the number of lens options available to photographers, and given the tiny number of those using them underwater, there are some gaps in appropriate lenses for using with them. Alex and Adam discuss some of the older lenses, including Nikonos, and how some of these may work with the new cameras, while others currently will not.