The last few spaces for the Wetpixel Alaska Expedition 2013 are now available. The two-week itinerary, which runs from Juneau and Ketchikan, will take in some of the best cold-water diving on the planet aboard the famous liveaboard, the Nautilus Swell. Dates are from 18 July to 1 August and the places are sure to be filled very soon, so please don’t delay contacting trip leader, Jason Bradley if you are interested.
Delegates at the triennial meeting in Bangkok of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) have voted today to accept that oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus), smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena), great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) and porbeagle sharks (Lamna nasus) be added to Appendix II of CITES. Appendix II lists species which are not necessarily now threatened with extinction but which may become so unless trade is closely controlled.
Nauticam USA has announced the imminent release of their housing for the Canon EOS M EVIL camera. The manufacturer states that the housing’s controls closely mimic those of the camera and give access to the 4-way control pad and control wheel. The housing will accommodate the Canon Speedlite 90EX, so strobes can be controlled via fiber optic. Port support is offered for the EF-M 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 and the EF-M 22mm f/2 pancake lens. In addition, Nauticam has designed a port and focus gear for the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 EF lens mounted on the EF-EOS M Mount Adapter.
Light & Motion has released a fluorescence filter for the GoPro Hero3. The filter is constructed from aluminum and is attached onto the GoPro housing with a simple one screw installation. The filter is a flip style, so can be easily moved aside to allow for conventional light filming. The filter is available now and costs $99.00
Amphibico has announced the imminent release of its Genesis housing for the Sony NEX-FS700 camera. The new housing features the company’s customary electronic controls with access to over 25 camera functions from the grips and is machined from marine grade aluminum. Monitoring is available via a top mounted window, and the housing will be compatible with a wide variety of Sony E-mount lenses. Lastly, the housing features a bayonet port lock system that is compatible with Aquatica ports.
Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide are proud to announce the winners of the 2013 DEEP Indonesia International Underwater Photography Competition. The competition is part of a unique series of underwater imaging events that has become one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world, supported by fantastic prizes from our sponsors. Congratulations to Hamid Rad, who won Best of Show for his first placed image in the Reefscapes category. Additional congratulations are due to all the participants as the standard of the entries was outstanding.
Gates Underwater Products has announced a series of new products. These include new housings for the Sony PMW-F55 digital cinema camera and the Canon VIXIA HF G20 camera, a new 5” widescreen HDMI monitor called the EM50 and a kit that can be installed into Gates housings that allows the surface control of focus, iris and zoom.
Wetpixel Editor Adam Hanlon presents a review of the Fisheye FIX Aquavolt 7000 video lights. These lights are very suitable for use with SLR or POV cams as they are relatively small in size and light in weight, but still provide sufficient light output. Adam was able to test the lights in the gloomy UK winter, and has written a full report on their performance.
Chris Parsons of Nauticam USA has posted a video entitled “Nauticam Digital Cinema System Setup and Overview” on Vimeo. The film features the NA-ROSSA housing for the RED EPIC / SCARLET-X digital cinema cameras which was first shown at DEMA in 2012.
Nikon has announced the release of a new compact camera with a 16.2 million pixel DX format CMOS sensor. The COOLPIX A has an EXPEED 2 image processing engine and a native ISO range of 100 to 3200. It is equipped with an 18.5mm f2.8 lens, and its control layout is designed to mimic that of an SLR, making it suitable for use as a back-up camera for an SLR shooter.