Apple has released Digital Camera RAW Compatibility update 4.01. Supported in this release are: Canon EOS M, Canon PowerShot S110, Nikon D600, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100, Canon PowerShot G15, Canon PowerShot SX50 HS, Nikon 1 J2, Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ200, Panasonic LUMIX DMC-G5, Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX7 and Sony Alpha NEX-F3.
The update is available via the App Store, or from the Apple support pages.
Nikon has outlined that they intend to produce three new lenses for the Nikon 1 series EVIL cameras. Of specific interest for potential underwater use is their plan to produce a 6.7-13mm wide-angle zoom. Minimum focus distances and other details are still to be announced however. The other new lenses are a 32mm f/1.2 and a 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 zoom.
The Nikon 1 series already has a 10mm f/.8 wide-angle prime, but a suitable macro offering has yet to be announced. Prices and release dates for the new lenses are still to be confirmed.
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The HP Red Sea 2012 shoot out, to be held in Eilat, Israel from 4 to 10 November this year, is making a final call for registration of participants. Now in its eighth year, the contest has categories including: 5 Best images, Fish of the Year, Best Singular entry, Fish and Fashion, the Mayor’s Prize, the Jury’s Prize, the Amateur category (compact) and, new for 2012, the National Team Prize. The latter has led to the contest being billed as the International Underwater Olympics. First prize includes an award of $10,000 in cash.
Full details and registration information are available on the Eilat Red Sea website.
Nikon has announced the release of the 1 V2 EVIL camera. It features a built-in electronic viewfinder and flash and a new image processing engine, labelled as the EXPEED 3A. Nikon claims that this will enable the same image processing as that available with SLR cameras, focal-plane phase-detection AF processing, and the recording of full-HD movies. The V2 has a new CX-format, CMOS Nikon sensor with 14.2 megapixels which offers an ISO range of 160 to 6400. At the same time, Nikon has released a flash, the Speedlight SB-N7, for the 1 series cameras.
The Nikon 1 V2 camera with a 10-30mm lens will be available in late November 2012 for $899.95. The SB-N7 Speedlight will be available in January 2013 at $159.95.
Amidst all the new product announcements today, Apple also released a major upgrade to its video editing app, Final Cut Pro X. Amongst the features added is native support for REDCODE RAW, dual viewers, chapter markers in the timeline, the option of expanding multichannel audio files in the timeline and redesigned import and share interfaces.
Final Cut Pro Version 10.0.6 is available now as a free download for existing owners via the App Store. Apple has also updated Motion X to Version 5.0.5 and Compressor to 4.0.5.
Wetpixel Editor Adam Hanlon provides a personal perspective on using the Nikon D800 SLR underwater with fast moving subjects and action. The Wetpixel D800 camera review published previously was unable to include this due to a lack of suitable conditions for diving at the time, but hopefully this has now been rectified during diving with a very rowdy bunch of seals at the Farne Islands, Northumberland, UK.
The Canon EOS 5D Mark III can now get a clean video feed from its HDMI port. This allows the use of external recording devices like the Atomos Ninja 2. The latest alpha version of the Magic Lantern camera tool offers this feature as well as “gradual” exposure control, experimental peaking functions, various display tweaks and movie logging.
Canon has also announced a major firmware update for the camera that will be available from April 2013. This will also provide uncompressed HDMI Output Support:
“When shooting video, HDMI Output makes possible the recording of high-definition uncompressed video data (YCbCr 4:2:2, 8 bit) from the EOS 5D Mark III to an external recorder via the camera’s HDMI terminal.”
US Retailer Backscatter has published the findings of its survey of the “Best Underwater Compact Cameras for 2012”. They feel that the GoPro HERO 2 is the best entry-level camera, the Olympus Tough TG-1 the best waterproof and the Sony RX1000 the best point and shoot. In their mirrorless category, they name the Olympus PEN series as the best entry-level cameras, and the OM-D E-M5 the best advanced.
Their ranking criteria included the provision for third-party wide-angle lenses, manual exposure control, histograms and/or highlight warnings, HD movie mode and custom white balance. The full report, results and rankings can be viewed on the Backscatter website.
Retra Underwater Technology has announced an update for its Light Shaping Device (LSD). The Pilot Light Enhancement (PLE) module has been developed as an enhancement when the LSD is used with the Inon Z240 strobe. Since, in common with most snoot type devices, “sighting” the LSD is somewhat awkward, being able to use the Z240’s built-in aiming light makes the process simpler. The PLE mounts onto the strobe with bolts and the LSD is then mounted onto it. This effectively straightens the beam of the aiming light, making it useful for aligning the LSD correctly. It produces an enhanced output in the pilot light, but does cause a loss of one stop in strobe power.
It is available now at €48 plus shipping.
The East African Marine Transect (EAMT) aims to catalog and document the marine life of the East Africa coast, from South Africa to Kenya. The team plans to use 3D stereo imaging tools to establish a baseline of the fish fauna that they encounter during the 4 month trip.
The organizers are looking to crowd source the costs of the expedition. For more information, please see their indiegogo page.