The Guardian reported yesterday that the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government has granted a 20-year license to the Canadian firm Nautilus Minerals to commence the Solwara 1 project, the world’s first commercial deep sea mining operation. This will involve mining the seabed 1.6km beneath the Bismarck Sea, 50km off the coast of the PNG island of New Britain. The ore that will be extracted contains high-grade copper and gold. Opponents of the plan express concerns that the ecological impact is impossible to predict, but may well include the decimation of deep water organisms yet to be discovered by science, sediment plumes could expose marine life to toxic metals and indirect impacts that could clog the gills of fish, affect photosynthesis and damage reefs. They also claim that the Canadian company has:

“Found a place so far away from people that they can get away with any impacts. They’ve picked an underfunded government without the regulation of developed countries that will have no way of monitoring this properly.”

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There is a host of rumours surfacing about Nikon and Canon releasing entry-level full-frame SLR cameras. It is likely that Nikon will release the D600 at Photokina in September and it is expected to feature a 24.7MP full frame sensor, an ISO range of 100-6400, 38 autofocus points (with 9 of them cross points), 1080p HD video recording, 100% viewfinder coverage, and a 3.2-inch LCD screen. An image of what may be the new camera has already been leaked.

Canon has been considerably more tight-lipped about their plans. However, Petapixel thinks that the new camera:

“which may still be the 7D Mark II — is said to be housing the same 22MP sensor as the 5D Mark III, a 19-point AF system, 100-51200 ISO range, 3-inch LCD, 4fps continuous shooting, a mostly plastic build that will be smaller than the 5D Mark II, and a tentative price tag of $1,999 at launch. There’s also some talk of at least one prototype coming with a pop-up flash.”

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The annual whale shark aggregation at Isla Mujeres, Mexico has been featured in two major UK newspapers, the Daily Mail and the Telegraph. Both articles feature fantastic images by Wetpixel Moderator, Shawn Heinrichs.

The 2012 aggregation is turning out to be another amazing year for whale shark imagery. Please see the coverage of the current Wetpixel Whale Sharks Expedition in the forum.

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Yahoo Sports has featured a slideshow of underwater images taken by Al Bello of Getty Images during the aquatic events at the 2012 Olympics in London. The New York Times has also also run a profile of Bello, highlighting the fact that a great image taken during the games can earn the cameramen $1 million. Talking about the 2012 Olympics, it says:

“Sports photographers who shoot underwater used to free-dive to make these adjustments; now many, including Bello, Rose and Pretty, are certified scuba divers. That has given them the comfort of extended time underwater to perfect the art of capturing the world’s best swimmers from below. But it also leads to an odd sight every night at the London Aquatics Centre: a glass-and-plastic reef composed of 10 cameras and a platoon of frogmen who enter the pool soon after the last race to tend to them.” (Image by Al Bello/Getty Images)

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Chinese manufacturer Kipon has announced two new adaptors that will allow the use of Canon EF lenses with Sony NEX and Panasonic micro 4/3s cameras. Although adaptors are not a new idea, these both feature full electronic aperture and autofocus (AF) controls, making them potentially suitable for using in an underwater housing. Until the EVIL camera manufacturers come up with a viable macro lens offering, this may be the best idea yet. Prices and availability are still to be confirmed, and it is possible that they will affect AF speed. Update: The manufacturer has now confirmed that, contrary to the original report, the adaptor will not support AF.

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