Thursday, April 26th, 2012

Adobe releases Lightroom 4.1 release candidate 2

Adobe has announced the release of a second release candidate for version 4.1 of Lightroom. This includes support for the following cameras: Canon EOS 5D Mark III (introduced with release candidate 1), Canon EOS 60Da, Fuji FinePix F770EXR, Fuji FinePix F775EXR, Nikon D3200, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5, Pentax K-01, Samsung NX20, Samsung NX210, Samsung NX1000, Sony Alpha NEX-VG20 and Sony SLT-A57. It also introduces a new Defringe slider in the Lens Correction panel to help address chromatic aberration and the ability to read 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit HDR files. Lastly, there are numerous bug fixes for the Lightroom 4 and 4.1 release/release candidates.

Lightroom 4.1 release candidate 2 is available as a free download for Lightroom 4 owners on Adobe Labs.

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

HGVT offers LANC software for Canon EOS C300 and C500

HGVT Videotechnik has “hacked” the firmware of the Canon Digital Cinema EOS C300 and C500 cameras. This allows control of the following functions via wire and the LANC camera connection: Camera on/off, full menu control, assign buttons 1 to 6, toggle white balance functions, gain/ISO control, shutter/aperture control and manual focus. The company is currently offering land and underwater remote controls with these functions, but the “hack” allows these controls to be simply incorporated within an underwater housing, which will be available soon. In addition, the company plans to release a version for the Sony FS700 soon.

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

Wetpixel interviews sculptor Gar Waterman

Wetpixel presents an interview with artist and sculptor Gar Waterman, who has been creating stunning sculptures of nudibranchs out of Italian stone. They are created to spread the massge about the biodiversity of the oceans, as well as being objets d’art. Wetpixel caught up with him as he was preparing for a joint exhibition with underwater photographer Kevin Lee, which aims to show nudibranch photography alongside Gar’s sculptures, and asked him about his work and his artistic inspiration.

“It is not my goal to replicate the forms from nature that inspire me. The challenge is not to copy, but to practice one’s own particular artistic alchemy using nature as a point of departure. With their myriad shapes and colors, nudibranchs offer a formidable array of interesting forms for a sculptor to carve, and I like that challenge.”

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Think Tank announces 4 wheel roller

Think Tank has announced the imminent release of a 4 wheeled roller bag called the Airport 4-Sight. Designed for pro photographers, the bag’s weight has been significantly reduced, whilst the company claims that the 4 wheels make moving the bag around easier. The 4-Sight also meets international airline carry-on standards and the bag can be turned so that it will wheel down confined spaces like airplane aisles.

The Think Tank 4-sight will be available from May 2012, at a retail price of $299.75.

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Ikelite releases housing for Nikon D800 and D800e

Ikelite has released a polycarbonate housing for the Nikon D800 and D800e. It features the traditional control arms, and is hard-wired for Nikon iTTL controlled flash exposure. It allows access to all important camera functions, has comfortable rubber grips and a glass optical viewfinder. Ports are available for most popular lenses and lens zoom gears are included with the housing.

The ikelite housing for the Nikon D800 and D800e is available now and retails at $1,600.

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

Nikon issues product advisory for EN-EL15 batteries

Nikon has discovered an issue with a batch of EN-EL15 batteries that may cause them to overheat and cause the battery’s casing to deform. The batteries are used in the company’s D700O, D800, D800E and Nikon 1 V1 cameras. The advisory that has been issued requests that all owners with batteries to check the lot number of their batteries and:

“If the 9th digit of the EN-EL15 battery lot number is E or F then the battery needs to be replaced as it may be affected by this issue.”

The problem does not affect EN-EL15 batteries supplied with the D7000 and Nikon 1 V1 purchased before February 29, 2012 or to batteries purchased individually before February 29, 2012. If your battery needs replacing, you are advised to contact your regional Nikon Service center.

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

Nauticam unveils the NA-D800 housing

Nauticam has announced the release of the NA-D800 housing for the Nikon D800 SLR. This housing incorporates many of the features from the NA-D7000V, including the redesigned sub command dial control and thright thumb-operated control using a double paddle lever assembly to engage the record function (Live View on NA-D7000V) on the top lever and the AF-ON feature on the bottom lever. A similar two paddle arrangement has been placed for the left thumb to activate playback and ISO control. The multi control features a pad arrangement rather than buttons, and the housing has a port that is capable of taking the company’s HDMI bulkhead. The housing has two fiber optic ports as standard, although Nikonos, S6 and Ikelite bulkheads are available.

The new housing will start shipping on 11 May, 2012 and will retail at $3600.

Sunday, April 22nd, 2012

Adobe announces Creative Suite 6 and Creative Cloud

Adobe has announced the release of its Creative Suite 6 (CS6) and Creative Cloud products. the company is hosting a live media event on 23 April at 10 a.m. Pacific Time on Adobe’s launch site. With beta versions of Photoshop CS6 having been released some time ago, and information freely available about Premiere Pro CS6, it seems likely that many of the new features in these products have been well documented. A new version of After Effects is to be incorporated into both CS6 offerings as are newcomers Prelude for logging and ingest, and Speedgrade for color grading and finishing.

Full details are now available about the Creative Cloud, which is a subscription based model. Prices will be $49.99 per month for individual users with an initial discounted subscription of $29.99 per month available for the first year. Creative Suite 6 will sell at $$2,599 for the Master collection and $1,899 for the Production Premium versions. Both will be shipping in May.

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

Maldives Whale Shark Project calls for volunteers

UK registered charity, the Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP) exists to conduct whale shark research and foster conservation initiatives throughout the Maldives and the Indian Ocean. Based in the new South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area, the research area is one of the few sites in the world where whale sharks aggregate all year round. The MWSRP are beginning a new research season from May 2012, with the launch the first annual Maldivian Whale Shark Festival being just one of many exciting projects.

They are seeking volunteers to assist with their programs and to raise funds for the project.

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

Komodo National Park needs your help to increase patrols

The recent reports of rampant fishing in the UNESCO World Heritage site and national marine park, Komodo National Park, shows the area to be under pressure from non-enforcement of the no take zones set up to help protect the fish. Blast and line fishing, as well as diver damage and even sport fishing is now putting pressure on recovery of the area to its former glory. Please spend 20 minutes of your time to help Komodo by writing comments in support of enforcing rules set by the Indonesian government in as many major online news sites as possible. It’s the first real effort for Marine conservation in Indonesia and it sets the mood for the rest of the MPAs in the country. Please spend the time to help if you can!

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