Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

Bahamas announces legislation to protect sharks

The Tribune reports that at the Marina Operators of the Bahamas annual general meeting and training session in the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort on 31 June, Minister of the Environment, Mr Earl Deveaux said:

“The government of the Bahamas has addressed the Attorney General’s Office to formally complete the regulations to ban the export of sharks from the Bahamas.”

The announcement follows ten months of intensive campaigning by Bahamas National Trust and the PEW Environment Group to make the Bahamas a sanctuary for sharks. The proposed legislation has yet to be ratified into law and has several stages to be completed before it is enforced, but the outlook is positive that it will be.

UPDATE: From Pew Environmental group.

“Sharks in The Bahamas can breathe more easily after the nation’s government announced today that all commercial shark fishing in the approximately 630,000 square kilometers (243,244 square miles) of the country’s waters is now prohibited.”

Friday, July 1st, 2011

Full details of 2011 Digital Shootout released

Full details of the 2011 Digital Shootout have now been posted on the event’s website. For it’s tenth year, the shootout was held at the Divi Flamingo Dive Resort, in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. Jeff Honda took the Jim Watt Award for the best images, with his artistic use of Snell’s window. Other winners include Mike Light, David Gordon, Peter Riekstins, Samantha Riekstins, and Boaz Meiri. Congratulations to all the participants.

Friday, July 1st, 2011

UwP magazine issue 61 available

The July/August issue of Underwater Photography (UwP) magazine is now available for download. Included in issue 61 are reviews of the Olympus TG-810 camera, Nauticam Olympus XZ-1 and Tokina 35mm macro lens. Other articles include a review of solo diving by Alex Tattersall, Whalesharks by Mike Veitch, Golden PNG by Julian Cohen, Red Sea Relish by Andy Deitsch and Weedy Wanderings by Mark Webster. There is also news, views and tons of valuable information.

UwP magazine is available as a free download in pdf format.

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

Nauticam releases 45 degree viewfinder

Nauticam has announced the release of a 45° viewfinder. It provides a full view of the camera’s finder at 1:1 magnification and has a diopter adjustment, accessible via an external knob, to allow for different eyesight.

The viewfinder can be installed and uninstalled in Nauticam housings without tools and can be used with Ikelite, Aquatica, Sea & Sea and Nexus housings via the use of special adaptors. It will be available in the next three to four weeks, and the price will be in the region of $1,000. Wetpixel Associate Editor Alex Mustard has been using an early production unit and will be adding a review soon, so please check back.

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

Olympus announces E-P3 EVIL camera

Olympus has announced a new version of the PEN EVIL cameras: The E-P3. The new camera is claimed to have the fastest AF speed available:

“One of the primary areas Olympus concentrated on when developing the E-P3 was the AF (autofocusing) system. The result is the world’s highest AF speed, faster than any traditional SLR with mirrors.”

In addition, it features improved AF tracking with 35 focusing points, a new 12.3 megapixel sensor and a new image processing engine. The E-P3’s sensor has a maximum ISO sensitivity of 12800, and the TruePic VI image processor claims both improved image quality and increased speed. Lastly, the new camera can record MPEG4 (H.264) 1960 x 1080/60i HD movies in AVCHD format.

The E-P3 will be available from late July/early August at $899.99 with either a 14-24 or 45mm kit lenses.

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Sigma announces pricing and availability for 105mm macro lens

Sigma has announced pricing and availability for its 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens. The optically stabilized version of the lens, originally announced in February, is available now with a recommended selling price of $1,400. The 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM offers true 1:1 macro reproduction, and uses a floating focus system to maintain high optical performance at all distances.

The minimum focus distance of the lens is 31.2 cm / 12.3 in, making it just suitable for underwater use. It is available in Nikon, Canon and Sigma mounts.

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Underwater Journal issue 21 available for download

Underwater Journal issue 21 is now available for download. In it, there are two feature articles by Wetpixel members Tim Rock and Doug Ebersole. Tim provided a story on diving with humpback whales in Tonga, with Doug bringing us whale sharks off the northern tip of Yucatan. Also in this issue are articles about CCR diving with trimix, and diving in Rangiroa.

Underwater journal is a free download available in iPad or pdf versions.

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Underwater photography magazine to be launched

Scuba Diver AustralAsia, DivePhotoGuide and Edition Fifty Fathoms join forces to launch an underwater photography magazine. To be called Scuba Diver Through the Lens, the magazine will be published quarterly in print and digital formats and according to the editors is:

“Designed to educate the global underwater photography and videography community on equipment, technique and travel destinations as well as highlight the world’s top underwater image-makers.”

The first issue will be launched at DEMA in November.

Monday, June 27th, 2011

Study shows humpback whales use bubble nets

David Wiley of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and others report in the latest issue of the journal Behaviour how humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine use bubble nets to corral prey. They attached digital suction-cup tags that recorded depth and orientation in 3-D to whales, allowing the scientists to recreate three-dimensional images of whale swimming behavior and bubble release.

The study also reports that humpback whales work in teams of at least two individuals and are not beyond robbing the prey from the bubble nets set up by others.

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

Light of my life: The Art of Light

Wetpixel moderator MIke Veitch as released part two of his series of articles. Entitled “Light of my life” Mike explains the principles behind effectively lighting a subject, with examples from his own images. The original article was published in Scuba Diver Australasia, in Mike’s column “In Focus”. Mike has re-written the article for Wetpixel and added new, up-to-date images.

Articles