Scuba Symphony has launched a monthly underwater photo competition, in conjunction with their Facebook fan page. The competition has monthly subject or technique oriented themes and works with a public vote for each image on the site. There will be monthly prizes, and the winning shots will be displayed at the Scuba Symphony showroom, website and Facebook for the next month.
Chris Parsons has posted some pictures and video in the forum of a fashion shoot utilizing the PhaseOne 645DF camera and a P series back, all in a Nauticam NA-645DF housing. The shoot was held in a private cenote outside of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The conditions in the water were a challenge for the 645DF, as it is advised not to utilize high ISO settings, which were necessary for the shoot. Chris reports that the resolution and level of detail in the images was amazing.
Huffington Post has published a brief report by James Morgan on the human and environmental effects of dynamite fishing in the Coral Triangle. Due to decreasing fish stocks, many local fishermen are making improvised explosives. They are:
“Grinding up match heads and combining them with sand and fertilizer. The concoction is then put in an empty soft drink bottle, lit and thrown onto reefs where it decimates coral, killing all the fish within its blast radius. This practice has arisen as a result of rapidly declining fish stocks. As the number of fish decreases, fishermen are turning to more and more destructive measures in order to feed themselves and their families.”
The report features some powerful images of the human cost of this practice. The Coral Triangle is a geographical term so named as it refers to a roughly triangular area of the tropical marine waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. (Image by James Morgan)
Sigma has updated their 105mm EX DG macro lens to the 105mm EX DG OS HSM version. In addition to the features of the original, the new lens features Sigma’s optical stabilization (OS) system, to give better performance when hand-holding the lens. It is compatible with Sigma’s APO Tele Converters.
Price and availability are to be confirmed.
Nikon has announced the launch of a new high-end compact camera, the COOLPIX S9100. Features include a 3” LCD display, 1080p HD video, Hybrid VR lens stabilization and ISO’s of up to 3200. The camera makes use of Nikon’s Expeed C2 processing engine and a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, with a backlight feature for low light photography.
The camera will be available in March for £299.99 / €348.00 / $329.95.
The 2011 Hugycup International Underwater Photo and Video Contest will be held from 5 September to 22 October 2011 in the resort of Dahab, Egypt. The format is for people to go out diving during the dates of the event and enter their images/video footage upon returning. Hence, each picture or video entered must be registered in the competitions database or use a supplied unique time code.
The organizers are planning additional events to be held during the competition and these will be announced in late February. Full details are now available for accommodation and diving packages for the competition, as well as the rules for photo and video entrants.
Google is honoring Jules Verne today (it would have been Verne’s 183rd birthday) with an interactive submarine doodle at google.com. You can drive the sub around to see flying fish, narwhals, a basking shark, giant squid, and more! Click through for a video of me taking the virtual sub for a drive (in case you missed it).
Bluewater Photo is hosting an opening party with food and drinks on 12 February. During this, over $3300 worth of gear and local boat trips will be raffled to attendees and folks who have registered for the company’s newsletter. Bluewater Photo is a new underwater photography and video store located at 2501 Wiltshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, California.
Canon has announced the release of the Rebel T3i (EOS 600D) and Rebel T3 (EOS 1100D)SLR cameras and the 320EX and 270EX II Speedlights. The T3i features: Canon’s EOS HD video capture, 18-megapixel resolution, a three-inch vari-angle clear view LCD screen, scene intelligent auto mode, video snapshot technology and feature guide instructions. The T3 is cheaper, and features HD movie capture, 12-megapixel resolution and the feature guide.
In addition, Canon has announced the release of two new Speedlights: The 320EX and 270EX II.
The T3i SLR will be available from the beginning of March at $799.99, the T3 from the end of March at $599.99 and both Speedlights will be available in April.
One of the features of the Sony NEX-5 EVIL camera is its ability to capture pictures in what Sony call “sweep panorama” mode. To quote from Sony this allows the user to:
“create breathtaking panoramic images with a huge angle of view. It’s beautifully simple to use: just press the shutter button and sweep the NEX-5/NEX-3 camera from side to side, or up and down.”
Underwater panoramas have long been a goal of many underwater photographers, particularly of reef scenes. It is perhaps inevitable therefore, that this new mode has been recognized as being able to provide new creative possibilities. Paul Duxfield of Cameras Underwater shot this panorama of Shark and Yolana Reefs, Ras Mohamedd, Egypt with an NEX-5 in December last year.