Wetpixel member Jean Bruneau has written a mini series about the creation of an underwater housing over on DivePhotoGuide. Written in five chapters and covering everything from the design of a new housing all the way through to final assembly and testing, the series is being delivered in three installments. If you have ever wondered exactly how manufacturers create a housing or what actually goes in to making one, this is an excellent place to look.
The latest Maldive dive spot has to be Hanifaru Bay and the amazing Manta action that happens a few months of the year. It is because of the increased tourism that the area was declared protected from fishermen and Mantas put on the no-fishing list. However, this year, the influx of tourists has now increased to the point where the mantas are affected and do not congregate in the great numbers documented from previous years. Is tourism too much of a good thing that it is now a bad thing? Join the discussion in the forum as member discuss this hot topic and the solutions that have been proposed.
The Wetpixel Ambon Night Safari is underway in full force; we are doing 3 night dives each evening and are enjoying being immersed in a soup of the bizarre creatures that inhabit the waters of Ambon, including discarded diapers, tampons and other desirable subjects. Unfortunately, the nasty stuff thrown into the bay is part of what creates such an interesting underwater habitat.
At the recent WildPhotos conference in London, a vote was carried out among the attendees about what was acceptable behavior when interacting and photographing wildlife. The results varies, with 95% of people comfortable with the idea of attracting birds with seed, compared with only 5-10% who would hire an animal model from a game farm. Perhaps most interestingly, only 30% would declare that they had digitally manipulated a picture to add or remove subjects or blemishes.
One of the results of this poll is the launch of an online ethics declaration to which individuals can sign up.
The annual DEMA show is fast approaching, and as usual, Wetpixel plans to offer full coverage of the event. Sterling Zumbrunn, Norbert Wu and Adam Hanlon will all be at the show, and we aim to bring you regular updates throughout of new products, personalities and events. The show starts on Tuesday 17 and runs through till Saturday 20 November so please keep checking back on the front page regularly.
As already announced, Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide will join forces to offer their infamous cocktail night on Thursday 18 November. Please track down any of us for more details.
Watershot has announced the release of several new lights in their STRYKR range. The new models all feature 700 lumen LED light units, and are designed to be used as video or focus lights. The STRYKR video is a lighthead for use with a separate battery pack and Watershot has also designed a new battery pack that allows two STRYKR video light heads to be run simultaneously. The STRYKR torch video is a compact video light, suited for use with video DSLRs as a focus or video light.
Sony just announced the PMW-F3k Cinealta camera, which has a S35mm EXMOR sensor and 23.976fps native recording to XDCAM EX codec. The S35mm (APS-C) sized sensor allows the use of PL mount cinema lenses like Arri, Panavision and Leica and has a ISO800 native sensitivity. It is also 3D ready with genlock and control functionality sync available for a dual camera system. The camera comes with a 35mm, 50mm and 85mm T2.0 lenses. Pricing and availability is not yet announced
Ted Schilowitz of Red was in Singapore to show off the Epic prototype and the demo reel of the Red One (which are assembled in Singapore) with the Mysterium-X sensor. The highlights was the 4k demo reel of the HDRx Epic Mysterium-X sensor (which boasts 18 stops of dynamic range), the working Auto Focus using the touch screen LCD and the resolution chart tests of the Epic compared with the Arri Alexa. Also demonstrated was the touch screen auto-focus LCD monitor using a Canon L lens. Read Drew Wong’s comments on the Red prototype Epic in his overview of the show. Unfortunately, no delivery dates were not given on the Epic or Scarlet.
Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide has announced the call for entries for the Our World Underwater and DEEP Indonesia competitions. The two competitions will run simultaneously, with prizes being awarded live on stage at the Our World Underwater film festival in Chicago (February 18-20, 2011), and exhibited at DEEP Indonesia in Jakarta (March 31 – April 3, 2011). The winning video entries will be podcast via the iTunes Divefilm HD channel.
Full details of both competitions are available at UnderwaterCompetition.com and the deadline for entries for both competitions is 17 January 2011.
Marcell Nikolausz, inspired by recent discussions on fiber optic snoots and Alex Mustard’s home-made ring-flash, has come up with a DIY idea in the forums to merge both: the Fiber optic ring-flash. Marcell has found that by using fiber optic cables, attached with Velcro around the lens port and firing his strobes down the fiber, he can make a ring-flash like look, without the bulk of a reflector.
He has also experimented with using a “half ring” for using with close focus wide-angle techniques.