Monday, November 1st, 2010

Call for entries: International Underwater Film Festival

The International Underwater Film Festival has announced its call for entries for the fourteenth event, which is to be held in Belgrade, Serbia. The two entry categories are independent category for independent producers (amateur film makers, independent producer) and pro category for professional productions (films without time limit).

The deadline for registration is 5 November, with films to be with the organizers by 15 November and the festival itself is scheduled for early December.

Monday, November 1st, 2010

ReefNet plans to release fiber optic snoot

ReefNet has let us know that they will be releasing a fiber optic snoot. Planned specifications include: 150 x 0.75mm fibers in each arm with polished ends, a strobe adapter that prevents stray light from illuminating the subject/scene, snoot arms that are centered over the strobes flash tube(s) and that can also be easily manipulated for accurate subject illumination. They aim to have units available for Ikelite DS125/160/161, Inon Z240 and Sea & Sea YS250 strobes, although others will be considered if there is enough demand.

ReefNet have emphasized that they will only have limited production by mid-December at the earliest, and that although they can take pre-orders now, manufacturing details are still being finalized.

Monday, November 1st, 2010

Howard Hall: The Blue Ocean in RED

Howard Hall had added “The Blue Ocean in Red”, a selection from his filming projects in 2010 to Vimeo. It was all shot with a RED One camera and Nikon lenses. Footage is from locations including the Maldives, Alaska, California, Cocos Island Costa Rica, and Mexico.

Saturday, October 30th, 2010

Underwater Photography magazine issue 57 available

Underwater Photography magazine has announced that the November/December issue is now available for download. Among the technique articles in issue 57 are Dr Alex Tattersall’s “Creativity in the Canaries”, “Ethics in wildlife photography” by Tim Priest, “Strobe Positioning, The Rabbit Ears Technique” by Julian Cohen and “Off-Camera Strobes” by Alex Mustard. Also featured are Sean Arrowsmith’s article on diving in Gozo and “Snorkeling with Basking Sharks” by Charles Hood.

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

Saturday, October 30th, 2010

Product Review: Contour HD camcorder

Steve Douglas presents a review of the Contour HD POV camcorder. This is an affordable “wearable” HD camcorder, that can present unique possibilities for film making. The review was done using the Contour housing which is not an underwater housing as such, however there are now several available.

Saturday, October 30th, 2010

Nexus launches birthday cake

We are not sure of the details yet, but it would seem that housing manufacturer Nexus has gone into the catering business. K. Saroj Chutharatkul’s birthday cake seems more suited to underwater than surface use. Specifications, weights and buoyancy characteristics are to be confirmed! (Picture by K. Pipat Kosumlaksamee.)

Friday, October 29th, 2010

New DiveFilm HD podcast: Antartica Weddell seals

Mary Lynn Price, Wetpixel moderator and DiveFilm HD host has added a podcast of her ongoing research in Antarctica. Entitled Antarctica Weddell seals, it is available for download on iTunes. Mary Lynn is part of a research team from Montana State University that returns to the Erebus Bay area of the Ross Sea in Antarctica annually during the Weddell seal pupping season to study these seals. Initiated in 1968, this is one of the longest running studies of a long-lived mammal anywhere, and focuses on the southernmost mammal residing on our planet. The podcast was edited in a hut on the sea ice.

DiveFilm HD is produced in association with Wetpixel and the podcast at iTunes is currently among the iTunes Podcast “Staff Favorites,” and continues to be the #1 Sports & Recreation Video Podcast there.

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

Aquatica releases new housing for Nikon D3 series

As their existing housing for the Nikon D3 series did not give full functionality for the D3S, Aquatica has gone back to the drawing board, and produced a whole new model. This redesign features the relocation and addition of some controls, particularly those for the cameras video features, and larger more tactile control knobs have been added for better feel in cold water. In addition, a new manufacturing process has allowed the weight to be reduced by 20%. The new housing will fit the D3X and D3 cameras as well as the D3s, and the new housing back can be retrofitted to existing D3 housings.

Thursday, October 28th, 2010

Easydive releases iTTL and eTTL strobe

Easydive has released the Easy Flash strobe, which is compatible with both Nikon iTTL and Canon eTTL protocols. The strobe has an aluminum body with double o-rings and is powered by Sanyo rechargeable NiMh batteries. The batteries should give at least 200 shots at full power and it is available with either Nikonos or Canon S6 connectors.

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

Diver numbers may affect manta aggregation in Maldives

Dive magazine has reported that the crowd scenes that occurred during this years manta aggregation at Hanifaru in the Baa Atoll, Maldives may well drive the mantas away. Up to 200 divers and snorkelers were observed in the water at the same time, despite a regulation stipulating that this number must not exceed 80. The possibility of aggregations of up to 250 mantas at a time has massively increased the sites popularity over the past three years. Guy Stevens, director of the Maldives Manta Ray Project and marine biologist at Four Seasons Resort in Landaa Giraavaru, says:

“Hanifaru is an amazing place, but it’s also a place that, if we’re not careful, will be destroyed,” and “no-one will arrive at the site and willingly forgo diving or snorkeling because it is already full. I would like to see enforcement of the regulations - this year it was a mess.”

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