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Amphibico has evolved the design of the X3 housing to incorporate the NanoFlash Convergent Recorder, creating the XD Amphibicam X3 Hybrid: in effect an all in one compact housing. This will cater for the increasing popularity of the Sony PMW-EX3 camera being used with the flash card based recorder. Prices and final specifications have yet to be released.
Blue Ocean Film Festivall runs from Tuesday 24 to Sunday 29 August. Wetpixel correspondents Stirling Zumbrunn and Jason Bradley will be posting live from the festival, and here are a few highlights to watch out for:
The opening film is Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist, a documentary that loosely follows Peter Brown and Paul Watson over the course of their over 20 combined years of ocean conservation. Disneynature Oceans will screen Thursday 26 August with a keynote speech by David Doubilet, Executive Producer of Earth. Oceans Don Hahn, producer of everything from Beauty and the Beast to the Disney behind-the-scenes doc Awaking Sleeping Beauty, will also be present and introducing the film.
For photographers, David Doubilet will display his “Below” collection throughout the festival, accompanied by exhibitions from Thomas P. Peschak, Ralph Lee Hopkins, Berkley White and Jason Bradley among others. The festival also has a host of other events, displays, workshops and conservation discussions. Please check back here regularly for updates over the next few days.
DAN, in conjunction with Nature’s Best Photography Magazine is now accepting entries for their Ocean Views competition. The goal is to inspire greater understanding and stewardship of ocean ecology through the art of nature photography. Photographers at all levels of experience worldwide are invited to enter. The winning entries will be part of a feature in Alert Diver and a cover story for Nature’s Best Photography Magazine. Entries will close on 20 December 2010.
Regular Wetpixel contributor Steve Williams recently completed a diving trip from Komodo to Wakatobi on the boat M/Y Pelagian. What follows is his personal illustrated account of the trip, recounting both the beauty and the tribulations of an underwater photographic journey.
“There are special moments underwater that fill up our soul and burn themselves into that special place in our brain reserved for unimagined memories.”
On 25 October 2010 in the Huxley Lecture Theatre, London Zoo, David Doubilet, Michael Aw and Leandro Blanco will present “An Unforgettable Evening”. The event has been organized by the Ocean Geographic Society and the British Society of Underwater Photographers. Tickets are now available.
During the evening, David will share his latest inspirations with some of his best work to date, In addition, award-winning underwater photographer Michael Aw and world-renowned underwater filmmaker Leandro Blanco will be lending their support.
Jason Isley of Scubazoo filmed this behavioral footage in the Lembeh Strait. In it, a lightning fast giant frogfish pounces on a lionfish and swallows it whole. Lionfish are of course, equipped with venomous dorsal spines that must have come into contact with the frogfish during the process. In the close up footage, you can actually see the lionfish moving inside the frogfish’s stomach. It would seem that the frogfish doesn’t suffer any ill effects.
The Canon PowerShot range gained a new model today, with the launch of the PowerShot S95. Similar to the S90, the S95 benefits from the ability to shoot 720p HD video. Other features include a fast f2.0 fast aperture lens offering low light performance, RAW capture ability and full manual exposure control. Lastly, the camera has the Canon Hybrid IS image stability system, designed to improve macro shooting ability.
Nikon has unveiled 2 updates to their lens offerings: the 85mm f1.4G and the 24-120 f4 VR lenses. Both lenses have been updated for better edge performance for FX sensors, as well as. VR II stabilization and a constant aperture of f4 has been added to the 24-120. Both lenses will be available in September 2010.
Alex Mustard describes the motivation and technique behind his image of a spider crab aggregation. (via DivePhotoGuide.)
“Some photographs happen by chance, others after months of planning. This spider crab image has had a long gestation, which I guess makes it all the more satisfying now it is sitting on my hard drive.”
Nikon has announced the release of the D3100 DSLR. This new model replaces the D3000, and is aimed at entry level SLR users. It features a 14.2 CMOS sensor, and a 3” LCD screen. New features include, for the first time on a Nikon DSLR, the ability to shoot video in 1080p HD mode, a much wider ISO range (100-3200 expandable to 12800), and Live View shooting. (via dpreview)