Monday, March 15th, 2010

Firmware Update 2.0.3 for 5D Mark II Now Live on Canon’s Servers

The long awaited firmware update for the Canon 5D Mark II is now available on Canon Japan’s servers, and will likely become available on international sites on Tuesday, March 16. The firmware update adds frame rates of 24p, 25p, and changes the 30p frame rate to 29.97 fps to match broadcast standards. Additional features include live histograms when shooting in manual and aperture priority modes, increased audio sampling (48kHz), and the ability to adjust audio recoding levels manually. The firmware update is available for immediate download here.

Update: The firmware is now also available from Canon USA.

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Tony Wu’s initial thoughts of the Nauticam 7D Housing

Tony Wu shares with us his initial impressions of the Nauticam 7D housing for the Canon EOS 7D digital SLR.

“It took me about five minutes on land to familiarise myself with the controls on the Nauticam housing, as the position of controls is unique on every housing. The layout was easy to understand, and I had no major issues underwater.”

The rest of Tony’s initial impressions and photos of the Nauticam 7D can be found on his blog.

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

DEEP Indonesia photo contest 2010 winners announced

DivePhotoGuide.com and Wetpixel.com are proud to announce the winners of the 4th annual DEEP Indonesia international underwater photography & video competition. The competition is in held in association with DEEP & Extreme Indonesia and part of a unique joint series of international underwater photography competitions, with world-class prizes, esteemed judges, and significant global media support.

Photographers from around the world competed in seven themed categories to win over $35,000 in prizes. Winners represented eleven countries…

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Join Eric Cheng in the Maldives aboard the MV Orion

Wetpixel’s Eric Cheng will be joining a Maldives manta expedition this coming August 19-26, 2010 aboard the luxurious MV Orion, planned by Richard Woulfe and Sue Chen of Reef Check. The trip runs north to Baa and Hanifaru Bay, and will be targeting the now-famous manta aggregation in the Maldives.

Trip cots $2,800 and includes 7 days of diving, accomodations, meals, guiding, tanks/weights, transfers, and Nitrox. Extensions to Sipada, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur are also being planned. Continue reading for more details!

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Underwater Journal issue #15 now available for download

Underwater Journal issue #15 is now available for download. Highlights from this issue include diving in the Bahamas, Humboldt Squid, Fiji’s Shark Reef Marine Reserve, Ice Diving in the Northeast and diving Curacao’s Christmas wreck.

The Underwater Journal is published six times a year by Wetpixel member Walt Stearns and is free for download.

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Canon 1D Mark IV fits Aquatica’s current housing for Canon 1DS Mark III

Canon’s new flagship camera the Canon 1D Mark IV is a perfect fit for Aquatica’s current housing for the Canon 1DS Mark III. If you already own this housing and want to upgrade to a 1D Mark IV, no modifications are required and no function or access buttons are sacrificed when using the newer Canon body. Of particular note, access to the video mode requires no modification.

Access to the FEL button used to activate video capture was already in place as well as other important buttons such as exposure compensation, ISO and the illuminator button. Reassignment of these functions through the DSLR’s custom menu setting is not necessary. Visit the Aquatica website for more information.

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

How to win underwater photo competitions

DIVE Magazine have posted an article online by Dr Alex Mustard on ‘How to win underwater photo competitions’.

According to Alex “I feel as if I am in quite an unusual position at the moment, as I sit on both sides of the fence. I judge a lot of major competitions each year, but unlike nearly all the folks I judge with, I also still enter photo competitions (obviously not the same ones - that would be too easy). I tried to write the article from both perspectives.”

And while it is written for the upcoming BUIF comp, it can be considered generic for most underwater photography competitions. A great read for all those looking to submit photos throughout 2010.

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Misool Eco Resort and Seven Seas Auction

Misool Eco Resort has announced plans to expand their existing 425 sq km No-Take Zone in Raja Ampat, Indonesia to over 1200 sq km. This will safeguard some of the world richest reefs against fishing, shark finning, blast fishing, and turtle poaching in an area twice the size of Singapore.

To help fund the expansion, Misool Eco Resort and The Seven Seas are auctioning off a 14-night combination trip in February 2011. A charter of 14 guests will be joined by renowned Conservation International marine scientists Dr Mark Erdmann and Dr Gerry Allen. The opening bid is 96,500 USD, and all the profits benefit the Daram Project. Auction closes 31 May 2010. Please visit Daram Project for more information

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Canon 5D Mark II Firmware 2.0.3 Release Imminent

Canon’s long awaited firmware update for the 5D Mark II full frame SLR is due for release sometime later this month. The update adds frame rates of 24p and 25p and updates the 30p frame rate to 29.97 fps to match television production standards. In addition, audio capability has been increased, with the audio sampling increased to 48KHz, and a new manual levels control. A histogram display now facilitates exposure control during video capture. Aperture and Shutter Priority modes are now available when shooting video.

Sadly, this update does not bring the 5D Mark II parity with the manufacturer’s 7D and 1D Mark IV bodies, as the 720/60p frame rate is conspicuously absent. This is no doubt due to a limitation in the original hardware.The 5D Mark II helped spark a revolution in video acquisition using SLRs, and this firmware update represents an important step forward in harnessing that capability.

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Underwater Photography Magazine #53 now available for download

The latest issue of Underwater Photography Magazine (UwP) is now available for download. Its a bumper 67-page issue full of news and helpful articles.

This issue has reviews of the Canon 7D and Aquatica housing, Olympus E620 as well as the Memory Kick storage device. There’s a big feature on Shooting Great White Sharks, a visit to the Dubai Aquarium, Underwater Seasons of marine life and a dive on a Sunken Goose! UwP Magazine is free to download and keep on your computer to read whenever you like.

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