Saturday, January 21st, 2012

Wetpixel coverage of the BOOT show 2012

Wetpixel Editor Adam Hanlon presents coverage of the 2012 BOOT show. Held annually in Dusseldorf, Germany, it is the largest consumer watersports show in the world. Some of the exhibits are actually 30 meter (100 feet) yachts, complete with masts and rigging. Whilst the underwater imaging part of the show is comparatively small, it nevertheless offers European manufacturers the opportunity to showcase their products to a home audience.

Adam is attending the first three days of the show, and will be posting reports and updates throughout that time, so please check back often. UPDATED 01-22-2012.

Saturday, January 21st, 2012

8 Ways to improve your photography on a single dive

Wetpixel Moderator Mike Veitch presents an article entitled “8 Ways to improve your photography on a single dive.” Mike points out some simple techniques that will help people obtain more satisfying images. For example:

“One downfall of many new photographers is their eagerness to jump straight into the water without learning all the capabilities of their camera. In order to capitalize on capturing wildlife, you need to know how to change settings such as shutter speed, f-stops, EV compensation, and the macro button as quickly as possible. As the situation changes underwater, you don’t have time to fiddle too long trying to figure out where a particular button is. By practicing on land and reading the instruction manual, you will gain a great advantage underwater as it becomes second nature to change settings on the fly.”

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Kodak files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

USA Today reports that the iconic Eastman Kodak filed for protection from its creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code today. Rumors of its demise had been circulating for some time as it has been running short of cash and unable to sell 1,100 digital imaging parents that could have rescued it.

Kodak invented the handheld camera and, at its height, employed 130,000 people worldwide, but it has struggled to adapt to the digital revolution. Michael Hilzik of the Los Angeles Times says:

“Kodak executives didn’t always make the best decisions, but Kodak’s basic problem was that its expertise in making photographic film didn’t transfer to digital photography, and even stand stand-alone digital cameras are giving way to iPhones and other electronic gadgets.”

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

X-Ray Mag issue 46 released

The January 2012 issue of X-Ray Magazine has been released and is now available to download. Amongst the articles in issue 46 are features about Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks in South Africa, on Nile crocodiles in Botswana, on diving in Alaska aboard the Nautilus Swell, on crustaceans “The Gladiators of the Sea” and Lawson Wood discusses macro photography.

X-Ray Magazine issue 46 is available as a free download in pdf and iBook version for iPad.

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Canon EOS C300 available for pre-order

Engadget reports that Canon’s latest cinema video camera, the EOS C300 is now available for pre-order. The camera has a Super 35mm CMOS 4K sensor but captures in HD 1080p. The original pricing was in the region of $20,000 for the body, however the price is now confirmed at $16,000.

The camera will begin shipping “after January 30”. Engadget published a “hands on” review of the C300 back in November.

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Underwater Journal issue 23 available

Issue 23 of Underwater Journal is now available to download. This edition features Walt Sterns talking about wreck diving in South Florida, Michael Salvarezza & Christopher P. Weaver on “Diving the Antarctic Peninsula”, Mike Bartick on muck diving and Walt Sterns also writes about black and white conversions.

Underwater Journal is free to download in pdf or iPad format.

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Wetpixel is back after anti-SOPA blackout

Wetpixel is back after a 12-hour strike in support of anti-SOPA efforts. Wetpixel joined Wikipedia, Mozilla and Wordpress, and other sites in a site blackout against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA). It is clear that anti-piracy efforts are necessary, but the two bills resting in the U.S. Senate and House are clearly not the right way to go about it. If you don’t know much about SOPA, please educate yourself about it and sign the petition before January 24, 2012.

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Wetpixel joins action against SOPA

Wetpixel will be joining a group of sites including Wikipedia, Mozilla and Wordpress in a strike against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) on Wednesday 18 January. SOPA is an act that is currently on its way through the US House of Representatives and has potentially far-reaching negative consequences for all internet users worldwide. The bill has been delayed in a vote last weekend, but is not yet defeated.

In order to show our dismay at this legislation, Wetpixel will be “off-air” or “go dark” from 8am to 8pm PST (- 8 hours GMT) on 18 January. Normal access to the site will be available outside of those hours, but to repeat, the site will be unavailable from 8 till 8. We hope that you will understand and support the reason for this inconvenience: If a bill like SOPA is allowed to pass, it will severely restrict the freedom that we all enjoy, even on sites like Wetpixel.

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Sea & Sea announces release of YS-D1 strobe

Sea & Sea USA has announced the release of the YS-D1 strobe. Originally previewed at DEMA, it features DS-TTLII exposure control with a compensation adjustment, slave triggering, an LED target light and a guide number of 32 to 20. The strobe has a native coverage of 80°, but this can be modified by using the (supplied) diffusers, which in turn results in the loss of some output. Hence with an 120° diffuser, the guide number is 20. The new strobe is powered by 4 AA batteries, and can be triggered via Nikonos or fiber optic methods.

It will be available from February 2012 at a retail price of $750.

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Semporna shark sanctuary petition

Signatures are being asked for to help create a shark sanctuary in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia. The Sabah government has recently announced heavy penalties for people hunting sharks, including a mandatory jail sentence for up to three years and a fine of at least RM30,000 or both under the Fisheries Act so it would seem to be an ideal opportunity to further enhance the protection of sharks in the area by creating a sanctuary.

The Semporna Shark Sanctuary petition is online and available now. It will only be running until the end of January, so please take a moment to sign it now.

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