Monday, January 9th, 2012

Canon announces Powershot G1 X compact camera

Canon has announced the release of a compact, fixed lens camera with a 14.3 megapixel sensor similar in size to that used in an APS-C SLR. It actually features the same pixel size and structure as that of the EOS 600D. In addition, it is equipped with a DIGIC-5 image processing engine and native ISO range of up to 12800 that will ensure fast processing and a good low-light ability, However, unlike other similar cameras, the camera has a built-in zoom lens with a focal range of 28 to 112mm, with IS vibration reduction and a 3 stop ND filter.

The G1X will also record 1080p movies at 24fps and Canon has also announced the WP-DC44 waterproof case for the camera. the camera’s retail price is $799 and it is expected to be available from late February.

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Our World Underwater/DEEP Indonesia judges announced

The judging panel for the 2012 Our World Underwater and DEEP Indonesia underwater photography and video contests has been announced. The judges of the Our World Underwater photo contest are: Alex Mustard, Brian Skerry, Berkley White, Keri Wilk and Matt Weiss. Steve Douglas, Eric Hanauer and Mary-Lynn Price will judge the video competition.

Entries are being accepted now via the UnderwaterCompetition.com website and the deadline for entries to Our World Underwater 2012 is 23 January.

Jason Bradley, Diego Garcia, David Fleetham, Matt Weiss and Eric Cheng will judge DEEP Indonesia 2012. It is also accepting entries now, with a slightly later deadline of 10 February. Full details of both contests with rules and entry procedures can be found on the UnderwaterCompetition.com website.

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

Datacolor releases Spyder4 colorimeters

Datacolor has released a new range of color management devices utilizing a new colorimeter, the Spyder4. The device can calibrate monitors, laptops, projectors, TVs, iPads and even iPhones. It will work with wide-gamut and normal-gamut displays and are 26% more accurate that preceding models.

The new model is offered in three versions: The Express for single monitors, Elite gives ambient light measurement and works with multiple displays and iOS devices and the Pro adds additional multi-monitor support tools and projector calibration. All three are available now with the Spyder4Express priced at $119, Spyder4Pro at $169, and Spyder4Elite at $249.

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

Mimic octopus is itself mimicked by jawfish

BBC Nature has reported on a story about a black-marble jawfish (Stalix cf. histrio) disguising itself among a mimic octopus’ (Thaumoctopus mimicus) tentacles. During a diving trip in Indonesia in July 2011, Godehard Kopp of the University of Gottingen, Germany, filmed an unexpected pairing between the two animals. The black-marble jawfish was seen closely following a mimic octopus as it moved across the sandy bottom. The jawfish had brown-and-white markings similar to the octopus, and was difficult to spot among the many arms. The octopus, for its part, did not seem to notice or care.

Kopp sent the video to Rich Ross and Wetpixel Senior Moderator Luiz Rocha of the California Academy of Sciences, who identified the jawfish species. Since this association had not been recorded before, they published their observations online last month in the scientific journal Coral Reefs. The authors surmise that the jawfish hitches a ride with the octopus for protection, allowing it to venture away from its burrow to look for food; a case of “opportunistic mimicry.” (Image by Gerard Kopp)

Sunday, January 8th, 2012

Sony announces XQD memory cards

Sony has announced a range of XQD memory cards that have a claimed data transfer rate of up to 1GB/s (125MB/s) with compatible cameras. This enables these cameras to capture 100 frame continuous bursts even when shooting in RAW. The cards will be available in 16 and 32 GB sizes and Sony are releasing a USB2/3 card reader and Express Card adaptor.

The cards will be available from the end of January.

Friday, January 6th, 2012

Call for entries: Blue Ocean Film Festival

The 2012 Blue Ocean Film Festival is calling for entries. The event will be held from 24-30 September in Monterey, California and consists of, firstly, an international film competition which honors all genres of ocean related films. Films from around the globe are selected to be screened and celebrated during the festival and recognized at the BLUE Carpet Awards Ceremony. Secondly, an industry conference is to be held during the festival, and lastly, a conservation summit during which leaders in ocean issues, solutions and policy will head up a series of lectures & panels in conjunction with community educational outreach programs.

Full entry details are available on the Blue Ocean website or via Withoutabox.

Friday, January 6th, 2012

Nikon announces the D4 SLR

As has been widely expected and rumored, Nikon has announced the release of a new pro FX SLR called the D4. Many of the features have been previously leaked, but it has a new CMOS 16.2 million pixel sensor, with a native ISO range of 50-12800, an EXPEED 3 image processing engine, scene recognition, a new 51 point AF system, with special low light performance and 1920 x 1080 HD with range of image area options. It also has two CF card slots, with support for UDMA-7 and the new XQD format. This will allow write speeds of up to 125 MB/s, sufficient for 105 consecutive RAW images at 10fps. Lastly, the D4 has a 91K RGB Color Matrix Meter III which gives more accurate metering, especially in low light.

The camera will be available from late February and the expected price is $5999.95.

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Lexar announces 1000x compact flash card

Lexar has announced the imminent release of a compact flash (CF) card that boasts 1000x (150 MB/s) read transfer speeds. It uses UDMA-7 technology and can capture at the Video Performance Guarantee (VPG-20) specification. This means the card’s been tested and guaranteed for professional video capture streams at up to 20MB/s enabling professional-quality full-HD video capture at high frame rates with no dropped frames.

The new card will be available from February in the following sizes and prices: 16GB ($169.99), 32GB ($299.99) and 64GB ($899.99).

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

New books about Guam, Yap and Palau released

Author Tim Rock has released three new books about Guam, Palau and Yap. The first is a photographic book documenting Guam’s underwater scenery entitled Hidden Treasures, Guam’s Marine Preserves. The second is part of a regional guidebook series and is called the Diving and Snorkeling Guide to Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands and the third is also part of the guidebook series and is the `Diving & Snorkeling Guide to Palau and Yap*.

The first two are available in both print and eBook versions, whilst the third is available as an eBook only.

Thursday, January 5th, 2012

Review: Nauticam NA-600D

A review of the Nauticam NA-600D housing for the Canon 600D SLR by Paul Duxfield. Overall, he is impressed by the small and compact size of the housing, its ergonomic controls and build quality. He expresses concerns that the very precision of the housing may also make it also prone to failure, but is reassured by the access to servicing by Nauticam distributers. He says:

“As I tend to use a lot of different camera and housing combinations, I can be confused confusion at times, since even within a particular brand the menu structure and control functions of individual cameras can differ widely. The upside to this is that I can often tell fairly quickly if a manufacturer has got it right: If I can intuitively work my way round a new and unfamiliar camera.”

“The 600D gave me no major headaches and I never once had to resort to the instruction book to carry out anything within the usual underwater photography parameters.”

Articles