Wetpixel

DEMA Show 2009: Days 3-4 - Final coverage, party photos

by Eric Cheng

DEMA 2009, Days 3-4: Page 1 of 5 (page controls at bottom of this post)


The 2009 Wetpixel / DivePhotoGuide cocktail party @ DEMA
(photo: Adam Lau)

DEMA coverage posts:

Booths and other topics covered in days 3-4 of Wetpixel’s DEMA 2009 online coverage:

We didn’t have time to post any DEMA Show coverage yesterday because we threw a party at the Rosen Centre that drew probably 300 guests. But we’re making up for it today with our final coverage, which includes photos and commentary from 20 more booths. It is (unfortunately) impossible for us to cover every single manufacturer and retailer that sells a photo- or video-related product; these days, every dive light doubles as a “video light” and there are probably a hundred booths offering products that might be of interest to the casual shooter. We have tried our best to do a thorough report on what was being shown.

As always, if you have any comments or questions about our coverage (or anything else on Wetpixel), please head on over to our forums, or contact us privately.

Focus / video light shine-off

Compact focus / video light visual comparison:

10 Bar #1078

LC Ng was at the 10 Bar booth, which was absolutely crammed with housings and accessories. 10 Bar has housings for the Panasonic LX3, GF1 and S3, which I was particularly interested in because I own both the LX3 and GF1. The LX3 is a fantastic compact camera because it has a 24-60mm/f2.0 lens (35mm equiv), and 24mm is MUCH wider than is the 28mm or 35mm standard on most compact cameras. All of the housings have wired bulkheads, optical sync support, and changeable “lens ports,” which are ports with optical elements within them (think of a wide-angle adapter that is actually a port). Furthermore, a large dome can be screwed onto the front of the wide-angle lens port.

There is also a housing for the Fuji 3D W1 camera, which shoots 3D out of its two lenses (both stills and video).

10 Bar also distributes Nauticam housings under the 10 Bar brand.

Bonica #749

The ‘3rd generation’ Bonica 1080p HD video camera features a hybrid soft / hard housing (Silicone skin inner housing and hard outer housing). It allows for locked autofocus, is waterproof to 12ft w/ just the Silicone Skin, and is waterproof to diving depths with the hard housing. The rear buttons push on an infrared remote control, which in turn controls camera. We saw this in previous generations of the housing as well, and it is ingenious.

They were also showing a 1500-lumen LED Light that runs on 8AA batteries. It features a 60 degree beam, 10-100% variable power, and 60 minute burn time at 100%.

Also on display was a housing for the JVC Everio 1080i HD camera. A wide angle conversion (0.54x) lens is available, as is an add-on dome port available for near-fisheye, which allows for over/unders.

Equinox #771

Equinox, manned by Eric Giannunzio, is once again at DEMA with their video housings “by Soupcan”, promoting sponsorship by Les Stroud of “Survivorman” and showing off a brand new, unreleased product. Their primary offering to the typical recreational or individual professional underwater videographer is the Pro6/HD6 housing, which features a 250 ft depth rating and 3 year warranty. But the teaser display item was an upcoming housing for the RED system, which was available to view in crystal clear RED HD, of course.

New World Publications #1557

We went to visit New World Publications, the publishers of the fish identification books that so many of us use and love. Ned, Anna, Paul and Eric are super nice people and are involved with all sorts of conservation efforts through REEF and other organizations.

Nocturnal Lights #1569

Tim Lau showed us the new SLX800i LED light, which is 800 lumens and runs for 2-8 hours on 6 AA batteries. There are 12°, 60° and 90° versions of the light available, and it is $450 retail with neoprene sleeve and ball joint or flex arm adapter. There is also a 12AA version (the SLX800xi) that burns for 4-16 hours.

Tim’s computer science background shows; Nocturnal Lights was also demonstrating a dealer website with tools to allow for easy integration of Nocturnal Light products into online shopping cart systems. Contact Tim for details.