Underwater Photography and Videography, News, Forums, Trips, Photo Contests :: Wetpixel.com

Wetpixel Senior Moderator Mike Veitch writes about the various opportunities that exist to improve our underwater photography. He looks into the PADI Digital Underwater Photography Speciality, on-location photo workshops, photo shootouts with celebrity judges and one on one photo pro courses. In his article, Mike lists the advantages and disadvantages of each type of program.

The Mentor is a part of a series of articles originally published in Scuba Diver Australasia magazine, which Mike has re-written and updated for Wetpixel.

The AfriOceans Conservation Alliance has released a public service announcement (PSA) as a part of their "Rethink the Shark" campaign. This is based around the fact that every time someone is bitten by a shark it gains international attention despite the statistical probability of such events being incredibly low. The new PSA features a new character called "Wilson" and was produced by a group of students from the Cape Town Animation School.

Cameraman Doug Allan will be speaking on "Stay Cool in the Cold" at 11.00 on Thursday 16 February at the Broadcast Video and Production Show, Earls Court, London. He will also be present with some of his camera equipment on the Cameras Underwater stand at the show before and after his presentation.

Michael Pitts, Crispin Sadler and Richard Bull will be presenting a panel discussion at the same event on 14 February entitled "How to get the most of working Underwater for Film & Television."

Tucked away in a press release put out by Olympus Australia are details of a housing for the newly released E-M5 EVIL camera. The PT-E08 is a departure from previous Olympus housing designs as it features a lens port that is bayonet-mounted and replaceable. The standard underwater lens port will accept the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 IIR and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 lenses. Ports will also be available for two lenses; the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 8mm f3.5 Fisheye and ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 50mm f2.0 Macro.

Prices and availability are still to be confirmed.

In the press release about the new E-M5 EVIL camera, Olympus mention that they are working on producing the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm F2.8 Macro for their EVIL cameras. It is further highlighted in a press release on the Olympus Global site. This will be the first truly useable macro lens for underwater use with EVIL systems. It will offer 1:1 life size magnification (equivalent to 2:1 in 35mm) at the closest focusing distance of 0.19m/0.62ft and will feature a dust and splash-proof design.

It is expected to launch by the end of the 2012. Specifications and price are not yet determined.

Olympus has announced the release of the OM-D E-M5 EVIL camera. Drawing on a retro style similar to the company's OM series film cameras, the new camera features a built-in electronic viewfinder. This has a refresh rate of 120 frames per second and is HD. In addition, the E-M5 has a 16.1 megapixel sensor with a TruePic VI image processing engine, a 5-axis image stabilization system, ISO settings from 100 to 25,600 and what is claimed as the world's fastest AF system.

The E-M5 will be available from April and prices start at $999.99 for a body only.

DEEP Indonesia 2012 is now making its final call for entries. There are seven themed categories with over $40,000 in prizes, including underwater photo equipment and premium dive travel packages to some of the top photo destinations in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The contest includes specific categories for images that focus on conservation and the marine environment, for entries taken by compact digital cameras, and for Indonesian entrants.

Full details are on the UnderwaterCompetition.com website and the deadline for entries is 10 February. Last minute entries for the Our World Underwater contest this year made the servers crash, so please don't leave it too late for DEEP 2012.

Canon has announced the release of three new lenses. The first, the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM is unlikely to be of interest for underwater use, however the other two lenses may have underwater applications. They are the EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM and EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM prime rectilinear wide-angle lenses. Both are equipped with image stabilization technology and ultrasonic motor-powered auto focus. The 24mm has a minimum focus distance of 0.2m and the 28mm of 0.23m, so both will probably require the use of a diopter.

The 24-70mm will be available in April at $2,299.00, and both wide-angle lenses will be available in June at $849.99 for the 24mm and $799.99 for the 28mm.

The British Wildlife Photography Awards is calling for entries for its 2012 competition. It has twelve categories, including animal behavior, animal portrait, coast and marine, and wildlife in HD video with prizes that include a cash prize of £5,000.

Full details are on the contest's website, and the deadline for entries is 12 May.

Wetpixel Associate Editor Alex Mustard has already had the opportunity to shoot (on land) with the new Nikon D800 SLR. One of the features of the new camera is in-camera processing of time-lapse projects. The HD video published on Vimeo by Alex is straight out of the camera. The camera ne was using was a pre-production model; production cameras' output may vary from it somewhat and please bear in mind that Vimeo applies compression to any video uploaded to it.

The images and footage were shot during Alex's underwater photography workshop in the Cayman Islands in January 2012.