Thursday, December 6th, 2012

Canon announces product advisory for EOS 6D

Canon USA has announced a product advisory for the EOS 6D SLR. It identifies a problem that occurs when trying to playback videos shot with the camera on YouTube. Canon suggests a temporary fix of using the ImageBrowser EX application that is bundled with the camera to save the video and then to upload it. They also state that they are working towards a more complete fix.

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

Lightroom 4 for the Underwater Photographer released

Doug and Lorenza Sloss have released the latest in their series of photo editing tutorials. Uniquely, Lightroom 4 for the Underwater Photographer is supplied in a USB stick, making it considerably more portable than the previous DVD versions. The new tutorials run for 13 hours and cover all aspects of using Lightroom 4 including catalogs, the library, map, develop, book, slideshow, print and web modules, exporting and Photoshop and Photmatix Pro integration.

Lightroom 4 for the Underwater Photographer is available now for pre-order with a despatch date of 8 December. It sells for $108.00.

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

Apple updates Final Cut Pro

Apple has released another update for its flagship video editing program, Final Cut Pro X. Version 10.0.7 is a bug fix update that corrects the following issues: The Letterbox effect “Offset” slider is restored, an issue that could occur when creating a single layer DVD, an issue in which some third-party effects could cause Final Cut Pro to stop responding during background rendering, an issue in which some third-party transitions would incorrectly use black instead of source media and it adds support for editing MXF files that are still ingesting. In addition, it fixes an issue with rendering Motion Templates containing Image Units, the display of the Modify RED RAW settings button in synchronized and compound clips, the upload of clips that are larger than 1 GB to Vimeo and an issue in which an incorrect frame size is used with filters on two adjacent clips with different pixel aspect ratio. Updates have also been released for Compressor and Motion. All are available via Software Update in the App store.

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

Whale Shark rescue

A video posted on YouTube showing the dive guides and guests from Wetpixel sponsor and DivEncounters Alliance member Solmar V removing a mooring rope from around a whale shark has now been shown on the BBC. The shark was found on 7 November, 2012, at Roca Partida, near Socorro Island, about 250 miles south of Baja, Mexico. During a subsequent dive, it was located again and the dive guides cut the rope off the whale shark who, as the video shows, almost seemed to allow them to do so. The scene was filmed by one of the guests, using a GoPro camera. Great job!

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

Deep sea mining on hold

Plans to commence deep-sea mining operations around Papua New Guinea (PNG) have been stalled. A dispute over royalties has led the mining company, Nautilus, to cease to produce the specialist equipment that it needed to undertake the mining operations. The PNG government originally agreed to take a 30 percent share in the enterprise, but is unwilling to help fund the project. PNG also has a limitation on how long a company can hold a mining tract without working it. The mining plans have caused concern for the environment around the islands

Wednesday, December 5th, 2012

Wetpixel Alaska Expedition 2013

Join professional underwater photographer Jason Bradley for the Wetpixel Alaska Expedition 2013 aboard the iconic Nautilus Swell. The itinerary will depart Juneau on 18 July and arrive Ketchikan on 1 August 2013, taking in some of the finest cold-water diving and topside scenery in the world. Full details of this amazing trip are on the Wetpixel Alaska Expedition page, and if you want further information , or to book, please contact Jason Bradley.

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Think Tank launches new company and product

Camera bag and equipment manufacturer Think Tank photo has announced that it is to form a new company specializing in equipment for shooting in the great outdoors. MindShift Gear is aiming to cater to “photographers who are passionate about experiencing the natural world”, and has launched its inaugural product on Kickstarter, a backpack called the Rotation 180° Professional. This has a belt pack that “parks” inside a lower compartment but can be swung round onto the wearers front for access. Its upper compartment can be outfitted to carry lenses etc, or it can function as a conventional space for other gear.

Tuesday, December 4th, 2012

Typhoon Bopha hits the Philippines

CNN is reporting that Typhoon Bopha has landed on the Southern Philippine island Mindanao, brining wind speeds of up 175 kph (110 mph). It has hit the city of Baganga early on Tuesday. It has then hit Bohol in the Visayas, central Philippines and is expected to track North West before leaving for the South China Sea through Mindoro in southern Luzon on Thursday.

Many dive centers lie in the typhoon’s path and we hope that their staff, guests and structures all survive unscathed. If you are there now, we hope that you are in a place of safety and that the storm pass by without any significant disruption.