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

Aditech has released a new type IV Mangrove housing MVHS-L and MVSH-XL for the Sony camcorders HDR-CX570/580/730/740/760, HDR-PJ260/580/710/760 and HDR-XR260 camcorders. The housing features the LANC control system that gives access to a 12-key control that operates all camcorder functions (such as manual WB, aperture and shutter time, zoom and many others) using the electronic touch screen control. The housing features a back 3.5" monitor that allows a direct view of the camcorder´s monitor.

The MVHS-L retails at €1.546,61, and the MVHS-XL at €1.572,03. Both versions of the housing are available now.

Underwater.kr are organizing an underwater shootout competition to be hosted by NAD-Lembeh, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia from 8-15 December 2012. The total prize purse is over $35,000 and includes cash, diving gear and underwater photography equipment. Underwater.kr are also offering a chance to win a place in the shootout by entering an online competition. The shootout is open to anyone, from anywhere!

Please see the Underwater.kr site for contest rules or to register.

Wetpixel Associate Editor Alex Mustard has been able to obtain an early D4 camera, and has spent the past two weeks shooting with it in very challenging condition in Iceland and Scotland. As he states, the D4 is a pro body designed for professionals on assignment, and hence it makes sense to test the camera in very challenging conditions.

His review will be presented in 5 sections with each new section being added daily. The sections will be: (1) Introduction, (2) Camera and housing overview, (3) ISO, image quality and shooting FX, (4) Autofocus and shooting experience (macro and wide, stills and video), (5) Comparisons with other cameras and conclusion.

The California Department of Fish and Game is in the process of developing a Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the California spiny lobster which is fished both recreationally and commercially in southern California. They are seeking volunteers who are non-consumptive recreationalists (e.g. underwater photographers and videographers) for the committee. The committee members will attend 2-3 meetings each in the next three years to assist in the development of the FMP with their advice, feedback and recommendations. A number of fishery participants have applied, but finding individuals who enjoy the ocean’s resources without harvesting has proven challenging.

The Dept. of Fish and Game has extended the date to receive applications for the Lobster Advisory Committee to May 11, 2012. For more information, and/or to apply online, please visit the Dept. of Fish and Game website.

Wetpixel is running a macro workshop to Lembeh in October 2013. The trip will be led by Alex Mustard, and will not only provide fantastic photo opportunities for the participants, but they will also have the chance to learn, improve and discuss their images with Alex. It will be based at the luxurious Lembeh Resort and the timing has been chosen to coincide with an especially critter rich time of the year in Lembeh, with plentiful encounters with ghostpipefish, hairy frogfish and octopus likely.

Spaces on the trip are deliberately limited to allow for more teaching contact time with each individual. Dan Baldocchi is handling the booking, so if you are interested, please email him soon for more information or to book a space.

The 2012 Cairns Underwater Film and Photo Competition is now calling for entries. The competition, part of the Cairns Underwater Festival, features entry categories including: Wide-angle nature, macro, diver in harmony with the reef, creative, young photographer, compact wide-angle and compact macro. In addition, there is an entry category for short films. The festival is volunteer-run and donates the proceeds of the vent to local environmental charities.

For full details please see the Cairns Underwater Film Festival site and the deadline for entries is 25th July 2012.

Think Tank has announced the release of three new travel-specific camera backpacks. All three have integrated pockets for laptops and iPads, a top boarding pass pocket and handles to ensure easy placement and removal from overhead lockers on aircraft. The new Airport series consists of the Accelerator, Commuter and Essentials models each offering different capacities and physical sizes. All three meet carry-on size specifications, with the smaller two also being designed to fit under-seat in regional commuter planes.

The new bags will retail at $279.95 for the Accelerator, $199.75 for the Commuter and $175.75 for the Essentials model. They will all be available from June.

The 2012 San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition (SDUFEX) is calling for entries. The event is scheduled for Friday 5 and Saturday 6 October, 2012 at the Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall in San Diego, California. The selected entries will be projected in a High Definition format in a state of the art venue on a 30 foot screen. An independent panel of judges will select the approximately 32 films that will be shown during the exhibition. There is no entry fee and filmmakers whose films are selected are encouraged to come to the show and introduce their film(s) in person on the night of the exhibition.

Full details for entries are on the SDUFEX website and the deadline for submissions is 27 July.

Wetpixel does not normally offer reviews of diving equipment, but occasionally a new product comes along that demands our attention. The Atomic Aquatics Venom mask is such a product. It features a one-piece lens made of Schott UltraClear optical glass, that claims to transmit 96% of available light and removes tints that are present in cheaper glass lenses. For imaging purposes, this potentially enhances the viewing of viewfinders or LCD screens, and should give a more faithful rendering of the colors that are present in the underwater scenes we are attempting to capture.

The May/June issue of Underwater Photography Magazine (UwP) is now available to download. Issue 66 contains articles about Shooting Mermaids by Chris Crumley, Loss of Light by Rob Cuss and An eye for detail by Mark Webster. Reviews include Alex Mustard on the Nauticam NA-D4 housing, movie lights or strobes by Peter Rowlands, Olympus 12-50mm Pt 2 by Dan Bolt and enhanced viewfinders on EVF cameras by Phil Rudin. Lastly, there is news, reports and editorial content about underwater imaging.

UwP is available as a free download in pdf format.