Wetpixel user Jay Treat has posted a fantastic review of the Canon 300D Digital Rebel housed in an Ikelite housing.

Excerpt: Without a doubt, I'm happy with this system and I can't wait to get back in the water with it. The 300D gives me the flexibility both underwater and above that I've missed while using digicams and the Ikelite solution for getting underwater is a success. As I mentioned above, I do miss auto strobe control in some cases, I feel that the weight and balance could use some improvement, and I wish the viewfinder was a bit more user friendly. To put it into perspective however, I'd buy the same housing and strobes again if I could start over. [discuss in forums]

I've taken the Digideep Picture-of-the-Week syndication offline for the moment, while we work out some bugs.

In unrelated news, hop on over there to see information about UK Germany's new Sony F-828 housing and Fantasea's Nikon Coolpix 3200 and 2200 housings.

Aquatica has just released the I.C.U. ( Illumination Control Unit), currently available for use with the Aquatica A300 and the Canon Rebel body. Continue reading for full press release. *UPDATE* - Photos of production housings added.

'Whalewatch' is the new campaign initiative of over 140 animal welfare organisations representing more than 55 countries worldwide which focuses on the inherent cruelty associated with killing whales.

A few days ago, Whale Watch published a 150 page report called, "A Review Of The Welfare Implications Of Modern Whaling Activities." It can be found on their website at http://www.whalewatch.org/.

GOLDEN, Colorado (March 8, 2004) PENTAX U.S.A., Inc. has announced a second generation fully-immersable* digital camera -- the new Optio43WR. Featuring 4.0 effective megapixels, a powerful 2.8X zoom lens, and a JIS Class 7 waterproof rating that keeps the Optio43WR watertight even when the camera is rinsed, splashed or submersed in water. The Optio43WR may be immersed up to three feet for less than 30 minutes but should not be operated underwater. Although it is not an underwater camera, it could be the perfect camera for documenting dive trips from the dive deck.

A quick addendum to the Sea Rovers coverage:

I was excited to see Aquatica's 300D Canon Digital Rebel housing at Underwater Photo Tech's booth. In particular, I was excited about Aquatica's new E-TTL to TTL bridge. You can see where the board has been mounted in the photo on the left. Missing from the board are the actual chips that do the processing, but I was told that the chips are being programmed this very weekend, and will be shipping very soon.

As of today there is no reliable web information on this subject, but there will certainly will be, as soon as we get a review to post up on Wetpixel. Also keep your eyes on Underwater Photo Tech's site and Aquatica's site.

Hello, readers. Over the weekend, I had the great pleasure of giving a seminar on digital underwater photography to a broad audience at the Boston Sea Rovers 50th Anniversary Clinic. The Sea Rovers are a not-for-profit volunteer organization dedicated to increasing awareness and appreciation of the marine environment, and are among the oldest of the underwater photographic society. While at the show, I received tremendous validation that what we are doing here at Wetpixel is working; numerous people stopped me in the hallways to thank me for the site and to ask various questions about equipment and techniques. It was very nice to meet you all! There are some photographs of the Sea Rovers Clinic on my website.

Eric Cheng's coverage of the Boston Sea Rovers 50th Anniversary Clinic, where he gave a talk on the current state of digital underwater photography.

Hi, guys. Hop on over to the Photo of the Week and rate the images in contest #26, if you have a moment. POTW #26 expires today, and participants need your votes!

RAW vs. JPG Feature, by James Wiseman: "As the RAW format becomes widely available, many digital shooters wonder if this format is “better” than shooting JPEG - of course, “better” often depends on the circumstances. This short column will describe the difference between the two formats and pros and cons of shooting one versus the other..." (written for a beginner audience)