Congratulations to Wetpixel members Ralph Oberlander (aka Larry/lionfish43), Herb Ko (herbko), Linda Cline (mandarinfish), and Eric Cheng (echeng) for sweeping the digital category of Beneath the Sea's Worldwide Underwater Photography/Video Competition 2004! (1st, 2nd, and 3rd). Continue reading for full competition results, or click o­n the related link for Beneath the Sea's website.

DPReview has posted a note announcing the release of CardBus readers for SD and MS media. "We tested the CardBus CF adapter in October of last year and were impressed, it was four times faster than a traditional PCMCIA adapter and was even faster than Firewire readers."

If you are interested in speed differences between CardBus and non-CardBus readers, check out the results of DPReview's test (CF reader comparison).

When I'm on the road, I typically carry a CardBus CF reader, an older, traditional PC Card CF reader, and an inexpensive USB 2.0 CF reader. It can't hurt to have redundancy. :)

Fuji has just issued a pre-PMA announcement of the release of the Fuji FinePix S3 Pro. The Fuji S2 Pro is commonly used by underwater photographers because it supports traditional TTL, but it looks like the new S3 Pro has jumped on the D-TTL bandwagon, presumably losing its TTL advantage when compared with competing digital SLRs (if there is no option to do TTL instead of D-TTL). Read more here for the press release, or discuss the camera in our forums.

"LAS VEGAS, February 5, 2004 – Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc., today unveiled one of its most eagerly anticipated products -- the newest addition to its critically acclaimed line of professional digital cameras -- the Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro.

"Among the FinePix S3 Pro’s list of enhanced features is its one-of-a-kind Super CCD SR sensor technology designed specifically for professional photography. This proprietary technology creates a wider dynamic range to produce images that approach true photographic quality. As a result, the FinePix S3 Pro will capture highlight and shadow detail often lost by digital cameras in high contrast scenes. In addition, Super CCD SR sensor technology provides a higher level of sensitivity, improved signal-to-noise ratio and more natural color reproduction..."

Inon Japan have announced the new X-2 aluminum and reinforced plastic housing for the Canon EOS 10D digital SLR. There is a PDF on Inon Japan's website with more details. Issue #17 of Underwater Photography Magazine has X-2 specifications in English.

There is now a new chat feature available only to Wetpixel members (join now -- it's free). Log in and click on "IRC Chat" in the side navigation menu to access the new feature. Just click "Connect Now!", once the Java-based chat client loads! Enjoy. :)

Or, if you are IRC savvy, you may join us at #wetpixel on XNet.

Hello, readers. Wetpixel is looking for a small team of members who are interested in being part of our news submission group. We would like to expand our news feed to include other types of news, including destination-related news, marine/environmental news, interesting personal sites, and more up-to-date news information about the underwater photo industry. If you are interested, please send Eric e-mail. Be sure to include your Wetpixel username!

I've revamped the theme to make Wetpixel load faster, especially for those of you with high-latency connections. Unfortunately, the page no longer renders perfectly with Apple's Safari browser (currently, fewer than 0.234% of you). You may choose the old theme by going to your settings (click on "me" in the left-hand menu) and selecting the "AT-Wetpixel" theme.

Plankton rich cold water can often result in an overall green cast to your photos. This is because the phytoplankton in the water actually acts as a diffuse green filter. This short article describes how to use the Channel Mixer in Photoshop to remove the green cast to show what's actually there - clear blue water!

From the U.S. Department of State: "A passport valid for at least six months and an onward/return ticket are required. As of February 1, 2004 all American visitors to Indonesia will need to obtain a visa. Travelers may apply for a visa at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, D.C. or at the airport upon arrival. Visitors may be granted a 3-day visa for a fee of $3 or a 30-day visa for a fee of $25. Both visas are non-extendable, and travelers must exit the country for at least two weeks before they can return. A visitor's visa for business purposes and social/cultural stays of longer duration require a letter of intent/sponsorship from the employer and/or sponsor..."

Other countries who can obtain visas upon arrival include Australia, Argentina, Brazil, U.K., Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, and U.A.E. (info from Cybergoldfish)

Practically, the only real effects that will result from this change are that you will have to pay for a visa when you arrive. Tony Matheis tells us that in addition to the 30 days a visa grants you, you can extend your stay by up to 14 more days without leaving the country.

Yesterday, Sea & Sea Japan announced a housing for Nikon's new D70 digital SLR [automated english translation here]. The web site says that the housing will ship at the end of April, and lists the retail price as being ¥198,000, or roughly $1870 USD.

There is a discussion about this new housing in our forums.