Berkley White, of Wetpixel sponsor Backscatter, was able to get an early look at a preproduction version of the Nikon D3 dSLR, and used the opportunity to mount the camera in housings previously for the D2x.

Aside from finding that, generally, the D3 will require a newly designed housing be manufactured, Berkley expresses excitement at the higher-ISO capabilities of the camera and new Liveview feature for macro shooting.

Check out the short preview for a sizing comparison of the Nikon D3 and Canon 1D Mark III and a few example photos of the D3 fitted into each housing.

Popular websites Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com, in association with Our World Underwater, one of the largest consumer dive shows in the US, celebrate the beauty and delicacy of the marine environment with the announcement of the 3rd annual international underwater photography and video competition. The competition has become the “Superbowl” of international underwater imagery competitions, with world-class prizes, major industry involvement, celebrity judges, and the opportunity to have your images showcased to the world as some of the best.

Photographers will compete in seven still-image categories and two video categories to win more than $50,000 in prizes including premium dive travel, underwater photography equipment, and more…

The Monaco-Asia Society, Conservation International, and Christie’s auction house have announced the Blue Auction, an event “aimed at raising funds to protect the oceans and the marine life they contain.” The auction, to be held at the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco on September 20, will feature twelve lots consisting of species, vessel, and expedition naming rights. Among others, a recently discovered species of Indonesian walking shark (Hemiscyllium sp.) could be named after you!

Lot number 4 is a 10-day dive expedition to Bird’s Head, Indonesia on the Seven Seas liveaboard with six Conservation International scientists (including Dr. Gerry Allen) to seek additional new species - the winning bidder will name the expedition and can bring up to eight additional guests. Bids open as low as $45,000. Continue to the Blue Auction to learn more…

Sony has finally released details on the PMW-EX1 XDCAM EX video camera. The new camera sports (3) 1/2” CMOS sensors, each with 1920x1080 resolution (and the XDCAM HD codec records in full resolution). It can also record in 1440x1080 XDCAM format to SxS express card media. Unlike the XDCAM line, this camcorder (similar in size to the HVR-Z1) records files in MP4 file wrappers. The lens is f1.9-f16, 11x 5.8-81.2mm lens.

In addition, Sony has announced a currently unnamed video camera that features an interchangeable lens system. This new 3 x 1/3” CMOS sensor design allows the use of Sony’s dSLR lenses with a special adapter, and can also be configured to accept 2/3” and 1/2” lenses. It shoots in native progressive scan in 1080/25P, uses the 25mbps HDV format, and supports DVCAM as well.

Wetpixel is proud to announce the official Raja Ampat Entrance Tag Design Contest 2008!  We’re working with the new Raja Ampat park to come up with the image or design that will be printed on over 5,000 park tags to be attached to diver BCDs while in the park.

Entries must be uploaded before the end of the day, October 9, 2007.  We’ll choose finalists, but the winners will be chosen by public vote from October 10 until the 19th.  The winner’s image will grace the official park tag, and he/she will also win a free trip to Raja Ampat, courtesy of local dive sponsors!  For more details, see the contest page!  You can also download the official call for entries.

Wetpixel LLC announces the arrival of a new quarterly print magazine devoted to high-quality underwater photography.  Wetpixel Quarterly brings fans of the underwater realm spectacular imagery in a landscape-oriented, high-resolution format.

As well as celebrating the beauty of the deep, Wetpixel Quarterly provides a forum for a necessary dialog on marine conservation among photographers, researchers, conservationists, and the general public.  To help foster this community, the magazine accepts and encourages contributions from professional and amateur photographers alike. Wetpixel.com is the most respected online destination for all things related to underwater imaging; Wetpixel Quarterly presents an exciting new venue for showcasing the work of this community in print…

Sony has today released information about their new 12 megapixel DSLR, the A700.  This camera is aimed at what Sony calls advanced amateurs and serious photo enthusiasts and sports a CMOS sensor with built-in hardware noise reduction and sensor-based image stabilization.  The Sony Alpha line is based on the Minolta lens mount so some legacy Minolta lenses will work with this camera.  It remains to be seen how this camera will stack up to the Nikon D300 which uses a similar sensor, but has a very different body and design.

Two species of octopi have attracted much attention as more underwater photographers have visited Indonesia and the surrounding areas - the Wonderpus (Wunderpus photogenicus) and the Mimic Octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus). Whether videotaped rolling along the sea floor like a coconut or photographed disc-like similar to a stingray, the octopi captivate our curiosity.

Leslie Harris, one of Wetpixel’s Critter ID and Conservation forums moderators, has provided links to published literature on the formal descriptions and characteristics of each of the species, and to the observations of an aquarist with mimic octopi in captivity, who noted that on some occasions it played dead or even swam like a jellyfish. Continue to the forum discussion to learn more…

Wetpixel member Sam (shchae) was able to bring his Nexus D200 housing to his local Nikon office over the weekend where they had a Nikon D300 on display.  Sam has posted a few photos of the camera fitted into his D200 housing in an interesting thread in the forums.

A photograph by Wetpixel video moderator Mike Veitch has been featured on the cover of this month’s National Geographic Traveler, “the world’s most widely read travel magazine.” On shelves now, the cover is of a traditionally-dressed Yapese girl in the jungle, to accompany the issue’s article on Micronesian and Polynesian destinations.

Julie Edwards, a recent addition to the Wetpixel moderating team, also has an image of a young Indonesian ‘free-diver’ featured on the cover of Scuba Diver Australasia. Talk about the images in the Members in Media forum, and check out each of the magazines if you have a chance…