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Dive 2009 Intro

Dive Show 2009

Dive 2009 is an annual two-day show held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, UK and this year more than 320 exhibitors were due to show their products. Of specific interest to underwater photographers are the stands operated by Cameras Underwater, Ocean Optics,Ocean Visions, Fantasea Line, the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSOUP), Horvarth & Partner and The Underwater Channel. Seminars of interest to photographers will be Paul Duxfield's (from Cameras Underwater) and Seed Rashid's 'Digital Clinic', Maria Munn's (Ocean Visions) 'Fabulous Photography with your Compact Camera', Cameras Underwater's 'Simple Solutions for Stunning Results' and Mark Addison's talk 'High Definition Sharks'.

Tim Moran attended for Wetpixel and reports on these and any other subjects which catch his eye.

Blue Planet Aquarium

The Blue Planet Aquarium will be hosting underwater photo shoots in their shark tank. Sand tiger, lemon, nurse, blacktip, zebra, and bamboo sharks will make impressive subjects. Blue Planet have a strict no strobe policy as previous use of strobes was the cause of some stress to the sharks. Ambient lighting is, apparently, good enough for available light shooting.

Blue Planet also offer the PADI Digital Underwater Photography Specialty as well as one-day Shark Awareness courses covering conservation, biology and diving techniques.

Cameras Underwater

Sharing a stand with Gates, the Cameras Underwater stand was always packed with divers drooling over offerings from the mainstream DSLR housing manufacturers and new compact camera systems.

John Ellerbrock from Gates was always in high demand, showing off their high-end recreational video housings ahead of DEMA. Built for Sony's and Canon's flagship consumer videocams; the Sony XR520 and the Canon HF-S10,11 and 100, these housings featured viewable camera LCD's which make for a very compact traveling video camera solution and are supported with macro, wide angle and super wide angle ports. John was extremely proud to talk of their record housing development for the broadcast quality Panasonic Varicam AJ-HPX 3700 and 2700 which was delivered in September having only been conceived in April. John will be attending DEMA.

The London and Midland Diving Chambers

Publishers of the excellent free magazines 'London Diver' and 'Midland Diver' these superb hyperbaric and recompression facilities run a regular photo competition to win a print of your choice on canvas donated by Ocean Visions. Entrant's photos are usually showcased in the quarterly magazines.

Bite-Back

Shark and marine conservation campaigners and lobbyists Bite-Back had their gorgeous 2010 calendar for sale. Wetpixel's own Mr Cheng is Mr December with a lovely image of a humpback and calf taken in the waters of Tonga. Nice one Eric! Alex Mustard features as Mr February with his Egyptian Hawkbill. Superb contributions from Amos Nachoum, Brian Skerry, Chris Fallows, David Doublet, David Fleetham, Doug Perrine, Jason Isley, Jeff Rotman, Michael Aw and Roger Munns make this calendar a must have addition to your kitchen or office wall.

The Bite-Back Stand

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British Society of Underwater Photographers

The impressive selection of images on BSOUP's show stands are always a thrill to see and many evidence the terrific photo potential of temperate green water photography here in the UK. 'JP' Trenque was on-hand to tell me about the BSOUP annual prints competition which has four open categories. The overall winner will be decided by public voting and will be announced at the London International Dive Show (LIDS 2010)

JP Trenque at the British Society Of Underwater Photographers Stand

Fantasea Line and Fuji Cameras

The combined Fuji and Fantasea Line stand was showcasing the new Remora strobe and modeling / focus light combination. Taking power from on-board AA's this guide number 20 strobe has a single and quite modest flash tube with a horizontal beam angle of about 80 degrees making it suitable for compact camera wide angle adapters. It's a physically quite large and weighty though which may make a compact system feel a little top heavy. Fibre optic sync'd and rated to 55 meteres.

Fantasy have teamed the Fuji F200 with package comprising an OEM housing, a red filter, push fit big eye dome which restores the cameras topside field of view and a +4 macro diopter. A + 8 diopter is to be released soon.

The Fuji F200 package

Intova

With their entry level compacts, housings, arms and strobes, Intova's products are unashamedly built down to a price. On the positive side, their products have very likely made underwater photography accessible to divers who would not have otherwise taken a camera underwater.

Horvarth and Partner

The German retailer H&P are regular exhibitors at DIVE 2009 and Stephan Horvarth was keen to show off his new strobe arms. Using a 1-ball system, with or without o-rings, H&P's float arms are manufactured from 29mm OD carbon fibre tubes in a range of lengths (16, 20, 24, 28, 33 and 41 cms). What I can only describe as clones of the Ultralight Control Systems AC-CS two way clamps are also manufactured in Germany and seem to be well made and are offered by H&P at competitive prices to the American made original. A complete arm system comprising of 3 two-way clamps, a 20 cm and a 28 cm float arms and base adapter weighs 540 grams on the surface but in-water this weight drops to 50 grams. H&Ps carbon fibre float arm and Loc-Line hybrid offers another strobe positioning solution.

Stephan Horvarth shows his new carbon fibre and hybrid strobe arms

Sadly, the French accessory manufacturers Dyron did not feature on the H&P stand as expected. This was a pity as I was hoping to assess Dyron's 185 degree fisheye for the Canon G9. But I was able to handle the PRO version of this glass designed for video housings. My impression was that the build quality was not what I would have expected from a lens priced at around 1,200 euros. Apparently the degree of zooming that is required to eliminate the circular image produced by any of the Dyron 185 degree fisheyes is such that they offer no practical advantage over INON's UWL-165 or UWL-128 and dome unit.

The 1200 Euro 185 degree Dyron fisheye

Oonas Divers

The UK based travel agent Oonas Divers continue to host their popular photo workshops with Mark Webster. The next workshop is being held on the MY Blue Planet 1 and the itinerary is the Red Sea's northern wrecks and reefs offering as subjects the wrecks of Abu Nuhas and the Thistlegorm and the spectacular reefs of Ras Mohammed and Tiran. Jeff Goodman is also running Video & Editing Workshops for Oonas at the Red Sea Diving Safari camp at Marsa Shagra.

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Longwood Holidays

With their long-time association with compact camera guru, Maria Munn, Longwood are offering a series land-based photo workshops at Nuweiba in Egypt in April and June 2010 Maria's workshops are specifically designed for compact camera shooters. Stuart Philpott's Taba based workshops are planned for January, April, July and October 2010.

Ocean Visions

Maria Munn's Ocean Visions photo workshops fills the niche for compact camera users. Maria runs frequent UK based course at venues in Oxford and at her home in Bromley, Kent as well as those in Nuweiba. Maria was also showing off examples of her canvas, acrylic and aluminum photo printing.

Maria Munn talking compact cameras

Maria was overwhelmed by the amount of interest in her new book which will be launched early next year titled "Underwater Photography for Beginners." The book is aimed at both beginners and intermediates at showing how anyone with a simple point-and-shoot underwater camera and housing can get stunning results as well as using more advanced techniques using lenses and strobes. Maria used to live in Florida, USA and set up the first ever Field Station for the Reef Environmental Education Foundation in Latin America which was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico back in 2004. She now spends her time between the UK and California, USA and will be attending Beneath the Sea and Long Beach Shows next year.

Maria Munn's forthcoming Compact Camera Book

The Underwater Channel

The Underwater Channel were shooting highlights of DIVE 2009 with presenters John McIntyre and Miranda Krestovnikoff for broadcast online on 1st November 2009.

Catch DIVE 2009 highlights on UP

The Shark Trust

Winners and finalists in the Sharks in Focus competition were announced at DIVE 2009 with an impressive stand showcasing 35 of their superb images. Richard Pierce and Ali Hood from the Shark Trust were there along with the sponsors of Sharks in Focus who comprised; Light and Motion UK, Cameras Underwater, Canon, Ocean Optics, Fourth Element, O'Three, Scuba Travel, Fuji Film, Suunto and Simply Scuba.com

Sponsors of the Sharks in Focus photo competition

Visions in the Sea 2009 at the Frogfish Photography Stand

'Visions' promises to be one of the UK major underwater photography events in 2009 and was being promoted at DIVE 2009 by the event's organisers Orca Divers and Ocean Optics. Hosted in Manchester on 7th and 8th November the line-up of top speakers comprises Cathy Church, Paul "Duxy" Duxfield, Martin Edge, Charlie Hood, Maria Munn, Dr Alex Mustard, Jukka Nurminen, Mark Koekemoer and Peter Scoones.

Ocean Optics

This year Steve Warren was showcasing INON's products to support their growing dealer network in the UK. Quizzing Steve about INON's response to the growing prevalence of 28mm lens (35mm film equivalent) compacts, Steve showed me the UWL-128 which addresses this change. Interestingly, the UWL-128 not only accepts the INON dome unit, a popular accessory on the UWL-100 but its addition adds to the surface field of view rather than just restoring it, making this perhaps the wide angle lens of choice for the new generation of compacts.

Steve was also promoting the INON Underwater Photography Academy which certifies INON distributors in the UK to conduct INON underwater photography courses. Steve retains a high degree of control in order that standards are maintained. At their Essex base, Ocean Optics has created artificial reef and wreck scenes in a heated six metre deep pool which supports the INON UPA courses and provides a facility for individuals to practice photographic techniques.

INON Underwater Photography Academy

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Blanford Sub Aqua

Blanford were exhibiting Bonica's Snap-HDDV dual housing video system. The first silicone sock housing offers waterproofing to 4 metres and probably some shock protection too. Fitting the second hard housing takes this depth rating to 50 metres. The camera is Bonica's own and shoots 720 HD, 5 mp stills and sports manual white balance and seems to be a competent entry level system.

The Bonica Snap-HDDV Video System

Graham Tottle, Bonica's UK importer, was keen to show me their brand new 6 LED video light. Powered by 8 on-board AA's this heavy unit's chassis owes more than a passing resemblance to the Remora strobe featured on the Fantasea Line and Fuji stand. I'd take a guess that the same factory is involved in manufacturing both. This video light's beam is even and reasonably wide without any hotspots and would probably illuminate a 80-100 degree wide angle adapter lens quite well. The beam intensity is adjustable and would therefore be suitable for macro subjects too. Bonica will be showing this lamp at DEMA.

Graham Tottle of Bonica with his new video light

Light & Motion UK

Showing off Bluefin's new Sony CX520 / 500 housing ahead of DEMA, Stephen Mawle treated me gently, spoke in words of one syllable and did his best to explain this housings innovations. I don't shoot video but the complete and programmable remote infra red control this housing provides was impressive. It'll be at DEMA so I'll let someone far more able than me comment on this housing.

Nautical Archaeological Society

The NAS summer school in August 2010 is offering a five day course which combines an Introduction, and Part I with a Part III course in videography including sessions on shooting video underwater and processing footage to create a DVD. Video equipment is provided.

The Nautical Archaeological Society at DIVE 2009

Analox Sensor Technology Ltd

Gas analyzing technology specialists Analox are running a photo competition with a Fuji Finepix F200 EXR as the prize. Photographs can be entered either in printed form, or on a CD or USB flash drive. The competition is also open to anyone not able to attend DIVE 2009.

Presentations and Seminars

Not an exhaustive list of all DIVE 2009's events and only those which I managed to fit in over the two days of the show.

Mark Addison - High Definition Sharks.

Mark presented a collection of Charles Maxwell's latest and truly impressive HD footage from South African waters. Charles' sardine run sequences were packed with adrenaline and previously unseen high-energy predation. Equally impressive were cameos of blue and mako sharks, kelp forests, cowsharks and seals, white sharks and tigers which included tigers feeding on a (dead) turtle and the work of the Shark Angels.

Mark rounded off his presentation with promo footage of 'The Secret of Shark Rock' a not to be missed investigation into the multiple aggregations of sharks on the Aliwal Shoal

Cameras Underwater - Simple Solutions for Stunning Results

With his Cameras Underwater hat on, Paul 'Duxy' Duxfield presented the basics of image improvement to a keenly interested audience of compact camera users. Most were users of the most basic of systems; a compact and OEM housing, and Duxy concentrated on the advantages of white balancing jpg images and the addition of wide angle adapters rather that promoting the use of strobes.

Maria Munn - Fabulous Photography with your Compact Camera

Maria's niche is with the compact and her presentations are always full of easy to understand advice and encouragement

Paul 'Duxy' Duxfield and Saeed Rashid - Digital Clinic

To a packed audience of largely compact users, Saeed and Duxy's presentation commenced with similar material to Duxy's earlier lecture but quickly delved into the workings of Adobe Lightroom and made useful comparisons with Photoshop. Saeed lectures professionally on Adobe image processing software and fielded any enquiry with ease though I was intrigued that both advocated white balancing when shooting available light RAW images.

Author: Tim Moran

Tim (Timmoranuk) started diving more than twenty years ago but took up with an underwater camera system in only the past four and now is inseparable from his Canon G9, Ikelite and INON glass. Christopher (Cjmoranuk), is Tim's twelve year old son and frequently partners Tim on his Egyptian Red Sea safaris. CJ also sports a G9 system like his father's and both father and son share a Flickr site. Tim recently contributed a series of Red Sea trip reports to Wetpixel:

• red sea trip report 1
• red sea trip report 2
• red sea trip report 3