Giant Squid Ecotourism Trips Draw Scuba Divers to Mexico’s Sea of Cortez February 15, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Photography , add a commentI received this press release today, and it interested me enough to help get the word out, although the video I’m not too sure about as it does not seem to me that the scuba divers are treating these creatures with respect.
The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society are conducting a seminar, “Dancing with the Demons,” a 90-minute presentation about scuba diving with the Giant Humboldt Squid of Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. This presentation will also feature the premier of the 45-minute, never-before-seen, high-resolution documentary “Demonio Rojo,” (Red Demon), produced by Dale Pearson and Scott Cassell of San Diego’s Seawolves Unlimited, the only ecotourism company in world that offers scuba diving trips to dive with the most dangerous and unpredictable sea creature on Earth. A 60-second video exerpt from “Demonio Rojo” can be found at http://209.242.151.5/seawolves/dancingwithdemons.wmv
With a legendary ferocity, the Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas), which grow to over six feet in length and weigh over 180-pounds, are armed with huge sucker disks lined with over 60,000 teeth that can shred a wetsuit, and their knife-edged beak can gouge out a softball-sized chunk of flesh in 3 seconds. Combined with their extraordinary intelligence and wolf pack-like hunting abilities, keeping an upper hand while scuba diving with these animals is a challenge. These magnificent cephalopods feed on nearly every animal they encounter, including sharks, pelagic fish, krill, mammals, other squid (they are fierce cannibals), and even man. In order to safely dive with the Humboldt Squid, Seawolves Unlimited uses diver protection platforms, chain maille-covered and/or custom-made armored wet suits, and other systems to safely peer into the lair of one of Earth’s most mysterious creatures.
The “Dancing with the Demons,” seminar will take place on Friday, March 10, 2006, at 7:30 p.m.
Location: New Vision United Methodist Church, 450 Chadbourne Avenue, Millbrae, CA 94030 – located only ten minutes south of the San Francisco International Airport.
Waterproof Housing for scuba divers using the Nikon Coolpix P1 & P2 February 2, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Photography , add a commentDue for release in mid February is a new waterproof housing for the Nikon Coolpix P1 and P2 cameras, developed by Fantasea Line, says Photo Review Australia.
The housing is waterproof to 40mtrs, and is expected to retail for around $279 (AUS) From the picture it looks very similar to other models in the Fantasea range and is likely to have access to most, if not all, menu controls and settings.
All Fantasea Housings come with “Flood Insurance” protection for the equipment they contain. In the event of accidental water leakage, the camera inside will be replaced.
New Olympus Mu 720 invites rough and tumble, ideal for scuba divers February 2, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Photography , add a commentThe Olympus ‘Mu’ range of camera’s expand the number of cameras a scuba diver can choose from when looking for a new camera.
There are three Mju models in the range – the 700, 720 SW and the 810. They’re all sleek, high quality models, but the deceptively rugged 720 held the gaze of Stuffmag.co.uk
It’s shockproof to Military Standard which means it can be dropped from a height of 1.5 mtrs. It’s also waterproof to 3 metres and with the optional PT-033 underwater case will withstand depths of up to 40m. A few of the camera’s 24 scene modes are specifically for underwater photography so it has been designed with underwater photography in mind..
It also has a 7.1 million pixel CCD, a 3x optical zoom and Olympus’s Bright Capture Technology – which makes the 6.4cm LCD screen 400% brighter than your average LCD and also reduces the need for flash in low light.
The 720 comes in pink, blue or silver (as pictured above) and will be available from March for £300.
As for the other Mu’s, the 700 has pretty similar specs to the 720 SW, but without all the hardcore bits – it’s weatherproof not waterproof so don’t chuck it around, it’ll break. Being a mere mortal of a camera it’s a little cheaper at £230. The 810 is slightly pricier at £330, but with an 8MP image sensor it’s gonna be.
Olympus Evolt E-330 Digital SLR Underwater Housing available Spring 2006 January 27, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Photography , add a comment
Olympus are making big noises about their new digital SLR, the Evolt E-330, which comes complete with a 2.5″ LCD ‘Live View’ screen. Basically the camera has an LCD screen which can flip out underneath and away from the camera so pictures can be taken easier when holding the camera at different angles, such as holding the camera above your head to take a picture over a crowd of people. So what does this mean for underwater photographers? The LCD screen is described as being larger and brighter than most other Digital SLR’s in its class, and an underwater housing will soon be available from Olympus.
An underwater housing for the EVOLT E-330 that will enable users to enjoy underwater SLR shooting is planned for release in the spring of 2006. Easy to set up, it offers waterproof protection up to a depth of over 196 feet (60 meters). The Live View LCD is ideal for underwater photography because it’s much easier to compose on the EVOLT E-330’s large, bright LCD when under water rather than using the optical viewfinder. And, with three scene select modes for underwater wide, underwater macro and underwater wide-angle auto exposures, the E-330 is designed to perform optimally in the deep.
Nikon D2X and Subal Underwater Housing Scuba Review January 23, 2006
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Photography , add a commentEamon Hickey, from robgalbraith.com writes about Alex’s initial underwater sessions with the Nikon D2X, the latest digital SLR from Nikon. Having previously used the Nikon D100, Alex says
“The D2X is better pixel-to-pixel than the D100 by a clear margin, and it’s got twice as many of those pixels,”, “Another thing that I think is a massive advantage to the D2X is the large viewing screen,” he continues.
The Nikon D2x has a 12.21 million pixel output and is a big camera, which can be a disadvantage whilst using it in the ocean, but these fears where unfounded;
“What worried me initially was it’s a big camera, and for underwater photography a good small camera is always better than a good big camera.” It’s a simple fact that a large apparatus is harder to push through the water than a small one. But after you’ve added the housing, underwater flashes, and the brackets for those flashes to the D2X, “you don’t really notice the size of the camera anyway,” the photographer says.
Alex uses the 10.5 mm Fisheye lens and the 105mm AF Micro lens with his DX2, allowing him to take shots from close range with the fish eye for wide angle picturs and use the 105 for macro shots. Alex also sets up his camera to take simultaneous RAW images and JPEGS, the JPEGS being used for quick viewing and initial editing.
The D2X’s overall color and tonality are very nice, Mustard says, but if you give the subject too much light the camera “has a tendency, particularly in Color Mode III JPEGs, to slightly oversaturate some of the colors. You can get to the point where the saturation is starting to cut into the detail. But that’s not so much a problem in RAW.”
Alex is very keen on the Subal range of housings and he is delighted with the housing for the DX2, and as well as the nice ergonomics of the housing, the Subal offers the ability to access nearly all the camera’s functions, including menu settings.
It is a great article and includes many hints and tips for anyone looking at this flagship camera and housing combination.
Tips for underwater holiday photography December 30, 2005
Posted by Andy Carroll in : Photography , add a commentI saw this nice little piece today on beginning underwater photography. It might be useful for those just starting out on what is a fantastic hobby. and a great way to compliment your scuba diving.
Its a nice introduction to some of the basic considerations needed when purchasing and using a camera underwater.
The magic of underwater photography is that you never know which moment of sea life you manage to freeze in a frame. A memory card might almost be full of blurry, unrecognizable images, but one or two pictures taken from situations you never expected anything, can pleasantly surprise a holiday photographer.
