Having recently written about installing the o-Turtle trigger into a Nauticam housing, I’ve now had a go with a UWT internal trigger for the Nauticam NA-OM1 housing. UWT describes it as the 11072-22-HSS TTL-Converter for NAUTICAM for OLYMPUS/ OM SYSTEM.

The UWT trigger arrives in a bubble-wrap envelope in a small cardboard box. No frills functional. It consists of a small electronics board with two LEDs and a cable leading to a hot shoe connector. The manual explains that strobes are selected through a small click-dial (just visible in the bottom right of the picture). That is the whole of the setup. There is no battery with power being drawn, I guess, from the camera. The trigger provides Manual, TTL and, with the right strobes, HSS initiation.

The manual explains that, no surprise, the board is fixed to the housing bulkhead so that the two LEDs shine through the housing fibre optic ports. Unlike other UWT boards (eg for Subal - which uses two screws), the fastening is achieved by two strips of double-sided tape which are pre-installed on the trigger board. “Simply” peel back the tape, and push into place.

Full details are here:

https://uwtechnics.com/product/11072-22-hss-ttl-converter-for-olympus-for-nauticam-underwater-housings-na-om1-em1-iii-em10-iv-em1x-em5-ii-em-5-iii-om1/

Installation seemed simple, but having experienced initial placement failure with the o-Turtle, I was more than slightly nervous about sticking the UWT board in place. After hours of thought, I used a very soft pencil (3B) to draw two straight lines on the inside of the housing which ran vertically through the LED ports; and single a horizontal line across the LED ports. The lines were longer than the size of the board so that they could be seen even with the board in place. The lines meant the alignment of the LED ports was visible even when the board hid them.

Then, with the camera installed in the housing and strobes plugged in to the bulkheads, I pushed the connector on to the camera hot shoe and watched how the cable allowed the electronics board to drop onto the bulkhead. Moving the board around slightly it was still possible to see the guide marks. Holding the board with a finger in what seemed the correct position, the shutter trigger was pulled - and bingo - the strobes fired. Yay!

Couple more trial goes followed just to make sure.  Then removing the protective film from the sticky pads on the board and, again, using the pencil marks for alignment, I secured the board into place. Wiping the beads of sweat off my forehead, I pulled the trigger a few times and my Retras happily flashed away.

Playing around, Manual and TTL were a breeze. HSS took a little while to discover the settings needed on the OM-1ii but that was soon going too.

Using a UWT trigger on a Nikon/Subal system for over a decade proved very reliable. Any problems and Pavel, who is Mr UWT, is a tremendous source of help. Now based in Taiwan, UWT triggers are available by mail order or from the usual underwater photography dealers.

Panasonic achieved a result that Apple, Sony and Nikon did not.

The Japanese Intellectual Property High Court invalidated a major RED patent concerning raw video files. RED had historically used this patent to demand licensing fees and stop competitors. Nikon initially challenged the patent in court but purchased RED before a ruling and dropped the case. When Panasonic recently challenged the same patent in Japan, Nikon defended the claims it had previously opposed. The court ultimately rejected the patent and ruled it invalid.

DPReview

Having bought a Nauticam housing and OM System OM-1ii recently as the base of my new underwater camera setup, I needed an LED trigger to fire the strobes.

Although I havn’t used TTL underwater for many years, I did want HSS as I often include the sunball when shooting wide-angle.  This usually requires high shutter speed to avoid exposure burn outs.

HSS options for an OM trigger seemed to boil down to the Turtle or UWT. The Nauticam flash trigger, although an attractive option, doesn’t provide HSS.

I’ve been a fan of UWT for many years as it proved highly reliable on my late-lamented Subal/Nikon system and the man behind UWT, Pavel, is very helpful if the need arises.

The o-Turtle 3 (Manual /HSS and TTL/HSS models are available) has the slight advantage of being produced in the EU (Hungary) and the man behind that product, Balazs, is also super helpful.  Both Pavel and Balazs are well-known to Waterpixels and their posts much-appreciated.

The o-Turtle comes packed in a very neat travel case which contains all the parts: the electronics box, a small wired connector with two LEDs which push into two small circular plastic discs,  and double-sided circular tape patches to fasten the plastic disks onto the optical bulkheads. An extra battery is also provided plus a USB-C to C cable and, nice touch, a USB-C to USB-A adaptor. All in all, a very neat package.

Full details are here: https://www.trt-electronics.com/shop/o-turtle-3-manual-mobie-trigger-with-99-cd-leds/69/

Installation is relatively straight-forward. Download the relevant Turtle app  from the usual App stores, connect the electronics box to your PC or Mac, choose the strobes you plan to use - and the app uploads the relevant firmware. Job done. See the link for more details.

https://www.trt-electronics.com/content/media/docs/o-turtle-3-smart-user-manual.pdf

Fitting the system into the housing is pretty easy too. Turtle have a video on YouTube to help if necessary. Slide the electronics box onto the camera hotshoe, stick the sticky disks over the strobe bulkheads, insert the LEDs, plug them into the electronics box… and pretty much, voila.

I would suggest a small note of caution with one element of the installation which the video does not highlight. Many housing interiors are black, as are the Turtle LED plastic mounting disks, as is the double-sided sticky tape with which you stick the plastic disks over the strobe bulkheads. Not surprisingly alignment is critical and it’s not so easy amid all that blackness. I have to admit my first attempt resulted in the strobes not getting sufficient light to fire. Doh.

What worked for me was:

1. Remove the LEDs from the plastic disks

2. Fix one of the sticky patches to the bulkhead side of a plastic disk.

3. Lie the housing bulkhead-side down on top of a smartphone torch with the light shining through the bulkhead. This makes aligning the plastic disc MUCH easier. Stick the sticky patch in place.

4. Remove the sticky protector cover from the bulkhead-side of the sticky patch, centre the plastic disk over the bulkhead using the light from the torch to get an accurate position and push into place

5. Then insert the LED into the back of the plastic disk.

6. And repeat for the second LED/disk.

Once the disks were in the right place (!), the strobes fired like a charm. Phew.

I thought some readers might find this helpful…….

You may have read or seen pictures of the fire that broke out in the Maldives on the Emperor Explorer liveaboard on 9 May. My partner and I were on it as part of a group of 25.

Like many members, we’ve been lucky enough to have been on lots of liveaboards. During the pre-departure safety briefing we were given the usual advice:  If an alarm sounds do not return to our cabins to collect stuff: head immediately to the muster station by the dive platform; put together a grab bag in case of emergencies: passport, phone, medication. All sensible stuff. Heard it all before.

After 6 days of diving, relaxed and happy, we returned to the harbour at Hulhumale around midday. Moored up, the usual ritual of gear washing and packing. We were to disembark at 7am next morning. At about 4.30pm we assembled on the sundeck for the classic group photo. A few of our group of 25 then left on the vessel's dhoni for a shore visit.

A few minutes later, enjoying the view from the sundeck, we heard the fire alarm. False alarm obviously but we began to make our way slowly to the rear of the sundeck and down the stairs. Laughing and joking. There was a smell of smoke and burning. Odd.

Down another flight of stairs to the muster station to see several of the crew with fire extinguishers. So there was a fire. It didn’t seem a big deal and the crew would soon have it under control, of course. Crew members running past us with more fire extinguishers, a kitchen hand went by with a bucket filled with kitchen scraps - so obviously the fire was not a major issue if the kitchen was still operating.

The scraps went into the ocean, the bucket joined many others being filled with water..... then flames shot out across the dive platform. This was real. Shouts for pumps. Crew running. Guests and crew yelling for neighbouring boats to come and pick us up. Most stayed clear but one dhoni approached cautiously and nudged its bow into our starboard stern. The Cruise Director yelling everyone to get off the boat and on to the dhoni.

It took seconds to vault, leap, jump on board. The dhoni pulled away quickly. Within 2-3 minutes the whole of Emperor Explorer was engulfed in flames. Some of the crew leaped off the bow of the boat into the ocean.

Everyone survived the experience. Not one I’d recommend.

So what is the point of recounting this tale?

Firstly, if you hear the alarm on a liveaboard PLEASE do not be tempted to yawn and turn over. Move. Curse afterwards if it's a false alarm. Give thanks if it was.

Secondly, resist the temptation to nip back to your cabin to collect your valuables or that grab bag. I thought about it, saw a bit of smoke in the salon that led to our cabin and decided not to try. I would not have got out if I had. Do not try and get your stuff. Get Out.

Third, on a liveaboard with large amounts of fibreglass and combustibles, the speed that fire moves is breathtaking. The smoke generated is thick, black and choking. Do not try to go to your cabin to get your stuff. Yeah, I know, I’ve made that point already. From whiffs of smoke to utter conflagration was something like 8 minutes. Fire can rage in places you can’t see.

We lost all our camera gear, all our underwater camera stuff, all our dive gear, passports, iPhones, iPads, chargers, clothes, bags, cash. Everything.  If we had returned to our cabin we would likely have lost our lives.

It took a week to get emergency travel documents and get everyone in the group heading home. The Emperor team in Male were terrific: shoes, clothes, money, food, accommodation, mobile phone and credit were all whistled up. Thanks Anna and Jordy. Impressive performance.

Permit me to make one final point: do not go back to your cabin to get your stuff. Get Out.

Don’t ever say you have not been warned.

It's almost hard to keep up with the updates. Version 15.5 for LR Classic now available.

Adobe report the update: "includes enhanced crop tool, mask refinements, render to DNG option, support for newly released cameras and lenses, bug fixes, and more".

On a recent dive trip I met someone who is writing a dissertation on people who are 50+ and diving.

If you are interested in contributing, the following is a link to a simple questionnaire which takes about 5 minutes to complete. I've become paranoid about online scams, phishing etc. But this looks fine and I know the author - and the information gathered is pretty innocuous.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=e3VPRDDLUkaTvMqNbR74E5Cna1DJ6d1KvM2oRz5_gAdUM0Y3UEpYTkZERDJON09aNENVSEs2V1ZOMS4u

DIY Fibre Optic cables

Like most members, when I bought my first system that used fibre optic cables, I paid for the ones that the dealers sell.

Reading various articles about fibre optics, I realised later that they were relatively easy to make and that DIY cables could cost a fraction of shop-bought. I gave it a go.

I thought it worth a write-up here on Waterpixels. And yes, they are really easy to make and are cheap.

The Cable

The best fibre I have found for strobe cables is called 613-core Fused Multi-core Simplex Cable, Polyethylene Jacket- MCQ-1000.  Bit of a mouthful!

A meter will cost about $7.50 and that should make at least two cables. A couple of years ago we coordinated an order between a group of forum members and bought 86 metres (!) from Industrial Fiber Optics in Tempe, Arizona. It was a bit of a shock when it arrived on a huge cable drum!

Cutting

The 613-core fibre is easy to cut using a sharp, box cutter-style blade (a Stanley knife to we Brits). Don’t be tempted (as I did to start with) to use a pair of scissors as that is likely to result in not quite a clean 90-degree angle. Although this will probably work fine for Manual initiation, TTL needs more accuracy and a scissor-cut can impact on the cable’s transmission quality for TTL purposes.

You can buy purpose-built fibre optic cable cutters but unless you are going into mass production, they are not really necessary.

Curling

If you really insist on having curly cables, cut to length and then curl the cable on a pencil and dip in hot water for a while. I found though that my shop-bought curly ones were a pain and lead to strained and tugged cables. Go with straight and feed them through the strobe arms.

Fittings

Various plugs (or “bushes”) are available for either or both ends of the cable. Inon make a double hole plug - available from Divervision for $1.95. Howshot make an “Adapter L bush” for the massive cost of $3.95. I use an Inon plug at the strobe end and a Howshot at the housing end.

None of these fittings need any complicated assembly, glue, heat, soldering or magic. Simply push the cable into a hole.  In the case of the Howshots, poke, bend and tighten a screw. Truly not rocket science.

In conclusion

I made a bunch of cables, they have done hundreds of dives and work like a charm.

One of the really neat things about DIY cables is that you can have any length you want - including creating an extra long one for off-housing work. If by chance they break, just recut at the break  - or just cut a new one.

The cost of a complete cable, less than $10. The sense of achievement, priceless.

Give it a go!

Another update from Adobe for Lightroom Classic.

Some details courtesy of the Lightroom Queen:

1. All Versions: Keyword Sync! Yes, between the Cloud Ecosystem and Classic! How long have we been asking for this?! As well as our June release blog, see our special post How do I sync keywords?

2. Classic:  new native duplicate detection added

3. Classic & Desktop: Assisted Culling refinements and additional options with faces

4. All versions: dramatic improvement in Subject Masking (see example below)

5. Classic: Denoise now uses the Apple Neural Engine (vast speed improvements!)

6. Desktop: interactive Histogram added

7. iOS, iPadOS & Android: Quick Actions - Blemishes adds new manual touch-up to Skin

8. iOS & iPadOS: Map View and Editing

9. iOS & iPadOS: Keyboard Shortcuts (our list updated)

10. Desktop: Custom Color Labels

11. Classic: Filter/Smart Collection Updates

12. Classic: Canon tethering has been rewritten as a native plugin

13. Desktop: Topaz AI Sharpening

And then ChatGPT tells that version 15.4 brings:

1. Native Duplicate Finder

This is probably the headline feature for photographers with large catalogs.

Lightroom Classic can now identify duplicate images using image fingerprinting rather than just filenames, helping find duplicates even if files have been renamed. For people returning from dive trips with multiple backups and card copies, this could save a lot of catalog cleanup time. (Reddit)

2. Improved Assisted Culling

Adobe's AI-assisted culling is now out of beta and has improved facial analysis, including better detection of blinking and closed eyes in group shots. It's primarily aimed at event and wedding photographers but can help sort large image sets more quickly. (Digital Camera World)

3. Better Select Subject Masking

The latest Select Subject model handles difficult edges more accurately:

• Fine hair

• Complex outlines

• Overlapping subjects

• Intricate details

Adobe also added finer control for subject-mask refinement. (Digital Camera World)

4. Faster AI Denoise on Apple Silicon

If you're on an M-series Mac, Adobe has optimized Denoise to use the Neural Engine more effectively, with reports of significantly faster processing times. (Reddit)

5. Windows Performance Improvements

Adobe specifically worked on brush and masking responsiveness for Windows users, addressing some long-standing lag issues when using adjustment brushes and masks. (Reddit)

6. AI Edit Tracking

Lightroom continues expanding its handling of AI-powered edits, including better identification of images containing AI edits and prompts to update AI processing when required. (Adobe Help Center)

For underwater photography

The updates I'd care about most are:

1. Duplicate Finder — great after a liveaboard when you've copied cards to multiple SSDs and accidentally re-imported folders.

2. Improved Select Subject — useful for isolating divers, fish, turtles, or subjects against busy reef backgrounds.

3. Faster Denoise — especially valuable if you're shooting high ISO on wrecks, caves, or darker UK dives.

For someone shooting an OM-1 or similar underwater setup, I'd say 15.4 is more of a workflow/performance release than a major editing release. There's nothing as transformative as when Denoise or Reflection Removal first arrived, but the Duplicate Finder alone may be worth the upgrade if you manage large dive-trip catalogs. (Reddit)

.... and another update to LR Classic. This to version 15.4.1

Adobe report this as: "includes improved Subject Masking, Keyword Sync to Cloud, upgraded Assisted Culling, Duplicate Detection, a Background Process Indicator, Al-focused metadata filters, performance improvements, support for newly released cameras and lenses, bug fixes, and more.

Available from the usual places

There's yet another update to LR Classic - to version 15.3.

According to the Adobe website, this includes background Al feature processing, performance improvements, a new Al culling model, PSB file sync support, film-inspired presets, support for opening images in Firefly Boards, support for newly released cameras and lenses, bug fixes, and more.

Hard to keep up with all the updates!