News

Issue 140 of the excellent Underwater photography Magazine, UWP, is now available.   https://www.uwpmag.com/

The San Diego Undersea Film Festival has released the screening schedule of films in competition for 2024. The screenings will be held at Qualcomm Hall (5775 Morehouse Drive) Friday, October 4th (7pm) & Saturday, October 5th (5:30pm) 2024. Moreover, many of the competition videos will be available for viewing online on October 7.   https://www.sdufex.com/2024-festival-schedule    

X-Ray Mag 126 Released     https://xray-mag.com/magazines/127    

Nikon announced today firmware upgrades to v3.70 from 3.60 for the Z6 and Z7 models. As far as I can see this upgrade is for the Z6 and Z7 only and not the Z6II or Z7II - nor the Z6III   Nikon's website says the update will:   Changed the default values for the following settings displayed when connecting wirelessly: - Encryption keys - The password displayed after the camera's default settings are restored • Fixed an issue that would

U39 · Jul/Aug 2024 Visit https://www.uwpmag.com to download.      Editorial   Competitions, RIP Martin Edge RIP Martin Edge  by Alex Mustard  News, Travel & Events 2024 Monterey Shootout - August 23-25, 2024 Inaugural Underwater Awards Australasia Imaging Competition Reef Species of the World Bunaken Oasis 2025 Photography Workshop with Alex Tattersall ‘Word on the Reef’ podcast

In a move likely to be embraced by DIY camera enthusiasts, Nikon has introduced a new portal providing repair manuals and parts for self-repair of their cameras. This represents a notable change from Nikon's previous stance of not supplying spare parts to independent repair shops. The new portal offers consumers detailed information on repairing Nikon cameras, including step-by-step instructions, troubleshooting guides, and comprehensive parts lists. Currently, only the 28-400mm F4-8 VR len

A further update to Lightroom Classic arrived on my system this morning, v13.3.1. It describes itself simply as "Bug Fixes".   The updated loaded without a hitch......   Details are here: https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/help/whats-new.html  

https://xray-mag.com/magazines/126     https://xray-mag.com/magazines/126

Adobe have announced upgrades to Lightroom with Classic moving on to v13.3.   Improvements to Lens Blur and an AI-supported "Generative Remove" feature seem to be the main changes. Additionally there is a new Filter by Exported Images option as well as upgrades to Sync Performance and Tethered Shooting with a Sony. Adobe's list of changes is below.   I loaded the update on to my Mac Studio this afternoon and all seems fine......          

U38 · May/Jun 2024 https://www.uwpmag.com     Editorial   Lens nirvana, Hybrid history, Concentration & Blackwater business News, Travel & Events   Baja Mexico Sardine Run & Diving Cabo Pulmo Bali Workshop With Alex Tattersall Bikini Atoll – Pacific Master  Underwater Portrait Photography Workshop Raja Ampat Underwater Photography Workshop  with Tim Laman and Zafer Kizilkaya

Nikon have announced a firmware upgrade for the Z8 to v 2.0.1   This tackles various bugs including a "green colour cast occurring with some pictures taken". 

Product Features Fast-aperture ultra wide-angle zoom lens Compact and light weight Outstanding optical performance MOD of 0.15m (5.9”) and maximum magnification ratio of 1:4 High performance autofocus RXD stepping motor for both still and video use [1] Di III-A: For APS-C format mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras [2] The full-frame equivalent of 17.6-32mm.   Tamron Co., Ltd. announces the development of TAMRON’s first CANON RF mount lens, 11-20mm F/2.8 Di II

The TIPA 2024 awards were announced today in the US and among the winners for best camera equipment of the year is Laowa's 10mm F/2.8 rectilinear full frame AF lens. Laowa announced this as an architectural, astro, landscape and portrait lens but it is also a fantastic underwater photography lens with an AOV of 130 degrees.  Attached are just a few photos from last weeks trip to the North Florida Springs. The 10mm is paired with the Sony A7R V in a Marelux housing with the Marelux 230mm dome po

https://xray-mag.com/magazines/125

Panasonic Announces Firmware Update to Improve the Shooting Experience and Sharing Functionality of LUMIX S5II and S5IIX.   S5II Firmware Version 3.0 / S5IIX Firmware Version 2.0   Enhancement of Production Workflows New Native Camera to Cloud Integration with Adobe’s Frame.io  Compatibility with Frame.io Camera to Cloud is now supported, enabling images and videos to be automatically uploaded, backed up, shared, and worked on jointly via the cloud. Recorded cont

Sony have announced major firmware upgrades for the a1, a9III, a7SIII and a7IV   According to the Sony press release, firmware v2.00 for the Sony a1 is perhaps the most extensive.    The Sony a7SIII and a7IV are upgraded to v3.00.   The Sony a9III will be upgraded to v2.00 which is expected to be available from 9 April. However if you live in the USA, availability is from April 9.

Nikon have announced firmware updates to their Z6ii and Z7ii cameras   According to the Nikon update page:   Changes from “C” Firmware Version 1.61 to 1.62   Changed the default values for the following settings displayed when connecting wirelessly: - Encryption keys - The password displayed after the camera's default settings are restored • Fixed the following issues: - In some cases, tapping the monitor woul

Nikon have just announced another firmware update for their flagship Z9 camera.   Although on the face of it, not especially helpful for u/w photographers, for sports and studio people, lots of interesting additions.   A full list is here: https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/516.html   Nikon's press release explains:   (Full details here: https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/0313_firmware_01.html)   TOKYO - Nikon Corpora

Nikon is aiming to broaden its presence in the cinematography industry. The company has disclosed its agreement to acquire Red, a cinematography camera manufacturer, which will operate as a fully-owned subsidiary of Nikon. Details regarding the terms and value of the acquisition were not revealed.   In its announcement, Nikon expressed its intention to utilize this acquisition to expand its footprint in the rapidly growing professional digital cinema camera market. By leveraging t

Divers24.com reports a fire, this time in the Red Sea, on the Sea Legends.   Keep an eye on those lithium batteries, people!

Reports have come in of another live aboard fire in Indonesia, this one in Raja Ampat, details are scant, however it was posted that every one got off the boat.  Only seems to have made Indonesian new channels so far, there is a link to a news page in Indonesian.   https://scubaboard.com/community/threads/raja-ampat-boat-fire-dive-boat.643793/   https://papua.jpnn.com/papua-terkini/2670/kapal-pesiar-terbakar-di-perairan-raja-ampat-bagaimana-kondisi-23-wisatawan

Edge sharpness with wide-angle lenses underwater  can be an issue especially for users of full-frame sensor camera bodies.   One solution to increasing edge sharpness, which has worked for some photographers, has been the Sea&Sea correction lens which came in 77mm and 82mm diameter options. But this lens disappeared from sale a little while ago.   Waterpixels member @Ido has been in contact with Sea&Sea and has been told that the company plan to make the lens availabl

The March/April edition of the excellent Underwater Photography magazine is now available    http://www.uwpmag.com/

The biggest trade fair for boats, diving (and underwater photography) in Germany traditionally takes place in January every year, BOOT in Düsseldorf. I can report on Nauticam (who shared the stand with PanOcean), Seafrogs, Seacam and GoPro, but of course only individual impressions. There were 3 Nauticam employees on site. One of the three FCPs currently available outside the factory was on display, along with the WACP-1, WACP-C and WWL-1b. I was particularly taken with this comparison.

https://xray-mag.com/magazines/123     https://xray-mag.com/magazines/123