Adobe have announced v 14.2 for Lightroom Classic.

New features are set out below,

DEMA (The Diving Equipment & Marketing Association) show begins on Tuesday November 19th in Las Vegas. Marelux will have a booth in the imaging section where participants can see and handle the latest equipment including the excellent Apollo III & Apollo S strobes. I used the Apollo S strobes for 65 dives and now over 12,000 images on a recent trip to Bali. I will be in the booth along with Stanley and Bella, we will be happy to answer your questions and demo any equipment of interest. If you are at the show please stop by booth #7125 and say hello.

It's worth a read of the link to Dive Magazine's article on the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch report on Red Sea liveaboard incidents.

The report makes for sobering reading: 16 boats lost in 5 years.

https://divemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025-SB1-RedSeaDiveBoats.pdf

The Dutch dive show, Duikvaker, was held in Houten on 1-2 February.

The German boat show which includes diving, Boot, is massive in comparison, but Duikvaker being purely diving is, as a result, very manageable.  Many of the dive companies who exhibited at Boot were at Duikvaker so a large array of equipment was there both from distributors and dealers to poke, prod, try on and lust over. I was very tempted by the heated vests from Venture Heat! 

PADI ran its annual Member Forum and explained that they had increased their commitment to Duikvaker and intended to continue with that.

A good number of photographic equipment manufacturers, distributors and dealers attended including Sea and Sea, Seacam, Anchor Dive Lights, Onderwaterhuis and SeaLife.

Sorry, still no sign of that underwater unicorn, the Inon Z-xxx

If Houten, which is just south of Utrecht, is easier for you to reach than Dusseldorf, Duikvaker is worth a look for future years. More information about the show is here:

https://www.duikvaker.nl/en/

The annual German "Boot" show took place on 18-26 January. I visited on 25 January to see what might be new in the dive and underwater photography world and met up with other Waterpixelers.

I was also tasked with tracking down the new unicorn of the underwater photography world, the Inon Z-xxx

Boot is a massive show spread over 13 exhibition halls. It wouldn't be hard to spend a few million euros there - assuming you had them in the first place. Diving was maybe one and a half a halls with displays of wetsuits (lots of weird camouflage suits - what is that all about?) and posters showing muscled combat scuba divers, fast-roping from helicopters carrying waterproofed weapons. I'm yet to see one of one of my dive trips but who knows. Quite a few rebreather stands around as well plus the usual suspects, Scubapro, Cressi, SSI, PADI.  Lots of resorts: Raja Ampat, Lembeh, Egypt etc etc. And, as always, a few sellers of the critical doo-dads that we all need: clips, hooks, fancy tags etc etc.

Slightly disappointingly there wasn't so much to see from an u/w photo perspective: Nauticam, Seacam, Easydive and Divevolk either had a small stand or shared one with a distributor but that was pretty much it. Nauticam had their housing for the Nikon Z6III which, I thought , surprisingly big for such a small camera body. But, no, sorry, not a sniff of an Inon Z-xxx.

It was very good though to meet up with three other members, Maria, Hans and Chris. 

One thing I did notice which might be of interest was the growing number of dive propulsion vehicles (DPVs) including some very cool tiny ones. 

I'm off to the Dutch dive show next Saturday and will report back from there too.

Incredible though it may seem, Nikon have just announced a firmware upgrade to that much-loved Nikon D500.

The new version, 1.40: 

Changed the default password displayed on the connection menu after all the camera's settings were reset.

The upgrade is available here:

 

https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/544.html

A further update to Adobe Lightroom Classic is available: v14.1.1 

This follows soon after v 14.1.......

A new Nikon firmware update is available to v5.10

Nikon lists the changes as:

Note: The changes listed below under “Video Recording” and “Controls” are detailed in the Supplementary Firmware Update Manual.

Note: Due to the addition of new menu items, some Custom Settings menu items have been renumbered.

■ Video Recording

• • Hi-Res Zoom is now available when the image area is set to “DX”.
• • Added a [Power/Hi-Res Zoom collab]* item to the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] in position of g10.
• • Added a [Shutter mode] item to the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] in position of g13.
• • Added [Zebra pattern color] to g15 [Zebra pattern] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].
• • Added options for customizing the brightness information display to g18 [Brightness information display] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].

* This feature may be available with NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ lenses (as of November 2024).

■ Controls

• • Added [Save and load power zoom position]* to f2 [Custom controls (shooting)] and g2 [Custom controls] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].
• • Added a [Zoom ring control (PZ lens)]* item to the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] in position of f10.
• • Custom Settings f12 and g9 in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] is now [Assign power zoom]. In addition, [Power zoom speed] has been divided into two items: [Power zoom speed (zoom buttons)] and [Power zoom speed (zoom switch)]*.
• • The following items can now be saved and loaded using [Save/load menu settings] in the [SETUP MENU]:
  • - [Location data (built-in)] > [Record location data] in the setup menu
  • - [Retouch] > [Customize retouch options] in the playback “i” menu (from “C” firmware version 5.00).

* This feature may be available with NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ lenses (as of November 2024).

■ Other Changes

• • Added [Power zoom speed (zoom buttons)] to the roles assignable to the “i” menu via [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU] > f1 and g1 [Customize <i> menu].
• • Fixed the following issues:
  • - The camera would sometimes stop responding if the [C30] high-speed frame capture + option was selected for [Release mode] and the shutter-release button was pressed halfway shortly after zooming in the monitor shooting display (live view).
  • - Pressing the AF-ON button did not end the zoomed-in display in manual focus when:
    • ▸ The AF-ON button was set to either [AF-ON] or [AF-area mode + AF-ON], and
    • ▸ [ON] was selected for d19 or g17 [Half-press to cancel zoom (MF)] in the [CUSTOM SETTINGS MENU].
  • - The viewfinder and monitor shooting displays (live view) sometimes caused overexposures when the standby timer had expired and reactivated.
  • - In rare circumstances, photos would be overexposed when taken using [Recall shooting functions (hold)] assigned to a custom control.
  • - Buffer capacity sometimes dropped with some CFexpress memory cards.
  • - In rare circumstances, the camera would stop responding or the viewfinder and monitor shooting displays (live view) would be corrupted after burst photography when:
    • ▸ [ON] was selected for [Photo flicker reduction] in [PHOTO SHOOTING MENU].
  • - RAW videos recorded under the following conditions would appear too bright when played back with compatible computer software.
    • ▸ Either [N-RAW 12-bit (NEV)] or [ProRes RAW HQ 12-bit (MOV)] was selected for [Video file type] and [SDR] for [Tone mode].
    • ▸ ISO 100 or below was selected for [ISO sensitivity settings].
  • - In slow network speed environments, the camera would be slower to respond when zoomed in or out on photos while uploading to the FTP server if:
    • ▸ [ON] was selected for [Connect to FTP server] > [Options] > [Auto upload] in [NETWORK MENU], or
    • ▸ An option other than [Off] was selected for [Connect to FTP server] > [Options] > [Upload in HEIF format] in [NETWORK MENU].

At their DEMA booth, Keldan showed their new tiny RC2 wireless remote control. Designed for minimal size and weight. Range up to 2-3m. It is compatible with all KELDAN remote controllable lights.

Keldan have also updated their 4X light. The new version 4XR has impressive 11000lm with a small form factor and can be operated with their wireless remote controllers. 

Keldan wants to thank Hergen Spalink for his excellent presentation about the benefits when using KELDAN Ambient lights.

THIS YEAR'S CATEGORIES

We can't wait to see the incredible photography our amazing community of underwater photographers brings forth!

MEET OUR SPONSORS

Read All Prize Descriptions Here

( see full prize descriptions )

OCEAN ART IN THE PRESS

Every year over 200 global media outlets cover the winners of the Ocean Art competition!

INON is pleased to announce that existing INON accessories for HERO12 Black are confirmed compatible with HERO13 Black when housed in its genuine dive housing (Protective Housing).

Existing INON lenses including UFL-G140SD, UCL-G165II SD, UCL-G100 SD, UCL-G55 SD are usable for HERO13 Black as well at the same condition for HERO12 Black.

INON Action Camera Wet Lenses Usage Tips

• INON " SD Front Mask for HERO9 " or " M67 Filter Adapter for HERO9 " doesn't create vignetting underwater even using 8:7 aspect ratio or HyperView which delivers footage in 16:9 aspect ratio by using the full 8:7 sensor (vignetting will be observed on land.).
• When using INON " UFL-G140 SD " " UCL-G165II SD " " UCL-G100 SD " " UCL-G55 SD ", shoot in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio as vignetting will occur in 8:7 or HyperView mode. 
• When using INON UFL-G140 SD lens on HERO13 Black and shooting in 4K 9:16 or 1080p 9:16, the lens hood appears in a clip. Remove the lens hood or use 4:3 or 16:9 shooting mode.

•  Always set camera's Field of View (FOV)/Digital Lenses to [WIDE]. Using [Linear] or [Narrow] won't bring optimal performance of this lens.
   
• When using with HERO11 Black/HERO12 Black/HERO13 Black, shoot in 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio as vignetting will occur in 8:7 or HyperView mode.
   
• When shooting 4K 9:16 or 1080p 9:16 with HERO12/HERO13, the lens hood tips will appear in a clip. Remove the lens hood or use 4:3 or 16:9 shooting mode. 
   
• [SuperView™] mode is not recommended. The SuperView™ mode stretches both ends of the image inside the camera to fit into a 16:9 aspect ratio from originally obtained 4:3 aspect ratio image by the camera sensor. Since the edges of the frame are stretched horizontally, attaching a wide-angle lens further stretches the edges of the frame, resulting in an unnatural image.
   
• Set the camera's image stabilization (HyperSmooth) to [Standard], [High], or [On].  Setting to [Off] will cause vignetting in image corners, and [Boost] will crop the image significantly.
   
• The FOV/Digital Lenses setting [Wide] in Photo mode causes vignetting in image corners. 
   
• Since this lens provides ultra wide angle of view, it is recommended to set Spot Meter to [ON] when using external lighting source (LED flashlight etc.). Setting Spot Meter to [OFF] may have washout if the external lighting device aims center of the frame.

An upgrade is available to the Nikon Z6III firmware to version 1.02

Nikon announce that this has fixed the following issues:

• - The camera would fail to record videos correctly on some CFexpress memory cards.
• - Uploading pictures via Ethernet would fail with an error.

Another, seemingly small, update to LR Classic - to version 13.5.1

This seems to be minor bug fixes.

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 cause some buttons on the camera and MC-N10 to stop responding when the MC-N10 shutter-release button was used to start or end movie recording.

Link for the Z6: https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/fw/534.html

Link for the Z7: https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/492/Z_7.html

U39 · Jul/Aug 2024

Visit https://www.uwpmag.com to download. 

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 lens is featured.

This initiative is a positive development for the right-to-repair movement, empowering Nikon users to fix their own devices. However, it's crucial to understand that camera, and particularly lens, repairs can be extremely intricate. Nikon advises that only those confident in their skills should undertake these repairs. I also have some reservations about lens repairs without specialized alignment tools, but a thorough review of the repair manual might clarify these concerns.

Nikon repair portal is here:

https://parts.nikonusa.com/

Nikon Parts home page has this disclaimer:

Quote

IMPORTANT WARNING

Before you attempt to repair your product, please consult your product’s limited warranty to learn more about warranty coverage and service.

Please note that Nikon does not provide customer support or assistance for how to repair your product. Please also note that an incorrect repair performed by you or an unauthorized repair provider may affect your product’s limited warranty and/or cause an increase in the fee if you request service from an authorized Nikon service center.

Damage caused by repairs performed by persons other than authorized Nikon service technicians are not covered by any Nikon warranties. Such damage may cause future repairs to be subject to out of warranty costs or render your product ineligible for future repairs by Nikon.

Failure to follow the repair instructions in a Nikon repair manual, or to use appropriate Nikon parts and tools, may damage the product or affect the product’s functionality, and may also cause safety issues and could lead to personal injury, death, or property damage.

Nikon shall not be liable for any damages, injuries or other liabilities to the product, any person, or any property which occurs as a result of repair, diagnosis, maintenance, or modification performed by you or an unauthorized repair provider, including but not limited to, any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages; any loss of data, privacy, revenue, or profits; or any inability to use, or reduced functionality of, the product.

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

https://www.uwpmag.com

https://www.uwpmag.com

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 III-A[1] RXD (Model B060), an ultra wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras. The lens is expected to launch within 2024.

TAMRON’s lenses for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras are highly regarded for their combination of superior optical performance and compact, lightweight designs. After receiving many requests from customers to offer lenses compatible with the CANON RF mount, TAMRON made the decision to develop a lens for the CANON RF mount under a license agreement.

The 11-20mm F2.8 is a fast-aperture zoom lens covering a focal length range from ultra wide-angle 11mm to 20mm[2], with a maximum aperture of F2.8 across its full range of focal lengths. With a surprisingly compact and lightweight design for a fast, ultra wide-angle zoom lens, the lens feels well balanced when attached to a compact APS-C mirrorless camera body, making it ideal for regular use. Despite its small, lightweight design, it also delivers high-level imaging power with an uncompromising optical design. Wide macro shooting is possible at 11mm with an MOD (Minimum Object Distance) of 0.15m (5.9”) and maximum magnification ratio of 1:4, and its stunning close-range shooting performance enables creative use of perspective at the wide end. The lens also incorporates an AF drive system with an RXD (Rapid-eXtra-silent stepping Drive) stepping motor unit that is remarkably quiet. The lens accurately captures not only still images but also video. It is also highly practical, with Moisture-Resistant Construction, Fluorine Coating, and other features designed for outdoor shooting, enabling users to easily enjoy the high image quality of this ultra wide-angle large-aperture F2.8 lens under a range of conditions.