Eric Cheng on Whale Wars Part Deux

Finding 4 episodes of Whale Wars Part Deux on my DVR, (which I'd forgotten I'd programmed to record months ago) I remembered that Eric was on the Steve Irwin for the last campaign. I FFWD to find Eric's scenes only to see he was in 2 shots for a total of 3 seconds. There were a few other shots of a wrapped up guy with a big DSLR but otherwise Eric's debut on a TV show was a cameo. Still, it's a start.

On the other hand, Don Kehoe was the "go to" guy for the TV crew whenever they needed a sensible view of things, from launching boats to the moral dilemma (yes the SS apparently contemplated attacking the Japanese while they were hunting for a missing crew member, but I was FFWD everything so I'm not too sure of the circumstances). His spots were nice and gave a touch of sanity to the whole show.

Apparently next year, Eric and Don will have a bullet time shot as they leap across from ship to ship with pro DSLR and grappling hooks.

scenes only to see he was in 2 shots for a total of 3 seconds.

Sounds like Eric needs a better manager and publicist OTOH, all great stars usually have to start with small apperances and commericals.

Apparently next year, Eric and Don will have a bullet time shot as they leap across from ship to ship with pro DSLR and grappling hooks.

That sounds very cool. Can't wait to see that

Still pretty cool... WW is My girlfriend Jax and my fave prog ...

Anyone know the TX date over here in the UK ???

Dive safe

DeanB

Drew, what episodes did you see Eric in? I have all of the WW2 episodes and was a little dissapointed I did not see our fearless Wetpixel leader in any of them.

I FFWD 1-3. I can't remember which ones he was in sorry. But it's like 3 seconds and no dialog. So he was just an extra really

I have one line in an international snap-in (short, also).

I'm in the first 4 episodes or so -- in at least 20 shots per episode. I'm in the background a LOT, but there are only a few scenes with my face in them. Of course, it's easier to spot me if you know me well...

Sorry, I only saw that CU of you and another shot, all on the bridge I think. FFWDing is not the way to look obviously, but I can't stand reality shows.

Sorry, I only saw that CU of you and another shot, all on the bridge I think. FFWDing is not the way to look obviously, but I can't stand reality shows.

It's ok -- you don't have to apologize for not seeing me on TV.

Andy -- I just read the article. Good stuff! Adam Lau is sitting right next to me, as I type this. He survived and ended up switching to Nikon after the experience (!!!).

It's ok -- you don't have to apologize for not seeing me on TV.

 

Andy -- I just read the article. Good stuff! Adam Lau is sitting right next to me, as I type this. He survived and ended up switching to Nikon after the experience (!!!).

Wow, it'd take more than a few harpoons thrown my way to switch to Nikon! Aw, who am I kidding?

Actually, Adam would have stayed with Canon if there were a properly weather-sealed body below the 1D Mark III. The D700 was the right choice for him -- weather sealing, super fast focus, short shutter lag...

The 5D2 would have been the comparable camera in the Canon line, and it's not comparable for photojournalism!

It's ok -- you don't have to apologize for not seeing me on TV.

 

Andy -- I just read the article. Good stuff! Adam Lau is sitting right next to me, as I type this. He survived and ended up switching to Nikon after the experience (!!!).

I was just being nice.

But I am confused by Adam's choice. The D700 may have better weather sealing than the 5D2, but Nikon lenses (unless it's the latest ones released in the last 3 mths) have much less sealing than the post '99 L series (a few aren't sealed). I mean, even if the camera doesn't drown, a dead lens won't be much good?

I think a lot of it had to do with body performance. I dunno -- your point is a good one, though. A dead lens is just as bad.

I know it's not the Southern Ocean but I had my 5DII out in some DRIVING rain in Norway last week and it didn't die. Total exposure was on and off for probably 2 hrs.

Cheers

James

Seriously if I had snow and water cannons hitting my camera, the minimum is a KATA jacket. Of course you shouldn't use plastic bags on a SS ship so DIY ziploc is a no no.

Why not the 1DsII? It's cheaper than the D700 and better sealed. Accessories are cheaper

Maybe a waterproof jacket made from sealskin then Drew? Or maybe duck feathers?

Cheers

James

I used a Storm Jacket the first time out on the zodiac. Big mistake -- entire camera was wet with salt water, plus, the storm jacket trapped a nice puddle of water at the bottom, in which the camera sat for a long time.

After that, I used the soft Aquatech Sport Shield (which is a bit of a pain because it requires an eyepiece to lock the viewfinder in place). This worked much better, but I still ended up having water inside. Finally, I ended up using the Aquatech, closing up the bottom (which is where you hand goes in), and holding the camera from the outside. I shot on aperture or shutter priority with autofocus on 45 points, often, without looking in the viewfinder.

Each time I returned to the boat, I took out the battery and had a single drop of salt water inside the battery compartment. Luckily, the leads are elevated, and I was able to just wipe and dry the inside.

I sent my camera in for maintenance when I returned (actually, Matt Segal brought it into the Irvine repair center), and they wrote back saying that my camera had been "immersed in water" and needed serious repair. The shutter was also damaged when my camera was knocked out of my hand by thousands of pounds of ice-cold sea water coming over the bow, so they replaced that, too. They gave me a new serial number. $1000 repair bill, which was covered by DEPP insurance.

1DsII is very noisy by today's standards!

Oh 1 lousy stop of noise and it's very noisy? At least it has 10"/hr of rain protection.

I think for such activities, it'd be better to go like Alex Majoli and use those little olympus waterproof cameras. He carries like 20 P&S cameras to a warzone and trashes them.

Here is a good write up on Sports Shooter with a photo of Eric Cheng, not that you can tell by all the clothes. I'd love to see a gallery of photos from that operation. Looks like a great experience.

Thanks for the link! Interesting article & photos! OT: Very glad that there are passionate people who brave the harshest of elements to protect the whales, tell a story etc...

Sorry for a dumb question but can't the dslrs be put into the housing (maybe "plastic" ones?) for bad weather use?

Yep I saw Eric in numerous episodes usually in the background. On the bridge and in the general seating area is where I noticed him. Sorry I cannot recall which episodes but it definitely was the early episodes. Sorry Eric I did not keep the recording of them. ; )

Cheers

Todd