DEMA 2004 Show Report

From the news page:

I've finally finished Wetpixel's DEMA 2004 Show Report, and am just about ready to pass out. In fact, I fell asleep briefly while writing this post.

James Wiseman, Craig Jones, and I spent four days scouring the show floor for new digital still and video products, and in the show report are descriptive text and nearly 300 images of the digital products that were featured.

Please let me know if you have any corrections and/or additions to the content!

http://wetpixel.com/features/dema2004/

Thanks for sharing that Eric. Some informative images and some funny ones too. Can't believe James shaved off his beard after being offshore.

Who is the Emperor in the modified photo with Andi? He's probably someone famous from the world of diving that I will be embarrassed not to recognise. V. funny shot, though.

Alex

Looks you all had a great time there.

Hi Alex,

The Emperor is a local HUPS member at the Island Dreams Travel party at the St. Arnold's brewery here in Houston. He's pretty excited about digital photography.

Cheers

James

My only problem with the whole DEMA site is that Eric should be having a beer with that pizza, not water. Isn't that like taking a camera underwater without a housing?

Joe

Here's mud-in-your-eye mr. bottled water drinker!

Lars Kirshkoff, James Wiseman, and Dan Baldocchi

Cheers

James

Just wanted to say that i enjoyed meeting a few of you at DEMA.

Eric, James, Craig, Scorpiofish

Terrible photo of me Eric!

Also had a chance to meet the folks at Aquatica and was very impressed with their service with a few things i was missing.

All in all a good experience and was able to secure myself a position as the resident photo/video guru at Manta Ray Bay in Yap.

Consider this an open invite to all.

Congratulation for your new work Mike! Yap is a great place even if very quiet. I'm jealous! I hope I could come back there some day and maybe see you if you'll still be there. Did you already put your new housing in the water?

Eric, you've been hard with film in the Dema article. The guy that you've seen there has wonderful film pics that for many people are very hard to accomplish with digital. But I think you're right that the trend for U/W photography is digital.

Michel

Michel -

I don't think I was particularly harsh re: where film is going. It's absolutely true that it is going to go away in developed countries -- except for use in "high end" art, perhaps.

But I'm sure the guy I saw there has wonderful photos that are very hard to accomplish with current digital technology.

Speaking as someone who still exposes film, Eric's joke about the state of film made me laugh. A little irreverent humour never harms.

Congratulations Mike on your job in Yap. Although I think I will be less likely to run into you there than in Cayman. Yap is a very long way from the UK!

What did concern me about the DEMA coverage was that Eric was using a Mac to give his Sea and Sea Seminar. Eric, the other week you were playing with a Nikon and now a Mac. I worry!

Alex

Eric, I have to acknowledge that I've also smiled while I was reading the things you have written about film. I'm still a film user, I'm waiting for my new Aquatica for D70 to begin U/W digital. But I'm so used to my film camera and I'm so sure that there are results I have with film I couldn't get with my D70, that I think I will use both of them for a long time. I hope that the older gentleman from the Nikonos Repair Shop, will still be many many years to take care of my cameras and of Alex ones as well. :wink:

Alex, if I was you, I would seriously consider to replace one of your trips to Cayman by Yap! YOU WON'T REGRET IT even if it's that far! You won't believe what you will see there!!! When I had the chance to dive there, I had so many mantas all around me that I didn't know on which direction to turn my head and my camera. 36 poses was not enough for one dive! Digital is great for Yap, with a LARGE memory. Sometime I couldn't put one manta entirely into my frame (15mm) since it was so close. I had once, manta's fin at two inches of my nose during almost 3 minutes. Moreover, you have much more than only mantas in Yap. I recommend it warmly to you (as you probably already understood by yourself). Moreover, you are there at a very close distance of Truk (Chuuk) and Palau. Don't forget that you could meet Mike there

Michel

Hmm...Nikon announced the Nikon F6 and the D2x on the same day. I didn't see anything about an F6 housing at DEMA... I did take photos of a prototype D2x housing however...

Cheers

James

Michel, Yap does sound very nice. Wow!

The same thought had crossed my mind, James. In fact, yesterday, I was putting together a talk for the UK's Northern UW Photo Group and I was going to make exactly that point. The talk isn't until 1st November - so things may have changed by then - but it gives me a chance to take some pix of the Subal D2X housing at Antibes.

I think Subal might make a F6 housing because they have far more old school photographers as customers than Seacam. In fact in a year of diving I have seen lots of Subal film housings still being used, but the only Seacam's have been digitals (both Nikons).

Still in Europe UK Germany might do something for the F6. I can't see the Japanese (Sea & Sea and Nexus) making one. Nexus might announce it - but will it happen. As for N. America I don't see L & M doing one. I'm not sure about Aquatica or Ikelite - I suspect not.

Alex

Hey, Eric.

Good to see you still making the show rounds.

Take care,

Big Al