Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

DEMA 2008: Epoque World Co

Epoque World Co. had a selection of interesting housings and accessories on display, including the ERX-C1010 for the Canon Rebel XS/EOS 1000 10.1MP digital SLR. The housing allows for the internal flash to be deployed and used for TTL control over fiber-optic cable (compatible with Epoque’s EUS-C430 flash housing for the Canon 430/430 II).

Rated to 150 feet, the housing is also fitted with an S6 bulkhead for eTTL2 compatibility, and can be paired with three different flat ports or either of the Athena 170mm or 200mm dome ports…

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

DEMA 2008: Xit 404

Xit 404 is a new entrant to the underwater photography market, owned by frequenct Wetpixel shootout participants and forum members Mike and Jody Elliott.

Recognizing the recent surge in interest for macro and super-macro photographer, Xit 404 offers inexpensive focus gears for the Canon 100mm and Nikon 105mm macro lenses that can extend to allow for use with the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. The gears are compatible with Subal and Aquatica housings…

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

DEMA 2008: Liquid Image Co

In early 2008, Liquid Image Co introduced the Explorer Series underwater camera mask rated to 5 meters for snorkelers, complete with a 3.1MP or 5MP camera built-in above the eye glass.

With Lithium-ion batteries, the mask can hold up to a 4gb microSD card for two hours of video or a few thousand 5MP photos, and come complete with a LCD status display to indicate number of remaining shots, remaining video record time, or memory full, as well an audio alert…

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

DEMA 2008: SeaBotix

Jeff Conger of SeaBotix walked me through some of the options on the Little Benthic Vehicle (LBV) mini-ROV - 600m to 1200m depth ratings, up to 2200m of tether cable, fiber-optic video feed.

The unit is neutrally buoyant and can be fitted with a number of accessories, whether grabber or cutting attachment, scanning sonar, echo-sounder, or thickness gauge, or a unique Crawler Skid with ‘vortex generator’ that allows the vehicle to suction onto vertical ship hulls and carry out inspection work…

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

DEMA 2008: JW Fishers Mfg

JW Fishers Mfg specializes in wired underwater video including handheld video cameras, drop-cameras, and towed-systems, most featuring lighting systems of multiple 100W halogens.

Christopher Combs showed me the new Sea-Otter 2 mini-ROV, half the size and half the weight of the original Sea-Otter 1. Featuring front and rear gimbaled video cameras, the ROV uses surface-supplied power to 500 feet depth and is activated by none other than a Sony PS2 controller…

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

DEMA 2008: Hydroacoustics Inc.

Hydroacoustics Inc was one of a few companies at DEMA exhibiting the latest in underwater ROV and mini-ROV technology. The basic Proteus series is rated to 500 feet with up to 5000 feet of tether cable, and provides joystick control (of unit, camera, lights, etc) and return video feed over a light, thin fiber-optic cable.

The unit can be equipped with LED lights, a sonar scanner for immediate topography mapping, and grabber arm, among other accessories, and provides direct video to the controlling computer…

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

DEMA 2008: Leashtec

As the size of cameras and other devices has decreased, the chance of dropping these fragile electronics seems to have increased. To combat this, Leashtec has introduced the DiveLeash, an inexpensive neoprene strap with velcro attachment (similar to that on boogieboards and surfboards) and quick-release snap that securely holds your small camera or housing (less than 16oz in air) if one needs use of both hands…

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

DEMA 2008: Ozeon Snorkeling

Ozeon Snorkeling has introduced the head-mounted QV360, a new snorkel design in the spirit of the old double-hose regulators that allows for hands-free video or spotting light use while snorkeling.

Expected to be available in Spring 2009, the QV360 consists of a flexible mounting base worn on the back of the head, similar to styling to a flattened bicycle helmet, with a new ‘dry-top’ snorkel mounted on the back…

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

DEMA 2008: Intova

Intova is dedicated to providing underwater photography products to the consumer at low price points, perfect for the casual vacation photographer who wants a simple, no-fuss system to capture their experiences.

The company has continued to upgrade their cameras and housings, now offering the SP880 system, complete with an 8MP camera with 2.5” LCD that is waterproof to 10 feet out of the housing, or 130 feet with. The camera has a 38mm to 114mm equivalent focal length and three underwater modes, and both camera and housing are shock-resistant…

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

DEMA 2008: NiteRider Dive Lights

NiteRider Dive Lights is known for their full-facemask head-mounted lights and video HID lights. CEO Thomas Carroll walked me through a few of the new products, including the DeepStar Elite 3-LED light with 4W/8W/12W power settings and burn time of 3.5 hours to 9 hours from a Lithium-ion battery based on output choice.

On display was the redesigned 56w HID II Pro 40 4-HID bulb video light set with a low/high beam feature to switch between 10W and 14W settings to achieve power outputs of dual 10W (20W total), dual 14W (28W total), and quad 14W (56W total) for an output of 3200 lumen…

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