Underwater Cameras Blog by Mozaik

Nikon D7100 New Cropped Sensor DSLR announced

21 Feb 2013

The D7000 was such a popular model for underwater photography that I am sure the D7100 will get some attention from the community.

Let me outline the major improvements:

1) 3.2″ OLED screen ( looks like the biggest and brightest DSLR monitor yet )

2) 24MP as opposed to 16MP on the previous model.

3) 60 fps Video at 720p.

4) Significantly improved Auto Focus.

The rest stays the same and the camera looks just about the same. Is is worth an upgrade ? probably not. But large monitor and 24MP for cropping are indeed very good features for underwater photography.

While I do not yet have info from housing manufacturers , I can only guess Ikelite will be released first and very soon and Nauticam will follow. I doubt any other manufacturer will make a housing for this model but I may be surprised.

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Incredible Phenomenon – Canon RAW Image Processing of Underwater Images

In: General Underwater Photography

31 Dec 2012

The Canon compacts have become the most popular cameras for underwater photography. This is valid for at least the last 5 years and maybe even before that.

It has become a standard for high end point and shoots to be able to shoot RAW and the Canon S100 does that exceptionally fast and well. Other popular models are now the Canon S100 and the Canon G15 which are also widely used for RAW photographers.

When post-processing some of my shots I encounted a suprising phenomenon when testing different RAW processing software.

When using Canon “approved” software like Adobe Lightroom, the RAW photo looked just like its JPG twin but when opening the photo in Picasa Photo viewer or in an open source called RAW Therapee suddenly a much wider image was revealed, actually a fisheye effect of a much wider lens. I was shocked to see about 10% more visible field of view in the same photo.

I obviously double checked with many files, I even download some RAW samples from the internet , ones that I didnt take and saw the exact same thing.

Ok, after reading a little bit online , it seems that due to the very wide angle lens Canon installed on this camera , they had to eliminate any distortion and as such have an even wider lens that is cropped in the software. This extra information is saved in the RAW files and if you use an “unofficial” RAW processor you can see them.

For all of you underwater photographers out there , you must probably know how amazing this is, it turns your 24mm lens to close to 20mm and that means almost true fisheye built in your Canon camera , now thats amazing.

Another huge plus is that when using a flat port on these cameras ,you get distortion on the sides and blurry outline to the shot. Well , using the alternative processing software these are completely eliminated and the photo is crisp sharp.

Ok, some examples , one that I took underwater ( see the distorted faces on the Lighroom one), one I borrowed from the internet, note the fisheye effect on the books.


Canon S110 CR2 shot saved from Lightroom Taken from Photography Blog	Canon S110 CR2 shot saved from Picasa Taken From Photography Blog

Canon S100 CR2 shot saved from Lightroom Taken with Ikelite Housing	Canon S100 CR2 shot saved from Picasa Taken with Ikelite Housing

Click on the images ( and click again in the next page) to see a larger version.

If you want to download the RAW files to test yourself , you can do so here

I was able to comfirm this phenomenon with Canon S100 and S110 , I am sure with S95 as well. This does not exist in Canon DSLR’s and I am not sure about the G series , will be happy to get some feedback about that.

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Tags: Canon S100, Canon S110, Canon S95, Lightroom, Picasa, raw

DEMA 2012 Coverage – Equinox Housings

In: DEMA

29 Nov 2012

Equinox have been manufacturing video housings for many years. They have come up with a unique solution to quickly make very reliable and easy to use housings by using PVC tubes of different sizing.

We have been selling their line for 5 years and this year they have made quite a leap forward.

This DEMA , they introduced their new HD5. This housing is now small and compact, it only weighs 6 lbs without the ballast and is depth rated 100m / 330 feet. The HD5 fits most consumer camcorders and specifically popular models like the Canon HFM 50,52,500, Sony CX580, Sony CX700, Sony CX760 and more.. The HD5 is already bundled with the Equinox 2.5″ LCD monitor which is pre-mounted on the housings back plate.

Last year, Equinox started making DSLR housings using the same concept. They have seriously improved this year by making their DSLR’s with almost full controls thus support every button. They also added a compact version of the DSLR’s specifically for the Canon rebels which can fit in a smaller tube.

Equinox custom makes the housing to fit any lens required, if more then one lens is required they can usually accommodate that as well. This feature allows them to sell the housings at 1300-1500$ retail port included. Quite amazing for DSLR.

See some pictures below from the show and contact us for more information about Equinox housings.

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Tags: Equinox

DEMA Dive Show 2012 Coverage – Part III

In: General Underwater Photography

25 Nov 2012

Finally managed to write the next part of our DEMA coverage.

iTorch

The Canadian dive and video light distributor announced their new line of video lights and are gradually becoming one of the largest underwater light manufacturers in the North American market.

I-torch Venusian at 700 Lumens , 80 deg angle , will retail for $200, very compact and 2 power levels.

The popular Pro4 will be replaced with Pro5 boasting 1600 lumens at an even lower price of under $399.

2 More models have been introduced , one with 100 deg angle of light , perfect for the action cameras and another 750 Lumen light with a battery indicator and new design.

More pictures and spec coming soon.

iPix Housing – Itorch showed their newly designed iphone case for the iphone 4 / 4S and soon the iPhone 5. A prototype for the samsung galaxy 3 was also introduced. The housing allows mounting external lenses and can easily be mounted on any tray.

Amphibico

Amphibico showed their new housing for the Red Epic / Scarlet, very impressive piece of work , will be shipping towards the end of the year. This is an electronic housing, very ergonomic and quite compact compared to what you would think.

Olympus

We had a chat with the Olympus reps. They reassured us that Olympus is going to keep investing in the underwater division and even put more time and money in it in the next following year.

There were some interesting releases this year:

Olympus PT-053 Housing for Tough TG-1

Olympus PT-054 Housing for XZ-2

Olympus PT-EP08 housing for OM-D EM-5

Olympus PT-EP10 housing for PEN E-PL5

Nauticam

Nauticam is continuing to be an industry leader in almost every housing categories.

In the DSLR category, the new releases this DEMA was the Nikon D600 housing and the Canon 1Dx, also showcased were the popular Nikon D800 , D4 housing and the Canon 5D Mark III and 650D.

In the Compact category , the new releases were the Canon G15 housing, Panasonic LX7, Canon S110 and an announcement of the upcoming Canon EOS-M.

Also showcased was a prototype of their Epic Red Scarlet housing. Fully manual and very impressive design and engineering.

Sea and Sea

Not much new in the Sea and Sea booth , the new D800 housing and 5D Mark III were showcased and some new compact packages in a nicely packed travel case.

For more specific information on products contact us.

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DEMA 2012 – Dive Show Coverage – Part II

In: DEMA

17 Nov 2012

Today was the 3rd day of the DEMA show. After meeting more of our suppliers and taking some quality pictures of the new products , let me continue to Part II of our DEMA 2012 coverage.

See DEMA Part I here.

Fantasea

In part I, we discussed Fantasea’s new products , here are the missing pictures of the new lights , tray packages and housings:

Epoque

Epoque showcased an aluminum housing for the Canon EOS M , they offered it with a flat fixed port only for the 18-55mm lens but at a great price point of around $1000. This may be a good relatively cheap alternative to the more expensive interchangeable port housings that are expected to be released by Ikelite and Nauticam.

Nocturnal Lights

Nocturnal have moved their video lights towards smaller , compact lights which can be bundled as 1 , 2 or 3 lights to create a very compact package with multiple 700 lumen lights. Each light will cost around the 170$ range and provide a very even and smooth 700 lumen bean.

Keldan

Keldan Lights are still showcasing the impressive high end lights , no major changes this year. These lights are still considered the top in the market in terms of beam quality , color rendering index and burn time performance.

BS Kinetics

The German DSLR housing manufacturer is coming to North America and will be available on our website shortly. These are well priced , very light , carbon fiber housings that can be custom built for almost any housing. The popular model will be the 5D Mark III , Nikon D800 and Nikon D600

More images will be posted on our facebook page , stay tuned for part III coming tomorrow.

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DEMA 2012 Dive Show Coverage – Part 1

In: DEMA

16 Nov 2012

DEMA The DEMA international dive show opened up this Wednesday. After a couple of days at the show meeting suppliers and industry colleagues , we took some good pictures and ready to introduce some new releases.

Fantasea

Fantasea announced an exciting new housing for the Canon G15, the housing is going to be very similar to the P7100 but may be a little bit more compact due the cameras size.

An interesting fact is that the G15 will fit in the currect FP7100 housing and you are eve

n able to operate the On/Off button , shutter release and camera mode buttons. This housing is expected to be shipping next Spring.

Another release is a complete new collection of video lights ranging from $100 retail to $300 retail at 700-1300 Lumens. Pictures and specs of the new items will be announced in a separate blog post.

Fantasea also showcased their new optics for the Canon G15 and S110 housings as well as their famous Blueray trays with various mounts even for the GoPro (seems that every manufacturer now has a gopro solution).

Intova

Intova has released the Sport HD action camera, a 1080p , dedicated underwater camera that competes with the variety of cameras in the market. Their price point is ~$200 with a built in LCD screen and stills button. They are offering a Red and ND filters as well as a macro and wide angle lens that will be arriving in January. This camera is lowering the costs of an action camera and will be very popular addon for stills users.

New Lights are also coming up with exceptional ratio of $$ per lumens , we will have more information and pictures in the next couple of days. They are talking about ~3000 lumen lights for less than $500.

A new low-end underwater camera in the range of $249 will be releasd soon , specs are not yet available but the previous model is now selling for ~$200 on special sale.Mozaik is becoming an Intova dealer and products will be up on our website by the end of the month.

Light and Motion

No major changes with light and motion this year but a few improvements to their current line.

The SOLA’s now come with a choice of YS Mount / Ball Mount and Locline Mount.

The SOLA 2000 now has an improved version called 2000 S/F with both spot and flood modes but a narrower 60 deg beam. The previous version will still sell for $100 less and have the more attractive 80 degree beam.

There is a new SOLA light for tech diving with a narrow beam and 600 lumens , this will be called the SOLA TECH 600.

L&M releasd a SOLA light dedicated for Fluorescent diving with yellow filter and accompanying yellow glasses to mount on the googles and see the glowing colors.

Ikelite

Ikelite announced some exciting new products this year.

Canon G15, Nikon P7100 housings. An upcoming Canon EOS M Mirrorless camera housing which should open the door for supporting more mirrorless cameras.

A new strobe , called the Manta with GN 20 , TTL and fiber optic support ( yes , Ikelite is moving to fiber optic too soon.. )

2 New lights , a small inexpensive 250 Lumen dive light and a larger yet compact 2000 Lumen video light which will sell for less than $500 , these lights should be available by the end of the year.

The Nikon D600 housing was showcased as well and is now shipping.

All Pictures taken today can be seen on our Facebook Page. More product information and pictures will be posted tomorrow.

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Panasonic LX7 Underwater Housing

In: Housing Releases|New Camera Releases

4 Oct 2012

Nauticam just announced a housing for the new Panasonic LX7.

This camera is a great competition for the Canon S100 / S110 series. Featuring a very fast lens , F1.4 – F2.3, 24-90mm equivalent lens, as wide as the Canon S110/S100 and incredibly large aperture for a compact.

Some more highlights are: 11 fps continuous shooting, 5 fps with AF tracking, 920K dots 3″ screen with Anti-Reflective coating, Full HD 60p/50p video, built-in stereo microphones with a 1/1.7″ sensor size just like the Nikon P7700, Canon G15 and S110.

This bundle with the Nauticam housing is an excellent underwater camera, more versatile than the Sony RX100. Just wish it had a bit larger sensor.

The housing will be listed at this page once available: Panasonic LX7 Housings

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New Equinox Video Housing Released – HD5 | Compact and Lightweight

In: Housing Releases

20 Sep 2012

Sep20, 2012 - Equinox announced the release of their smallest and lightest video housing yet. This housing looks just like the rest but weighs only 6.5 LBS ( without its ballast). Its length is 8″ and diameter is 6″ which makes it a very compact housing compared to previous Equinox models.

The housing will fit multiple modern Sony cameras with models such as : CX190, CX260, CX580, PJ60, PJ710, PJ760, XR260

It is already shipping and Equinox wisely included the 2.5″ LCD monitor in the package for an attractive retail price of $1,299. In the box is also a wide angle lens and a red filter in addition to the spare parts kit and other accessories.nd will be listed on our website very soon.

Equinox HD5 housing for Sony Camcorders

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Tags: Equinox

New Cameras Releases 2012 | Best 2013 Underwater Cameras

In: New Camera Releases

18 Sep 2012

I was trying to post about every new camera release when I just noticed there are many and maybe we should aggregate them all into one place. I will showcase the new models here by categories as these will be the top underwater cameras of 2013 and they are worth looking at and researching even before they even arrived to store or any camera housings have been announced for them.

2013 future Compact Cameras for underwater photography

1) Sony RX1

Sony just recently released 2 compact camera models , the RX100 and RX1.

The RX100 is already in the market for some time so I will not thoroughly speak about it yet, lets just say its an improved version of the Canon S100 and bundled with the 950$ Nauticam housing its probably the best compact package for this price at the moment. The Nauticam housing is shipping and has a crazy demand , this is definitely one worth looking at.

The RX1 sets the bar for a completely new league of compact cameras. While being a compact and appearing similar to the RX100 , this model is actually FULL FRAME!! Yes, you heard correctly , 35mm sized sensor on a compact camera which sets it on a price point of 2800$ , more than most DSLRs.
So why use such a camera ? As a backup for your DSLR, If you travel a lot and need Magazine quality shots or if you just have plenty of money , dont want to handle complex and cumbersome DSLR rig.

The specs for this camera are as follows:

We expect Nauticam to release the first housing , will probably retail for about 1400$ which will put this bundle at a 4200$ price point for underwater use. If you are a professional photographer shooting Nikon D4 or even D800 or Canon 5D Mark III, this investment is not crazy for having a full frame backup camera.

The RX 1is available on Amazon:Sony DSC-RX1/B Cybershot Full-frame Digital Camera

2) Canon G15

After more than 2 years , Canon has released a successor to its very popular G series of cameras. The G12 was probably one of the most widely used cameras digital underwater ever.

G15 looks similar to the G12 in terms of size , weight and manual controls. It has the same size sensor and generally it looks like a model that just wants to keep the series alive , very similar to what Nikon is doing with the P series.

If you ask me , there is no reason to buy this camera when others , much more compact ones like the S100 or Sony RX100 are in the market.

The specs are as follows: 12.1MP 1/1.7″ Sensor | 28-140mm lens F1.8 – F2.8 | 3″ 0.922M LCD screen Fixed | 2fps continuous shooting | 1080p video 24fps

The camera will retail for 500$ and Canon housing is the first to be released , I am sure Ikelite will follow and the bundle will go for 800$ – 1200$.

3) Canon S110

The Canon S100 is a very popular underwater camera, the main reason it that it offers all the G12′s manual controls but with a much wider lens and half the size and weight. I like it especially as it has very accurate color balancing and I found its shots to be the sharpest of all compacts I’ve shot with before.

The S110 will be it successor , hopefully , will even fit in the same housing ( or is that wishful thinking ) . It looks like these are very similar and not much have been updated other then touch on the LCD screen and WIFI support.

The specs are as follows: 12.1MP 1/1.7″ Sensor | 24-120mm lens F2 – F5,9 | 3″ 0.461M LCD screen Fixed w/Touch |1080p video 24fps |WIFI

The camera will retail for 500$ and Canon housing is the first to be released , I am sure Ikelite will follow and the bundle will go for 750$ – 900$.

4) Nikon P7700

The Nikon P7700 is a successor of the previous P7100 which was a very popular choice for underwater due to Fantasea’s excellent ergonomic and inexpensive housing.

Assuming Fantasea release a similar housing for this model , we expect it to be quite popular for underwater use.

The changes from the P7100 are quite significant , better lens ( same focal range ) , 1080p video , 12MP , 8fps continous mode , much faster processor, Full articulated LCD, more ergonomic front dial.

The camera will retail for 500$ and Ikelite housing is probably the first to be released. We are hoping Fantasea will release a housing soon and we will get a new improved 900$ bundle.

The Nikon P7700 is available on Amazon here:Nikon COOLPIX P7700 12.2 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Optical Zoom NIKKOR ED Glass Lens and 3-inch Vari-Angle LCD

5) Fujifilm XF1

Fujifilm is following the steps of Sony taking the Canon S100 style cameras and making them with a larger sensor and better optical performance.

The XF1 is a compact camera , vintage styled with a 2/3″ sensor ( somewhere between the Canon S100 and the RX100 in size ). I personally think these are the best options for underwater photography and am excited to see Fujifilm enter the game. The biggest highlight here is the 25mm wide lens, this makes this camera , perhaps a better choice than the Sony’s RX100. This camera also has full manual controls.

I hope Nauticam will release a housing for this camera soon , I expect it to be a very good underwater camera.

6) Olympus XZ-2

The XZ-1 was a very popular camera for underwater , mainly due to its bundle price with the olympus housing.

The XZ-2 is the Olympus version of the Sony RX100 or Canon S110 series of professional compact cameras , it features a fast F1.8 – F2.5 lens and improved performance with full manual controls

The specs are as follows: 12MP 1/1.7″ Sensor | 28-112mm lens F1.8 – F2.5 | 3″ 0.92M LCD screen fixed |1080p video 30fps | Max Shutter 1/2000

We expect the Olympus housing to be available first for a less than 1000$ bundle price and Nauticam to follow for about 1100$ bundle price.

2013 future Mirrorless Cameras for underwater photography

1) Olympus E-PM2

The Olympus Micro 4/3rds series of cameras became very popular for underwater use due to their affordability compared to the Sony NEX series and popular choice of lenses that are good for underwater photography.

The E-PM2 features a better image resolution 16MP, higher max iso and faster better RAW processing.

We expect an Olympus housing to be released first and Nauticam to follow. Bundle will be between 1200-1600$ for body only.

2) Olympus E-PL5

The E-PL5 as with the other E-PL series is the same as the E-PM but with an articulated LCD and a touch screen.

We expect an Olympus housing to be released first and Nauticam to follow. Bundle will be between 1200-1600$ for body only.

3) Sony NEX-6

The NEX-6 is the successor of the very popular NEX series that Sony started manufacturing about 3 years ago. I can say with confidence this series of cameras is what started the steep decline in sales of DSLR housings. These were the first cameras that gave photographers a DSLR feel but in half the price and a third of the size and weight.

The NEX-6 is essentially a NEX-7 only more affordable. As in the NEX-7 , it has 2 dials and thus full manual controls.

The specs are as follows: 16MP APS-C Sensor | 3″ 0.921M LCD screen tiltable |1080p video 60fps | Max Shutter 1/40000 | 10 fps continuous shooting

The NEX-6 is already on sale on Amazon:Sony NEX-6/B 16.1 MP Compact Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 3-Inch LED – Body Only (Black)

2013 future DSLR Cameras for underwater photography

1) Canon 6D

This is considered the full frame version of the Canon 60D , it is comparable to the Nikon D600 but has wifi and GPS built in it.

Ikelite will most probably be the first to accommodate this camera and Nauticam will follow, we hope Aquatica will also support this model.

2) Nikon D600

The first proper compact full frame DSLR which essentially is a smaller version of the Nikon D800 and at a price point much more affordable of 2099$.

The spec are as follows: 24.3MP FULL FRAME sensor | 3.2″ 0.977M LCD screen Fixed | 1080p 30fps video | 5.5 fps continuous shooting | 2 SD card slots.

Ikelite will most probably be the first to accommodate this camera and Nauticam will follow, we hope Aquatica will also support this model.

The Nikon D600 is available on Amazon Here:Nikon D600 24.3 MP CMOS FX-Format Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

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As soon as a housing will be available for these cameras , it will show up at our store at the dedicated category page of each camera or at the links below:

Compact Underwater Camera Housings

Mirrorless Underwater Camera Housings

DSLR Underwater Camera Housings