Waterproof compacts

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

I wonder if waterproof compacts are the best option when getting into underwater photography on a budget. Having flooded a Canon G7 in a flimsy WPDC-11 housing a couple of years ago, I know it can easily happen and it is costly. Olympus has a range of shock/water proof compacts that have housings available on the market. The cameras don't look like they would produce professional quality shots, but for the enthusiast!!


Pentax just released the new OPTIO W80 (available in July). The camera looks very interesting and would probably produce acceptable UW shots (I don't know about RAW). The question is, will there be a housing available for it?

Craftivism

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

Found an article about a new global movement called craftivism. The idea is to use handcraft to change the world for example by making happier looking crocheted coats for tanks.



Isn't this the ultimate passive resistance movement in a sense? I would have loved one of those when I did compulsory military service in far northern Sweden in -30 C for a year and a half. The tank was cold from time to time.

Snorkelling trail

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

This is something I like. In Haninge in the south of Stockholm, the local council has put together a track for snorkelers. The track runs along a sandy bottom in shallow waters and is made of a runner to follow as well as information plaques. The plaques are educational, telling the snorkeler about the flora and fauna they have around them.

This is a great idea, I reckon the coastal councils in Sydney should consider this for the community, perhaps coupled with an artificial reef in Gordon's bay or similar. How about a section for snorkelers and a deeper section for scuba divers.

Olympus micro four thirds released and tested

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

So finally, Olympus has released the E-P1 micro four thirds system and DP review has done a test.



It will be very interesting to see how the underwater photography market will take to this standard and overall type of camera. It is really an interesting concept with compact size, back LCD display and interchangeable lenses for wide angle and macro.

The E-P1 is basically an E-610 in a tiny package so there are lots of goodies and features as well as a sturdy metal body. It does however, not have inbuilt flash which would be an issue if you have got the wrong strobe for whatever housing will come out for it, and its conversion circuitry.

Check out the DP review article.

Pirates in the EU

Loose thoughts by Bjorn Landfeldt

So it happened. In the election to the EU parliament, the Swedish pirate party managed to get over 7 % of the votes and thus scored a set in the parliament. Their only agenda is to allow free downloads over the Internet. I love European democracy, so corny compared with the Australian Labour - Liberal two party set agenda nothing ever changes politics.

However, I don't think we will see 'downloads of anything' legalised in a while.