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Beneath the Sea 2012- Show Coverage

By Joseph Tepper, March 28, 2012 @ 08:00 AM (EST)

Thousands of eager divers flocked this weekend to the 36th Annual Beneath the Sea show in the Meadowlands Exhibition Center.

DPG was on hand at the show floor promoting our new magazine, which we love, Scuba Diver Through the Lens – and, of course, getting the scoop on the latest and greatest photo news.

Backscatter

Although there wasn’t a ton of new gear since last month’s coverage of Our World Underwater in Chicago, there was certainly a buzz at the Backscatter booth for their latest GoPro advancements.

We caught a peek at the new “GoPro Handle,” which at a base price of just $39 is an “inexpensive solution for GoPro users,” according to Backscatter’s Fred Dion. The handle is designed to be lightweight, stable and can be customized to be used with either tripod or “helmet” attachment mounts.

Even without a Sola attachment, the “GoPro Handle” adds stability for the casual user, and the new filter attachment system was also a hit.

Backscatter also had on display the equipment of their latest addition – Equinox housings – on display, like this Recon system, which fits most handheld Sony camcorders.

Nauticam

The big news at the show may not have been a product, but rather the prototype diagrams from Nauticam from Nikon D800, D4 or Canon’s 5D Mk III.

Don’t you just want to reach in and grab the Nauticam housing for the D4 that is currently in the design phase?

Nauticam expects to announce the D800 and D4 housings by mid-April, followed shortly by the 5D Mk III at the beginning of May! Yes, you read that right! This is astonishing speed from the housing manufacturer, who will likely be shipping housing before most others have started the design face.

The other big news was Nauticam’s housing for the Panasonic DMC-GX1 ($1200), which features a slide in tray for easy loading.The Nauticam housing for the NEX-7 includes an optional back with 45-degree viewfinder to really show off the OLED screen.

Olympus

Over at the Olympus booth, DPG caught up on the latest PEN systems. We had a look at both housings for one of Olympus’ latest Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens (EVIL) cameras- the E-PM1. This 12.3 MP EVIL camera features 1080i HD video, and Olympus put out two different housings to accommodate different budgets.

The PT-EP06L ($799) comes with LED lights on the front port designed to aid focus abilities. The PT-EP06 ($599) doesn’t include the focus lights, but is just as compact and features guides to help use the camera’s advanced features.

The two housings for the E-PM1 give EVIL shooters the option to have LED focus lights.

The PT-EP05 housing for the PEN 3 retails for $799 and features the same LED focus lighting system as the PT-EP06L.

Ultralight

At Ultralight, we saw the company’s solution for GoPro users who don’t want to lose an arm at that next shark shoot—the ULCS Polecam. Made out of wood to be buoyant, the prototype pole will also allow the handler to control rotation of the GoPro at the end.

The polecam retails for just under $30 and can be customized with segments of 24-inches.

XIT 404

It is always fun to check out what new gadgets and accessories there are to be found at the XIT 404 booth. When we told you about the company’s remote trigger for the SOLA series at DEMA, it was only a prototype; but XIT 404 officially released the gadget at BTS 2012. The mechanical control system allows photographers/videographers to control the Sola 800, 500, and 1200 without taking thumbs off the camera tray.

The cool mechanical accessory retails for $130 per light.

XIT 404 also rolled out handy cable ties ($5) to make sure those pesky strobe cables never float in front of your lens again!

Another cool new accessory, which is perfect for HDSLR video shooters, is XIT’s “Pentamirror.” This $350 viewfinder is designed to eliminate glare and reduce strain on the photographer’s neck.

Continuing with accessories, the Equinox booth had on show their new series of filters, which range in price from $50-$150 and can be customized to fit most flat ports.

Ikelite

At the Ikelite booth, we got a chance to look at the first housing for Canon’s much hyped G1X, which retails for just $675.

Fantasea

Over at the Fantasea booth we checked out the company’s setup for the Nikon P7100 compact. Compact shooters will want to take notice of the $899 special price the company is running for the camera/housing package.

The full Fantasea P7100 setup- camera, housing, sensor activated focus light, and accessory tray on the side to hold wet adaptors/filters.

The company also offers a 105-degree wide-angle wet adaptor for its compacts for just $220.

It was another great year at Beneath the Sea—we saw old friends, checked out some great equipment, showed off our new Scuba Diver-TTL magazines. We would also like to extend a special “thank you” to DPG contributor Keri Wilk for making the trip to pitch in with coverage and at the booth!