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DEMA 2009: Closing Remarks

DEMA 2009 was a great show. There were a lot of new exciting products for underwater photographers and videographers and there were a few trends that I will highlight and recap here. Also I want to take this time to thank Rick Morris, DPG's video editor who was only 12 hours removed from the Arctic AND had a broken rib but still managed to do fantastic work on our video coverage. Thanks, Rick!

Fiber optic strobe connectivity for DSLR housings

Aquatica’s D300s, Sea & Sea’s Canon 500D housing and Nauticam’s D90 housing all come standard with both fiber optic connections and bulkheads.  The benefits of fiber optics are clear: fiber optic cords are less expensive than sync cords, and removing the need to attach an electronic sync cord to a bulkhead eliminates a potential source for flooding. Fiber optic cables are very reliable and they require less maintenance. I personally hope to see fiber optic connectivity become the standard in all housings. Of course the pro DSLR housings that have no internal flash, will require an attachment to the camera's hotshoe that emulates the internal flash signal and communicates with the strobes via the fiber optic cables. This has not been done yet, but we may see it soon enough.

Wet lenses and more wet lenses

Wet lenses were plentiful. It seems like every accessory company makes at least one close up and one wide angle conversion lens.  These lenses are now being offered in many thread sizes to fit a variety of housings.  As compact cameras become more sophisticated,  photographers want to get everything they can from their camera underwater, and wet lenses are a great way to do just that.

Video lights

 

Danny Charlton of Lembeh Resort shares a laugh with the monorail driver

I couldn't convince anyone to eat at Chef Mickey's

  Next year in Vegas!

This coverage was unofficially and unintentionally brought to you by Red Bull (Photo Credit: Jason Heller)