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Editor's Note: This is the fourth and final part of DPG’s DEMA coverage. Check out our DEMA 2018 Home Page for a comprehensive look at this year’s show.
 

All good things must come to an end. And the same goes for DEMA. While all of the new gear is great—more of that below—so much of what makes DEMA a special gathering involves the friendly faces on the show floor. In that spirit, we wrap up 2018’s coverage with a look at not only the remaining gear on display, but also the sights and sounds of the convention.

Here’s what you need to know about the latest gear from Isotta, Nauticam, and SeaLife.

Isotta

The iconic red housings of Isotta are definitely a spurt of saturation on the show floor when most other products are in the black and gray tonal range. The company had a bunch of gear on display, including one of their latest releases—their housing for the Sony a7 III and a7R III full-frame mirrorless cameras.
 

Isotta’s housing for the Sony a7 III/a7R III not only looks good but offers some attractive features as well
 

The Isotta a7 III/a7R III housing brings together many of the elements that have proved popular: a one-handed open/close feature, dual O-ring seals, and oversized controls
 

It’s the little challenges that often stand in the way of nailing the shot. Let’s say you want to quickly remove your strobe arm from the tray underwater to back- or side-light a subject. If you’re using traditional ball clamps, then this process could take a painfully long time and be quite clumsy. Enter one of our favorite products on the show floor: Isotta’s recently announced quick-release tray/ball adaptors.
 

Removing the ball-to-arm adaptor is a snap with Isotta’s new quick release system
 

Simon Lorenz demonstrates the proper use of their GoPro hand grip along with Backscatter’s FLIP7 filter system
 

A 180-degree viewfinder is becoming an increasingly popular accessory for mid-water photography

Nauticam

Nauticam’s booth is one of the largest at the show and puts on display housings and accessories ranging from the small and compact to cinema camera systems. On the housing side of things, Nauticam has earned a reputation for getting the products to market very quickly—especially given the amount of ergonomic engineering that goes into each system. And so, it was of little surprise to get the first look at Nauticam’s housing for the new Nikon Z7/Z6. 
 

Nauticam’s housing for the Nikon Z7/Z6 is sure to be a big hit
 

Straying a bit from the conventional path, Nauticam has extended housing support for Fujifilm cameras. Nauticam believes that Fujifilm fans are faithful to the brand and want to stand out from the crowd to offer some of the only underwater housing solutions.
 

The decision to provide housings for Fujifilm cameras corners a niche consumer in the market
 

Nauticam’s housing for Fujifilm's mirrorless X-H1 camera
 

In recent years, Nauticam has led the charge in the high-end wet lens accessory market. And this continued at DEMA 2018, where they had a myriad of glass on display. Perhaps the coolest item—and the one with the most boss display—was their new bugeye lens.

As well, we were reintroduced to Nauticam’s Wide-Angle Conversion Port (WACP). Known as a water contact optic, the WACP virtually eliminates corner softness even when shooting at more open apertures. And if you don’t want to have to decide between wide-angle and macro, Nauticam offers the Macro to Wide Lens (MWL-1). This innovative wet lens works in concert with a 60mm macro (full-frame equivalent) lens to produce a 150-degree field-of-view. 
 

DEMA attendees take in a demonstration of Nauticam’s bugeye-style lens
 

This new lens can focus within a matter of centimeters
 

The WACP is a great option for pros and amateurs alike who demand sharp corners in their wide-angle underwater photos
 

Get the best of both (macro and wide-angle) with Nauticam’s MWL-1 wet lens

SeaLife

SeaLife’s booth was abuzz with activity for most of the show as onlookers checked out the company’s new video lights. We’ve previously reviewed SeaLife’s new pro-level Sea Dragon 4500 photo/video light, but it was refreshing to see two new models in the series that offer slightly fewer lumens and a more-affordable price point aimed at the mid-level underwater shooter. 

The Sea Dragon 2000F provides a 2,000-lumen output at a wide beam angle of 120 degrees (above water) and retails for $249.95, while the Sea Dragon 3000F boosts the output to 3,000 lumens and retails for $449.95. Both lights have higher-end light specs: a color rendering index (CRI) of 80 and a temperature of 5000K. 

The Sea Dragon 3000F (left) and Sea Dragon 2000F (right) offer multiple lumen and price point options for shooters

Since it’s almost wintertime, you’ll want to bundle up. SeaLife is offering a combination of these two new lights with its cameras at an affordable price. The DC2000 Pro 3000 Set ($1,099.95) combines the Sea Dragon 3000F light and a Sea Dragon Flash with their DC2000 camera, while the Micro 2.0 Pro 2000 ($789.95) kits up a Micro 2.0 with the Sea Dragon 2000F light. 

Bundle up with the DC2000 Pro 3000 set (left) and the Micro 2.0 Pro 2000 system (right)

The Show Floor

We love camera gear. Like, a lot. But if you’ve ever attended DEMA, you know that there is so much more to the show than just cameras and housings. So, for those who couldn’t make it to Las Vegas this year—and are probably much better rested this week—here is our take of the show floor in photos.
 

Erin Quigley’s presentations were always fully attended by inquisitive underwater photographers looking to step up their editing game
 

Ultralite’s Dave Reid shows off their rotating tray system
 

ADEX organizer and UW360 publisher John Thet catches up with DPG contributor Dan Norwood
 

Joel Penner continues his mission to help you get the best GoPro underwater footage possible
 

Underwater photographer Mike Bartick wows the crowd with his famed blackwater images
 

It’s all smiles at the Siladen booth with Daniele Marianelli and Ana Fonseca
 

Keri Wilk stops by the NAD Lembeh booth
 

Videographer Lee Burghard takes some behind-the-scenes footage at the Keldan booth
 

Easydive makes some pretty cool looking housings!
 

Ikelite Ambassador Steven Miller gives a killer presentation at the Image Resource Center
 

DEMA attendees also have access to the latest gear in other dive niches
 

Backscatter’s FLIP7 filter system was a big hit at DEMA 2018
 

In addition to the official Image Resource Center, Backscatter also produced a series of informative mini-seminars
 

When purchasing underwater photography equipment like the products mentioned in this article, please support DPG by supporting our retail partner—Backscatter.com.