NEWSLETTER July 2006

Please try and be on time as we have to keep the main doors locked while we are using the building. However, there is an intercom entry system so you should be able to get in if you are running late.

The main event is a presentation by Charles Stirling on the subject of photographing the manatees of Florida. Expect to see some excellent images of these fascinating underwater creatures.

We will be holding our AGM at this meeting. Hopefully, it will not take too long and not be too boring - come along and have your say. If there is anything you wish to discuss, then get in touch with me ( akdiver48@hotmail.com ) and I will put it on the agenda.

The monthly competition theme is 'Reflections'. Send your digital files to Bob Anthony (anthonyrez30@tiscali.co.uk ) or bring your slides on the night (let Bob know if you will require a slide projector and screen).

Rob gave a well illustrated talk on what is at the top of many wish lists - the Nikon D200. Housed in a Sea & Sea DX-D200, this is a replacement for the D70 and DX-D70 outfit that Rob had been using.

With its magnesium alloy body, the D200 is a heavier camera than the D70 and this suited Rob, making it feel much more solid. What is not obvious is the amount of weather protection given to the camera by a high standard of body sealing - as found on the Nikon 'professional' range of cameras. Although you would not want to put the sealing to any kind of test, Alan James mentioned that his D200 had twice been in contact with a good deal of water and was still working perfectly!

With just over 10 megapixels, the D200 offers a larger image than the 6 megapixels of the D70, although not almost twice as large as might be imagined. However, it means that images can be cropped quite considerably and still have plenty of pixels left in them. This was well illustrated by Rob's amazing image of a 'yawning' frogfish :

Rob was delighted with the image quality, feeling that the dynamic range was better than the D70 and that the blues were rendered better. Autofocus was excellent although Rob was still experimenting with the multitude of focus options available - he had tried 'closest subject priority' but found that the camera would often focus on the mouth and leave the eye a bit soft. However, It had worked well on this pin sharp clownfish:

The housing is even smaller than that for the D70 - a bonus when travelling and Rob had been able to pack the housing, ports and strobes in his hand luggage. One result of the smaller size is that the outfit is rather more negatively buoyant than the D70. Not so noticeable with the dome port fitted but quite apparant with the macro port (not too difficult to add a little bit of buoyancy though). Rob had only recently tried it out in UK waters and captured this image of a smiling dragonet during the BSoUP Splash In - the small housing allowing it to get down to almost eye level:

This was an enjoyable and informative presentation and I'm sure many of the audience will be contemplating an upgrade of their kit. Rob is still finding his way around the camera and housing and we look forward to an update at some time in the future - many thanks Rob.

The theme was 'Open' and there were 27 entries. The top two images received an equal number of votes and a second vote was required. This resulted in Bob Anthony's emperor shrimp on a sea cucumber (Bali - Puri Jati) just nudging ahead of (by 1 vote) Jan Davies' lionfish (Nuweiba).

In Third Place was an image of a hairy anglerfish (Bali - Secret Bay) by Arthur Kingdon

The BSoUP Annual Splash In was held at Plymouth on July 1st. There were 42 entrants including 10 BUPG members. As it was, our members featured prominently in the winners list:

Jan Davies took 3rd place in the Digital Wide Angle with this starfish and sponge:

Much to everyone's amusement, Alan's prize for winning the Digital Macro was an underwater photography course with Martin Edge! However, Alan had the last laugh as the lobster went on to win the 'Best Image' award, the prize for which was a Red Sea holiday.

The winning images were shown at the July Meeting accompanied by a commentary from the authors. Alan James went on to say how impressed he had been with the excellent efforts of Jan Davies, particularly as he uses a compact camera (a Sea&Sea 8000G), and Alan kindly donated his Digital Macro prize to Jan - we are sure Jan will get more out of it than Alan!

Two of our members have been successful in the Sport Diver Magazine Underwater Photography Competition:-

David Stephens took First Place in the Project Aware competition with this cracking shot from the Seychelles:

David also took Runner Up spot in the Digital competition with a shot from Guadeloupe:

Bob Davies was Professional Runner Up in the Open competition with a slide of a manta. Unfortunately, we do not have a scan of the slide but this is what the judges said "A well composed shot of a manta feeding near the surface". However, Bob (ever modest) says "That's rich since I never composed anything in my life - if it works, then I was just lucky".

Len Deeley is well known underwater photographer whose name regularly features amongst the prize winners of national and international competitions. He has just sent me the following:

A photographic special has been arranged between 29th November - 6th December on the Royal Evolution.

This particular trip will be unique and a first for any vessel in theRed Sea; it is only possible as a result of the engines and the design of the Royal Evolution. The cruise starts in Port Galeb, Marsa Alam and dives the Brothers, Daedalus Reef, Rocky Island (with one possible dive at Zabargard), and St John’s reef. Sailing is mostly by night allowing for several dives during the day.

Cruise Itinerary:

Ų Day 1 Check in, dinner and overnight at Port Galeb Marina.

Ų Day 2 Check dive Marsa Shoona. Dives at Elphinstone for rest of day. Night dive at Abu Dababb. Sail at night to Brothers.

Ų Day 3 Full day diving big Brother.

Ų Day 4 Full day diving Little Brother. Sail at night to Daedalus Reef.

Ų Day 5 Full day Daedalus. Sailing at night to Rocky Island.

Ų Day 6 2 dives at Rocky North East and North West, depending on clients and marine life (otherwise if they would like to include Zabargad). Sailing to St Johns Reef for 3^rd and 4^th dive (night dive).

Ų Day 7 2 dives at St John and sailing back to Port Galeb. Overnight on board.

Ų Day 8 Arrive Port Galeb in the morning and Check out.

Two night dives are included during the week, at Abu Dababb and St John’s Reef. Night dives at Marine Parks, the Brothers and Daedalus Reef are forbidden.

With photographers in mind the boat has Video/CD editing & E6 processing, 1 X laptop, 1 X 34cm TV monitor, 1 X computer for digital/video/CD/DVD editing, individual charging 110/220v & storing locker for cameras & torches.

Price £1250 including marine park fees, for flights and transfers with 7 nights full board and diving including marine park fees, mineral water, soft drinks, tea and coffee. Excluded are

Egypt entry visas.

Full details of the boat and technical specifications can be found at http://www.royalevolution.com/ . Information is also available on my website www.imagine-photography.co.uk .

Please let me know if you are interested in joining the trip by email or phone 01428 683284

A new website, full of good stuff for underwater photographers, can be found at http://www.divephotoguide.com Check it out - it requires registration but is very useful.

There is no excuse now for not entering the BSoUP competitions as they are now accepting entries via email. Also, our monthly competition programme mirrors and precedes that of BSoUP, so you can try out your images the month before. We have a great deal of talent within the group so why not give it a go? Let's show the London lot what we can do in the provinces! Check out www.bsoup.org for further details.