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Solitude World Announces New Underwater Photo Competition in 2026: REAL FOCUS
Our friends at Solitude World—who run Solitude Acacia Resort, Solitude Lembeh Resort, as well as three liveaboards, including the recently launched Solitude Gaia—have unveiled an interesting new underwater photography competition centered around their resorts in Anilao and Lembeh.

Called Real Focus, the competition will be run at the two popular muck-diving destinations over a 10-week period from February 15th to April 30th, 2026. Each image captured during that time and submitted into the contest will additionally become a “valuable scientiﬁc datapoint,” contributing to a species behaviour study led by well-known marine biologist Dr David Harasti (who is a skilled underwater photographer in his own right). The work culminates in a research paper aimed at better understanding marine life in Anilao and Lembeh.

Entrants that book the minimum three-night stay are permitted to submit up to ﬁve images in each of four categories—and entrants can, of course, book multiple stays over the 10 weeks. As you’d expect, there’s a special emphasis on macro photographers practicing ethical behavior, and dive guides will act as spotters only and not be allowed to provide any photographic assistance.

For more information about the shootout, head over to the competition page on the Solitude World website.

PRESS RELEASE

Solitude World Blazes the Trail with Groundbreaking Underwater Photo Competition: REAL FOCUS

A New Era of Underwater Photo Competitions

Solitude World is once again blazing the trail—not just in travel, but in how we interact with the underwater world. Introducing a one-of-a-kind photo competition that spans two of the world’s muck diving capitals: Anilao, Philippines and Lembeh, Indonesia. REAL FOCUS is a groundbreaking event that isn’t just about the perfect shot—it’s about scientiﬁc contribution, conscious diving, and meaningful change.

Why This Is Groundbreaking

This revolutionary competition will run simultaneously in two iconic muck diving locations—Anilao and Lembeh—positioned almost perfectly along the same longitude. Over 10 weeks, REAL FOCUS offers an unprecedented opportunity to study marine species in parallel environments. By collecting image data under near-identical conditions—such as moon phase, depth, and water temperature—the competition generates a neutral, geographically unbiased dataset.

This data feeds directly into a dedicated three-year species behaviour study led by Dr Dave Harasti, a globally recognised marine biologist. Every submitted image becomes more than an entry—it’s a valuable scientiﬁc datapoint. Together, these contributions will support a peer-reviewed research paper and help deepen our understanding of marine life dynamics in two of the world’s most biodiverse underwater ecosystems.

“This was a concept I’ve been exploring for years. I wanted Solitude World to create an event with purpose, to go beyond just a photo competition,” says Andrew Lok, Managing Director of Solitude World. “We are the only ones in the world with bases in two of the best muck destinations, why not take advantage of that?” he continues.

Event Details: Everyone Can Join

Dates: February 15 – April 30, 2026

Locations: Solitude Acacia Resort (Anilao) and Solitude Lembeh Resort (Indonesia)

Eligibility: minimum 3-night stay required

General Rules
- Book as many stays as you like
- For each 3-night stay, participants may submit up to ﬁve (5) entries in each of the four (4) categories
- No dive guide assistance during shooting (guides will act only as spotters)
Participants must follow a strict code of ethical conduct. Any harmful behaviour, such as touching, chasing, staging, or manipulating marine life, will result in all submissions for that day being disqualiﬁed. Entries may resume the next day with a renewed commitment to responsible practices.

This initiative promotes conscious photography, proving that impactful images can be captured without interference, fostering a deeper respect for the ocean and its creatures.

The REAL FOCUS: Contribution Over Competition

At its core, this isn’t about competition. It’s about contribution.

Every image submitted becomes part of a larger mission: a 3-year species behaviour study spearheaded by Dr Dave Harasti, a globally recognised marine biologist. Your shots will directly feed into a research paper aimed at better understanding marine life across both dive sites.

And this isn’t just about the prizes. It’s about changing underwater behaviour, encouraging photographers to hone their craft without touching, staging or manipulating marine life. Stunning images can—and should—come from respectful, natural interactions.

Gathering the Tribe

This project has been two years in the making. Our partners will be #makrogehtimmer, a Facebook group created in 2023, that is a growing community of nearly 5,000 underwater photography enthusiasts dedicated to ethical macro photography.

To ensure the integrity of this event, the judging panel was selected for their 100% advocacy for changing how we shoot underwater.

Panel of Judges
- Dr. Georg Nies (Germany) – Head of Jury
- Lilian Koh (Singapore)
- Imran Ahmad (Malaysia)
- Ram Yoro (Philippines)
- Dr Alex Tattersall (United Kingdom)
Judging will be conducted live and anonymously, ensuring a purely merit-based review with no indication of the photographer’s identity or the Solitude resort/location where the images were captured.

CLICK HERE TO: Meet the Judicators

Prizes and Sponsors

With over USD 25,000 in prizes, the competition is backed by some of the most respected names in the diving and photography world:
- Solitude Acacia Resort
- Solitude Lembeh Resort
- Solitude Liveaboards & Resorts
- Gull
- Mini Gear Europe
- Fotocore
Stay tuned—more sponsors will be announced in the lead-up to the event.

Be Part of the Movement

REAL FOCUS isn’t just an event—it’s a call to action. Solitude World invites divers, photographers, and ocean lovers to take part in a transformational experience that honours both artistry, advocacy and respect.

To learn more and register, visit: www.solitude.world/realfocus
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31/07/2025
New Adapter Supports Nauticam Ports on Aquatica Housings
Aquatica users, ever wanted to mount Nauticam domes or water-contact optics like the WACP-1 or WACP-C on your housing? Well, Aquatica has just announced a new adapter for 120mm (N120) diameter ports that allows you to do just that.

The precision-machined anodized aluminum adapter features a bayonet-style mount with a locking mechanism to ensure ports are securely locked into place. The adapter doesn’t interfere with zoom and focus gears.

Shipping in mid-September, the adapter is priced at $350 and will be available from retailers such as Backscatter. Aquatica has promised to release more adapters for other port diameters in the future.

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

PRESS RELEASE

Aquatica Introduces New Adapter to Support Nauticam Ports on Aquatica Housings

Montreal, Canada – In response to growing customer demand, Aquatica is proud to announce the release of a new adapter that enables the use of Nauticam ports on Aquatica housings.

The first model in this new line of adapters is designed for 120mm diameter ports and features a secure locking mechanism. Additional adapters for other port diameters are planned for future release.

This solution is ideal for photographers who have already invested in Nauticam ports and now wish to pair them with Aquatica’s durable and cost-effective aluminum housings.

Key Features
- Precision-machined from high-grade aluminum and fully anodized for exceptional durability and corrosion resistance
- Simple and secure bayonet-style mount for fast and reliable installation
- Maintains full functionality of zoom and focus gear systems (where applicable)
- Fully pressure-tested at our factory to ensure leak-free performance
Availability

The adapter is expected to be available through our authorized dealer network by mid-September 2025.

Product #48479

MSRP: $349.00 USD

For more information please contact: orders@aquatica.ca
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25/07/2025
Godox Has Announced Ultra Compact Affordable Flash – The New iT20/iT22

Godox, a company popularly known for photography lighting equipment, has recently released a couple of mini TTL flashes – the Godox iT20 and iT22, that are ultra compact and will easily fit into your pocket. These camera flashes are perfect for both indoor and outdoor photography use, and come with magnetic accessories for quick switching between light effects.

Image via Godox

The mini flashes are almost identical with the iT20 slightly smaller than the iT22 and come in an ultra compact design and weigh only 45g (iT20) and 52g (iT22), which means they can be carried in your pocket, ready to be grabbed and used when needed. There is a dedicated button that allows the user to toggle between manual and TTL modes. Real time settings are displayed, so one can view them for any adjustments required.

Image via Godox

The accessories that come with the flash like the light spreader or diffuser and two color filters, are all magnetic, so they can be easily snapped on to the flash when required. There are also other optional accessories that can be purchased, like diffuser, gels and honeycomb grids which are magnetic. These accessories help with capturing creative and atmospheric effects in your photograph.

Image via Godox

The flash intensity can be adjusted across 6 stops in steps of 1/3. The recycling time for the flashes is 1.5s at full power and a single charge lasts more than 700 flashes. The built-in lithium battery can be charged quickly (approximately 1h 10mins) with a USB-C cable.

Another optional accessory is the “Hot Shoe Riser” that helps to lift the flash by 30mm, so it has clear spread of light without blockage, when using wide angle or long lenses. There is also a 0 – 90 degrees tilt adjustment that helps to bounce light off the flash when required.

The flash is compatible with Canon E-TTL II, Nikon i-TTL, Sony, Fujifilm, OM System and Panasonic TTL systems, supporting both auto flash and High-Speed sync functions. More details about the flash can be found here.

The flash is available to pre-order and costs less than $50.00. We have more news for you to read if you are interested at this link here.

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25/07/2025
New Sea&Sea YS-D130R Strobe Under Development

Not to be outdone by the slew of manufacturers flooding the strobe market of late—think AOI Q1i, Ikelite Ecko, Ikelite RC165/DS165, Isotta RED64, Kraken Sports KR-S40 and Retra Flash Pro Max II—Sea&Sea has teased a new strobe currently “under development” called the YS-D130R.

The Japanese company isn’t giving too much away, but their product page refers to a “high-output strobe equipped with a circular flash tube designed to deliver smooth, even lighting distribution.” Promising that “advanced customization options allow for precise control across a wide range of camera systems and shooting styles,” the new strobe offers manual power settings as well as DS-TTL and OM System’s RC TTL. Sea&Sea also says the new model features a “redesigned battery system.”

Interestingly, Sea&Sea make a point of showing where exactly the YS-D130R will sit in their range—namely, at the very top, above the YS-D3 DUO, the YS-01 SOLIS and the YS-03 SOLIS. While no number is given to indicate power, it’s notable that the new strobe sports a circular flash tube like the much-loved-but-long-discontinued YS-250PRO, which claimed a guide number of 32.

No pricing is currently available, but retailers such as Backscatter are already taking pre-orders for the Sea&Sea YS-D130R.

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

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22/07/2025
Ethical AI? New Video Generation Tool Is Trained on Licensed Data

By Ian Bongso-Seldrup, July 9, 2025 @ 10:30 PM (EST)
Source: Time

An underwater video generated by the AI model Marey

As photographers and filmmakers, many of us are observing the rapid emergence of generative AI tools with a mixture of skepticism and trepidation. We’re doubtful that AI can replace us—especially as we’re working in the underwater realm—but we’re alarmed at the idea that our content is being “scraped” and at some point, AI software will indeed be able to generate the images and video we work so hard to capture. Which makes the arrival of Moonvalley’s AI model Marey both encouraging and scary—not least because the company shows off impressive underwater images and video generated by the model.

While AI company Midjourney is being sued by Disney and Universal for copyright infringement, Moonvalley—which was founded by DeepMind researchers and has close associations with the film industry—is developing Marey by training it on licensed data and with the consent of filmmakers. This should mean filmmakers and studios can avoid the ethical quagmire and copyright lawsuits that have become all too common in the nascent AI industry. Naeem Talukdar, Moonvalley’s CEO and co-founder, tells TIME: “We have to make sure that we’re building these tools the right way: building with the filmmaker and the artist at the center of it, rather than trying to automate their job away.”

An underwater image generated by the AI model Marey

Aimed at pro filmmakers, Marey offers functionality that many other AI-powered video generation tools lack. Most AI video models are black-box systems: They generate a scene from your text prompt, and if you try to modify one aspect, others may change, making it difficult or impossible to achieve the result you want. Marey aims to offer filmmakers precise control over every detail. You can input storyboards or frames and then tweak the results to taste. You can create cinematic camera moves using just a single image by turning a 2D scene into a 3D environment. You can draw a trajectory for an element and watch your direction come to life. You can even pull motion from a reference video and apply it to new subjects or scenes.

“It’s this iterative process where you start with some input guidance and then you build up towards the scene that you want, which really isn’t very different from how VFX workflows are today,” Talukdar tells TIME. “If you’re an independent studio that doesn’t necessarily have massive infrastructure, you can now, even in a small space, create and curate these scenes in a very granular way.”

Moonvalley claims that Marey is trained entirely on footage licensed from intellectual property owners. According to Talukdar, around 80% of that footage is B-roll created by independent filmmakers and agencies, and this means the model is trained on about one-fifth of the data used by competitors like Google’s Veo 3. Talukdar says Marey would definitely be more powerful if they scraped data, but he claims they are overcoming this with better technology. “Our inclination is that you don’t necessarily have to be the number one model—you just need to be among the best,” he says.

Marey is now available to filmmakers for subscription tiers of $15, $35, and $150 a month.

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10/07/2025
Fujifilm Announced The X-E5 With A New Film Simulation Dial
Fujifilm announced the launch of its new rangefinder style mirrorless camera in the X-E series, the Fujifilm-X-E5, that has a classic look and comes with an updated elegant design. One of the most interesting design features is the customizable “Film Simulation” (FS) dial that features an indicator window.

Image via Fujifilm

The Fujifilm-X-E5 allows you to navigate between Fujifilm’s own presets via the FS dial and also allows the user to save their own three customizable film simulation settings. Fujifilm has used the term “recipes” for the film simulation settings, much like the presets that users develop and save in some mobile photo apps as recipes.

The X-E5 has a compact design and comes with a 40.2MP APS-C sensor. It features a five-axis in-body image stabilization, AI powered autofocus and many other interesting features for aadvanced image capture.

Here are some of the most important features of the Fujifilm X-E5:
- 40.2MP APS-C, X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor
- X-Processor 5 imaging engine
- Five-axis sensor-shift IBIS
- 3″ touchscreen LCD with three-axis tilting
- Single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot
- Captures videos up to 6.2K
- Lower base ISO of 125, improving low light performance
- Latest AF Algorithm, subject detection AF
- Teleconverter with digital zoom settings of 1.4 and 2.0x
- Continuous shooting for uncompressed Raw images – up to 20 fps
- Long exposure up to 1 hour in bulb mode
- 20 unique Film Simulation modes
- Maximum frame rate of 29.97 fps in 6.2K, 59.94 fps in 4K, and 240 fps in Full HD
- Weight approximately 445 g
- Built-in Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2
- USB-C power input for charging
More details about the Fujifilm X-E5 can be found here. Along with the announcement of the X-E5, Fujifilm has also announced the FUJIFILM XF 23mm f/2.8 R WR Lens that comes with a 11 blades round aperture, manual focus ring, autofocus motor and is a great lens for low light shooting. Both these products are available to pre-order and are estimated to ship by end of August, 2025.

We have more news for you to read if you are interested at this link here.
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03/07/2025
A New Range of Tripods from Peak Design

17

June 2025 : Tuesday
Jun 2025 : Tuesday

See More Photos of:&nbsp&nbspCamera Gear, Photography Tips, Travel

Everyone reading this post should know that I love Peak Design products. Obviously a while back we had a great time working together on the Everyday Messenger bags but that didn’t require me to stick with their products *checks calendar*… *faints*… *gets up off the floor* 10 years later! How did a decade happen????

Anyway, one of the more recent bits of kit that I use from them is the Travel Tripod. It’s been allll over the place with me since launch, from the most southern tip of New Zealand to the north coast of Scotland and loads of places in between and has never let me down. In this relationship, unlike others in my life, I’m far more likely to be the one to cause issues, that’s for sure. Back to my original point. Today Peak Design are launching the Pro Tripod line with enhanced features such as increased strength and stability to carry heavier cameras and lenses, improved ball head functionality and accessories for full fluid pan/tilt video capture. It looks like they’ve also refined the design and further enhanced build quality too. Nice stuff all round!

So, if the original wasn’t “pro” enough for you maybe the new one will be. You can find our more here where they’ve spent countless hours crafting a useful info and sales page. If you grab one, have fun! And if you don’t well, um, enjoy knowing that you made a terrible life decision. 😉

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18/06/2025
Processing Portraits – A New Toy…

I’m working on a new people-based photography project and decided I’d give Skylum’s Portrait Editor a try. New toys are always fun. Here’s one of the early results. Very pleased with the look given the demanding desert conditions that the tool had to deal with! More soon… and if you want to check out Aperty you can do so here.

The post Processing Portraits – A New Toy… appeared first on Stuck in Customs.

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04/06/2025
A New Portrait Project – Stuck in Customs

27

April 2025 : Sunday
Apr 2025 : Sunday

And Exploring Skylum Aperty

I’ve started work on a portrait project which is, let’s just say not insignificant, in its scope… because if I think about it too much, I realise it’s quite the crazy undertaking! So, while I was planning this out, I had to think about how my workflow might work. How do I make things as easy on myself as possible and keep the creativity as the priority, keeping the “how” out of the way as much as I can. I played with a few tools for a while and have now settled on Aperty. Before I get into that here’s a quick look at it:

That image in the interface, pretty great end result from minimal time. It was clear to me from early on in the testing that my normal tools, like Lightroom and Luminar, which I use A LOT, offer great processing but Aperty and its focus on portraits, offers a slicker workflow and quicker almost one click solutions.

Above you’ll see exactly what I mean. On the left, a before, right is the after. 2 button clicks to apply some sympathetic tweaks to the image. Areas to pay particular attention to are the bridge of the nose, forehead and right of the eye. In some cases, the wrinkles disappear, in others the harshness (which was partially due to the environment) is reduced.

Now, don’t get me wrong… if transforming your models into smooth skinned alienlike creatures is your style, that’s possible too… but for more terrestrial based portraits, the tweaks applied by Aperty in just a few clicks feel appropriate, never overdone. Above, that’s the blemish and skin smoothing sliders at work.

This being Skylum there are of course some fun additions to the normal options available too. You can for example have the software add some eyeliner to your model, or tweak their iris color as just two examples but that’s something for another day.

For now, what I see from Aperty is a great tool for anyone working on people pictures. The tools flow in a really nice, logical way for a processing work and a lot of the clutter you’d find in more general processing applications doesn’t feature here. Yet you can still do great environmental portraits too, which is what I think I’ll leave you with today… oh, and one more thing. You can grab Aperty for a 50% discount here, plus a bonus month on the subscription and a bunch of extras. Have fun!

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03/06/2025
New Singapore Oceanarium on Sentosa Opens in July

By DPG Editorial Staff, May 26, 2025 @ 07:00 AM (EST)
Source: Straits Times

Singapore isn’t just home to Asia’s biggest dive show, ADEX. It’s also where—come July 23rd—you’ll find one of Asia’s largest attractions devoted to educating the public about the ocean and its inhabitants. The new Singapore Oceanarium—a rebranding and upgrade of the previous facility, S.E.A. Aquarium—will be about three times larger than its predecessor and will feature 22 zones. The oceanarium is part of Resorts World Sentosa, situated on the island of Sentosa in southern Singapore.

While the centerpiece of the oceanarium remains the Open Ocean exhibit—an almost five-million-gallon enclosure containing sharks, rays, and thousands of other marine animals, and featuring a 120-foot underwater viewing panel—various new exhibits have been added. Among these is Ocean Wonders, home to one of the world’s largest Kreisel tanks, which is specially designed to house over 5,000 thousand moon jellies. Another is Whale Fall and Sea Mount, a deep-sea zone that uses immersive sights, sounds and live deep-sea habitats to educate visitors about how a whale fall becomes a life-giving oasis.

“More than just a new name, Singapore Oceanarium represents a bold transformation into a world-class ocean institute that inspires deeper knowledge, love and action for our oceans,” states the Resorts World Sentosa announcement. To serve that goal, the oceanarium aims to “push the boundaries of marine research” through partnerships with top academic institutions, including the National University of Singapore and the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University. In addition, a research and learning center, adjacent to the oceanarium, will provide “advanced facilities for scientists and researchers to conduct valuable research work and drive marine science outreach on-site.”

Resorts World Sentosa will soon be releasing information about forthcoming programs—and ticket prices.

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26/05/2025