The not so silent World!

This is just simply brilliant.
Enjoy!

Duncan - Showreel!

Source.

Bravo Duncan.

He may be kinky but he sure knows how to handle a camera - and he obviously understands and above all, respects the animals!

Enjoy!

Sardine Run 2013 - ridiculously awsome Video!

Source.

Enjoy!

Really cool BRUVS Footage!

 Typical BRUVS - Source

I've just received the newest SOSF newsletter .

Among many other things, it informs me that

This year, Save Our Seas Foundation received over 200 grant applications, requesting a total of over US$ 5.5 Million in grant aid for the 2013-2014 funding year. 53 of these applications were invited to submit Stage 2 applications. These figures do not take into account projects that are already receiving funds from the Foundation; some of these Principal Investigators will be invited to apply for continued funding next year.

Pretty darn impressive!

One of those endeavors is an innovative pilot project that aims at exploring the viability of using  Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations, or BRUVS to document the underwater fauna of False Bay, South Africa. As the project synopsis explains, BRUVS may be a cost effective, non extractive way for census and long-term monitoring of MPAs. Should you be interested, you can always check on the project's progress here. 

As always, there are challenges, as documented in this great little video about a thieving octopus.

As far as I know, BRUVS were first developed by AIMS.

Be it as it may, here's a very cool compilation of what appears to be some of their "best of", including a rather devastating intervention by a Tiger Shark that aptly demonstrates the effectiveness of its very special dentition which appears specially geared towards sawing through solid objects, foremost of which Turtle carapaces - remember those basic can openers?

Anyway: enjoy!

More info about AIMS's BRUVS research here.

Howard Hall - Best of 2011!

And talking about Howard's incredible skills.

This video is my "best of" collection for the past year.
Image capture was with the RED One camera using Nikon lenses. Locations include the Maldives, Alaska, California, Cocos Island Costa Rica, and Mexico. Music was composed by Shie Rozow.

Enjoy!

Cocos Video!

El Gran Rodeo II. Acrylic and Oil on canvas. 45in by 104in. 2009, by Carlos Hiller

I really did like this one!
Enjoy!

BBC Video!

U gotta watch this in full screen mode.
Great stuff !

And, and we got ourselves a genuine Ritter moment!
I mean, seriously, how could anybody, ever think that this would not end in tears!
Remarkable!

Enjoy - and take a moment to marvel at human stupidity!

Edwar - ridiculously awesome!

Rosy-lipped Batfish, quite possibly a Cocos endemic.

Edwar Herreño is not only a brilliant photographer, he also films.
Here's his best of 2005-2008, shot in DV, and I can only hope he's gonna be upgrading to HD and continue shooting as what he's got is just simply too good not to be broadcast world wide!
You will see the very best of what Cocos has to offer, from Whitetip feeding frenzies (David: 3:48!) and mating Marbled Rays, Turtles, Eagle Rays and Reef Whitetips, to a male (!) Tiger Shark and the Rosy-lipped Batfish (Ogcocephalus porrectus) which is apparently different from the Galapagos endemic Red-lipped Batfish (O. darwini) - and of course, to heaps upon heaps of Scalloped Hammerheads!
Simply brilliant!

Enjoy!

Lightning Strike Productions: Showreel!

Ornate Eagle Ray, Aetomylaeus vespertilio at 03:10!

Awesome footage by Richard Brooks - kudos!

A Tribute to Jacques Cousteau!

333 Productions: Joe and Bill (with Jean-Michel Cousteau)

Nice hommage to JacquesCousteau by 333 Productions.
Enjoy!

Circle of Life!

Kudos to Simon Spear.

His Circle of Life spans the whole gamut of marine life, from the tiniest to the largest, from South Africa to the Golden Triangle. This is a multi awarded production, and rightly so.
Enjoy!

Fantastic Video by Howard!

From the SA Sardine run, by Sasha.

Check this out!
It's of course by Howard and Michele Hall.
We've been friends for a very very long time, and I could go on for pages and pages extolling their virtues - but everything has already been said by others, and undoubtedly much better than I could ever hope for.

Just this.
Despite of their fame and very much like their heroes Ron and Valerie, they are among the kindest, most accessible and most humble people, ever.
That, to me, is the sign of true greatness.

Enjoy!

Sony EX1 - Ideas?

Grab from yesterday's footage: 720/50p, shutter 180, gain -3, auto Iris (aperture was 4), under-exposed by 1/2, detail -20, crispening +99. Please click to enlarge

Does this look normal to you?

Please check out this thread.
I shoot the EX1 in a Gates housing with the Fathom Imaging super wide angle lens and continue to be plagued by grainy (or noisy, or coarse) footage, especially when shooting in the Arena at 30m.

Having listened to the geeks, I've tweaked the PP as per the above, to no apparent avail.
Viz was so-so-la-la (20m) but having said this, the Shark is only inches away from the lens and particulate matter should have no bearing on the image quality. To me, that just looks like plain and simple grain - yes I can probably filter it out in post but am still trying to capture clear video in the first place.

Any XDCAM EX UW shooter out there with any insights?
Any help would be much appreciated!