March News Roundup

New Housings from Sea & Sea, Hugyfot and Ikelite, new camera bodies from Canon, humpbacks, sharks, contests and more. 

By Travis Ball

New Housings Announced for the Nikon D600 

Sea&Sea's newly announced MDX-D600 housing is now available.  This is another reliable Sea&Sea housing, featuring a more compact and lighter weight design than its MDX predecessors.  Check out the full press release here. 

Hugyfot also just announced their housing for the D600, the HFN-D600.  Another solid addition to the Hugyfot lineup, the HFN-D600 allows easy access to all the camera controls with Hugyfot's stylish design and HugyCheck (vacuum check) feature.

Canon Announces Two New Camera Bodies

On Thursday, Canon announced the EOS Rebel T5i. The new camera has a few upgrades on the T4i, including a new mode dial, body finish and new 18-55 STM kit lens.

Canon has also announced the EOS SL1, the world's smallest and lightest DSLR camera.  The camera features a thinner 18 megapixel CMOS sensor and Canon's Digic 5 processor, but in a body more similar in size to mirrorless competitors.  This is great news for those who have an EF-S lens collection but are looking for a small camera body.

Ikelite Announces New Housings

This last month Ikelite announced two new housings, one for the Olympus XZ-2 and the SLR-DC for the Sony A57 and A65 SLT cameras.  These are two great housings for compact (XZ-2) and DSLR (A57, A65) shooters, backed by Ikelite's stellar customer service.

Indonesia World Underwater Photo Contest 2013

This free contest is "the largest, the longest, the most prestigious photo contest in the world" according to Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.  With cash prizes worth over $200,000 US, this is certainly a very large contest, and one you should enter if you'll be diving in Indonesia anytime this year through November.  More information can be found here.

Humpback Whales Spotted in Saba

There's been an increase in recent sightings of multiple whales, mothers with calves and orcas in February and March of 2013 throughout Saba, St. Maarten and St. Barths.  Everyone is asking if the Humpbacks will begin to reclaim abandoned calving grounds now that the population is increasing.  Seasaba has a great article here.

NCUPS 48th Annual International Underwater Photo & Video Competition

The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society is accepting entries for the 2013 SEA contest through April 12th, 2013.  With 7 categories and the deadline rapidly approaching, now is the time to get submit your images.  Check out the contest details at the SEA International Photo Competition website.

Big Win for Sharks and Mantas at CITES

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (or CITES) passed a two-thirds vote adding five species of shark (porbeagle, oceanic whitetip and three species of hammerhead) and two species of manta ray to the list of protected species.  While this doens't guarantee protection, it does mean trade will be closely monitored in these species and is a necessary first step in the basis of full protection.  More information can be found here.

Further Reading

• February News Roundup

• December News Roundup

Where to Buy

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