9 Hot Items We Can't Wait To See In 2013

From fluorescent lights to fiber optic snoots, here's a list of items we can't wait to get our hands on next year.

By Todd Winner

1) Nauticam Optical Trigger

I'm really looking forward to this product.  For anyone shooting with a DSLR without a pop up flash like the Canon 5D Mark III, or shooting manual strobes (e.g. - not using optical TTL), I think this is going to be an incredible product.  It gives you all of the benefits of an electronic sync like fast recycle time and the reliability and ease of maintenance of fiber optic connections.

2) Light and Motion UV Nightsea Lights

Light & Motion has a new line of lights for fluorescence diving which allows you to view video or capture still images of fluorescence in marine organisms. Although fluorescence photography has been around for quite some time, I am interested to see what can be done with video and these lights. 

3) GoPro Hero 3 Cameras

These little cameras are just sick!  With improved low light performance and frame rates up to 60fps in 1080p and 120fps in 720p with the Black Edition, I'm sure we are going to see some amazing footage shot with these tiny cameras in the coming year.

4) More Affordable High End Cinema Cameras

Compared to what you would have had to pay only a few years ago, 4K and higher cinema cameras, like the Canon EOS 1D C and Red Scarlet, are now a fraction of the cost. They are still out of the price range for most consumers but at least they are now within reach.  Housings are also more affordable with companies, such as Nauticam & Amphibico getting into the cinema market.

5) Aquatica Pocket Wizard Housing

Pool studio and underwater fashion photography continues to grow.  Triggering topside flash heads usually required getting custom cables and housings made.  Aquatica's off the shelf solution, the Pocket Wizard housing, now makes it easy and affordable.

6) External Monitor Housings

Shooting video with a DSLR or mirrorless is great but the video screens are small and hard to focus with.  External monitors like the Nauticam DP-4, Wahoo, and Dive & See give more precision for serious video shooters.

7) Reefnet Fiber Optic Snoots

Shooting underwater macro with snoots has exploded over the past few years. Aiming snoots on the other hand is a pain in the.... well you know what I mean.  Reefnet's fiber optic snoot arms are flexible making it much easier to aim them precisely. They have just expanded the types of strobes that can fit the snoots.

8) Smaller More Powerful LED Lights

I don't have a particular brand or product in mind for this one.  I just feel that LED technology is advancing rapidly and I'm looking forward to smaller more powerful lights with decent burn times.  I think we could also start seeing more options for different native color temperatures in these lights.

9) New Housings.

As always new cameras are being released and in the Fall of 2012 a variety of new models were announced in both the Mirrorless and Compact categories. They have slowly started being produced with the new Olympus XZ-2 and E-PL5 housings shipping now and as we roll into 2013 we are looking forward to new housings for the Canon S110, Canon G15, Sony NEX-5r and NEX-6. You can read about the top 5 underwater cameras for X-mas 2012.

About the Author

Todd Winner is the technique editor for Underwater Photography Guide and an instructor and trip leader for Bluewater Photo Store in Santa Monica, CA. You can see more of his work at www.toddwinner.com.

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