New SeaLife Camera with Shark Mode™
SeaLife
presents a new 5 Megapixel digital underwater camera with major
improvements for sharper and more colorful pictures on land and
underwater.
The new SeaLife DC500 is rated to a depth of 200
feet and features a new "Shark Mode" for faster and
sharper pictures of moving objects underwater and in sports photography
on land.
Other features include:
New Land & Sea exposure modes improve the colors
underwater, particularly in low-light conditions with an external
SeaLife flash.
The radically new design is not only more compact
than any previous underwater camera, but SeaLife's designers have
put a high priority on ease of use, allowing one-button operation,
a large 2" LCD, full rubber armoring, and ergonomic button
designs. The long-life lithium-ion rechargeable battery is an
important feature for divers with multiple dives.
The camera's new auto focus system is able to focus
as close as two inches; and the 12x zoom, (3 x optical and 4 x
digital) lets a diver take "close-up" pictures of sea
creatures that are either dangerous or shy from a safe distance.
The brightness of flash pictures can be adjusted at the camera
for close-up or far distances in addition to the brightness control
on SeaLife's new external Digital Flash.
The new SeaLife DC500 is easy to use and easy to
expand with external lenses and flashes, which are compatible
with all SeaLife film and digital cameras. The most popular expansion
lens is a 24 mm wide angle lens offering the greatest versatility.
The camera consists of a shock-proof tough rubber
armored housing and a removable inner camera, not larger than
a cigarette box, which has been specially made for the light conditions
underwater, but can be just as easily used on land, if switched
to land mode.
SeaLife's exclusive new "Shark Mode" has
been developed based on input from underwater photographers: Many
divers using land cameras in an underwater housing reported fuzzy
pictures or missed pictures due to "shutter lag", the
time between pushing the shutter button and the camera actually
taking the picture. Shutter lag is caused by the time the camera
needs to focus and see the object sharp and clear. Since there
is less light and less contrast in water, most land cameras, not
specially made for underwater, have a long shutter lag resulting,
for example, in a missed fish that moved away. This has been observed
to be a particular problem in photographing sharks, which are
grey, lacking contrast, and also move along fast. Hence the term
"Shark Mode ™".
The Shark Mode is activated by simply pushing the
camera's OK button which focuses on the intended subject. The
camera will now remember that focus range and take sharp pictures
with virtually no shutter lag. Underwater, in diving or snorkeling,
everything moves, the diver as well as sea creatures are in constant
movement. In addition to the Shark Mode, the automatic Sea exposure
mode will shorten the exposure time underwater for sharper pictures.
SeaLife, a division of Pioneer Research in Moorestown,
New Jersey, has 27 years of experience in underwater photography
and started developing digital underwater cameras in 1998. With
the expansion to several models of film and digital cameras, the
company has become market leader in specialized underwater cameras
with a market share of 75 % according to latest reports from Leisure
Trends, an independent market research firm.
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