Andi Voeltz
Forum username: andi voeltz
Posts: 350
Active years: 2002—2008
Affiliation: Digideep.com (co-founder with Lars Kirchhoff)
Role: Underwater photographer, videographer, PADI digital underwater photography consultant
Biography
Andreas “Andi” Voeltz was a German underwater photographer and co-creator of the Digideep.com website, one of the early comprehensive digital underwater photography resources. Together with his partner Lars Kirchhoff, Voeltz built Digideep into a well-known reference site that catalogued digital cameras and housings — at one point listing 773 cameras and 483 housings ([1]). Voeltz was also PADI’s main consultant and instructor trainer for digital underwater photography, helping develop the PADI Digital Underwater Photography course introduced in January 2006 ([2]).
Both Voeltz and Kirchhoff started underwater photography exclusively with digital cameras and never shot film, which positioned them as authorities during the digital transition era.
Community Role
Voeltz was an active Wetpixel forum contributor during the early DSLR revolution (2002—2008), participating in discussions about the transition from compact cameras to DSLRs, lens choices, white balance techniques, and housing options. He published reviews through Digideep, including sharing a review of UK-Germany’s Canon 10D housing by Andre Smith ([3]).
He was a familiar face at industry events, appearing at DEMA Show 2006 ([4]) and covering competitions such as the SanDisk/Red Sea 2006 Underwater Photo Competition for Digideep ([5]).
Contributions
- Digideep.com: Co-founded with Lars Kirchhoff, providing one of the most comprehensive online databases of digital underwater photography equipment. The site was frequently referenced by Wetpixel editors including Alex Mustard, Eric Cheng, and James Wiseman.
- PADI Digital UW Photography course: Served as PADI’s main consultant and instructor trainer for the course ([6]).
- Photo expeditions: Led exclusive underwater photography trips aboard the King Snefro III in the Red Sea with Kirchhoff ([7]).
- Hugyfot D200 review: Hosted a review of the Hugyfot Nikon D200 housing by Udo van Dongen on Digideep ([8]).
- Digideep Apparel: Launched a clothing line for underwater photographers featuring “digital snapper” and “strobe power” designs ([9]).
Notable Threads
- “Gone DSLR with the Canon 10D at last!” (45 replies) — Documented his transition from a Nikon Coolpix 990 to the Canon EOS 10D, discussing zoom lens options and housing choices ([10])
- “UK-GERMANY 10D Review” (37 replies) — Shared the Digideep review of UK-Germany’s 10D housing ([11])
- “Macro Choice!” (35 replies) — Lens selection discussion ([12])
- “White balance (ing) underwater?” (23 replies) — White balance technique thread ([13])
Timeline
- 2002: Joined Wetpixel forums; active in early digital underwater photography discussions
- 2003-06: Purchased Canon 10D DSLR, transitioning from Nikon Coolpix 990 ([14])
- 2003-10: Published UK-Germany 10D housing review on Digideep ([15])
- 2006-01: Digideep.com referenced by Alex Mustard in “When to Jump” article for its camera/housing database ([16])
- 2006-04: Led PADI digital underwater photography expedition to the Red Sea ([17])
- 2006-05: Covered SanDisk/Red Sea 2006 competition for Digideep ([18])
- 2006-09: Launched Digideep Apparel line ([19])
- 2006-11: Attended DEMA Show 2006 in Orlando ([20])
- 2008: Last active year on Wetpixel forums
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Jan 21, 2006: When To Jump ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 4, 2006: Digideep 2006 Photo Expeditions ↩
- Forum thread: Uk Germany 10d Review ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 12, 2006: Dema 2006 People Pictures Nov 9 ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 10, 2006: Digideep Covers Sandisk Redsea Photo Competition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 4, 2006: Digideep 2006 Photo Expeditions ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 4, 2006: Digideep 2006 Photo Expeditions ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 31, 2006: Hugyfot Nikon D200 Housing Review ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 15, 2006: Digideep Apparel ↩
- Forum thread: Gone Dslr With The Canon 10d At Last ↩
- Forum thread: Uk Germany 10d Review ↩
- Forum thread: Macro Choice ↩
- Forum thread: White Balance Ing Underwater ↩
- Forum thread: Gone Dslr With The Canon 10d At Last ↩
- Forum thread: Uk Germany 10d Review ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 21, 2006: When To Jump ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 4, 2006: Digideep 2006 Photo Expeditions ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 10, 2006: Digideep Covers Sandisk Redsea Photo Competition ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 15, 2006: Digideep Apparel ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 12, 2006: Dema 2006 People Pictures Nov 9 ↩
- Gone DSLR with the Canon 10D at last! (forum) ↩
- UK-GERMANY 10D Review (forum) ↩
- When to Jump (article) ↩
- Digideep 2006 Photo Expeditions (article) ↩
- Digideep covers Sandisk RedSea Photo Competition (article) ↩
- Digideep Apparel (article) ↩
- Hugyfot Nikon D200 housing review (article) ↩
- DEMA 2006: People pictures (article) ↩