bobjarman

Forum username: bobjarman
Posts: 393
Active years: 2002–2007
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique, Classifieds, General Chat, Lights/Strobes/Lighting, Trip Reports
Specialization: Early digital underwater photography transition, strobe techniques, trip reports

Community Role

bobjarman was a founding-era member of the Wetpixel community, active from early 2002 through 2007. He was among the first wave of underwater photographers grappling with the transition from film to digital, and his candid posts about the challenges of consumer digital cameras underwater helped define the early community’s understanding of the technology’s limitations. His real name was Bob Jarman, and he maintained a personal photography website at rkjarman.com where he shared trip reports and galleries.

Bob came to digital underwater photography from a serious film background, having previously shot with a Canon EOS Elan II in an Ikelite housing, as well as a Nikonos. On land, he shot with high-end equipment including a Canon 1D and a Leica film camera, which gave him a discerning eye for image quality that made the compromises of early consumer digital cameras particularly frustrating (^[1], ^[2]).

Notable Contributions

Pioneer of Digital UW Photography Discussions

Bob’s July 2002 thread “consumer digital just doesn’t cut it???????” became one of the early community’s most important discussions about the limitations of consumer digital cameras underwater. After returning from Cocos Island with disappointing results from his Canon G2 in an Ikelite housing with a DS-125 strobe, he documented problems with dynamic range, blown highlights, and strobe exposure issues. The thread drew responses from James Wiseman and other experts, sparking a broader conversation about the gap between consumer digicams and DSLRs for underwater use (^[3]).

Equipment and Strobe Discussions

Bob started several technically valuable threads about strobe setup and lighting. His “Flexible Arms and the DS Series Strobes” thread addressed the practical challenge of mounting Ikelite DS-125 strobes with flexible arms while keeping the slave sensor properly positioned, drawing detailed technical responses from community members (^[4]). He also started early threads on TTL with digital housings and the debate between one large strobe versus two smaller ones (^[5], ^[6]).

Trip Reports and Photography Sharing

Bob was an active trip reporter, sharing galleries from Fiji, Cocos Island, Belize, and Truk/Yap. His Fiji trip page showcased his film photography skills and drew praise from community members including James Wiseman, who was impressed enough to want to return to Fiji (^[7]). His Cocos Island trip report documented both the diving experience and the challenges of shooting digital in difficult conditions (^[8]).

Community Engagement

Bob started the popular “How Often do you get to dive?” thread in 2003, which generated discussion about the relationship between dive frequency and photography improvement. He noted that many community members’ images had improved dramatically and attributed this partly to practice time in the water (^[9]).

Equipment History

• Film era: Canon EOS Elan II in Ikelite housing, Nikonos
• Early digital (2002): Canon G2 in Ikelite housing with DS-125 strobe, INON wide-angle wet lens
• Land cameras: Canon 1D, Canon 1D Mark II, Leica film camera
• Accessories: UltraLight arms, Ikelite trays

Timeline

• 2002-03: First Wetpixel forum posts, reported problems with Canon G2 and Ikelite DS-125 strobe sync (^[10])
• 2002-04: Shared Fiji trip photography gallery, transitioning from film to digital (^[11])
• 2002-05: Started thread on flexible arms with DS series strobes (^[12])
• 2002-06: Shared observations about digital vs. film image quality underwater (^[13])
• 2002-07: Returned from Cocos Island trip, posted critical assessment of consumer digital underwater photography (^[14], ^[15])
• 2003-02: Shared Nikon D100 / Sea & Sea housing eBay listing, community discussion about gear pricing (^[16])
• 2003-05: Started “How Often do you get to dive?” community discussion (^[17])
• 2003-11: Announced he was giving up diving because his wife could no longer dive, sold gear (^[18])
• 2005-12: Returned to the community after a nearly two-year hiatus, looking for a used digital system on a budget (^[19])