Buddy

Forum username: buddy
Real name: Juerg (based on forum signature)
Posts: 269
Active years: 2004—2025
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique
Specialization: Travel logistics, Subal housings, full-frame Nikon systems

Community Role

Buddy (Juerg) was one of the longest-tenured Wetpixel forum members, with a posting history spanning over two decades from 2004 to 2025. A Subal housing user based in Europe, Buddy contributed extensively to discussions about gear transport, housing systems, and Nikon DSLR equipment. He is notable for starting one of the most-replied threads on Wetpixel on the topic of packing and transporting underwater camera rigs.

Notable Contributions

The Packing Thread (275 replies)

Buddy’s most significant contribution was the legendary “packing and transporting my rig” thread, which accumulated 275 replies over many years — making it one of the longest-running threads on the entire Wetpixel forum. Started in July 2004, the thread became a definitive community resource for underwater photographers dealing with the challenge of airline travel with bulky housing systems, strobes, and camera equipment. Buddy originally described his setup: a Storm roller case for his Subal S2 Pro housing, dome port, and strobes as carry-on, with a small Tamrac bag for the camera body. He noted that carrying everything in a single bag had been breaking his shoulders at 30kg. The thread attracted advice from community members including Alex Mustard, who noted the difficulties of strict European charter flight baggage limits (^[1]).

Subal Insolvency Breaking News

In January 2018, Buddy was the first to bring news of Subal’s insolvency to Wetpixel, posting a link to a German-language report. As a long-time Subal user who had been about to order a Nikon D850 housing, the news hit him personally. He noted that production would shift to Serbia, service and warranty were unclear, and pre-payments for ordered housings were likely lost. The 45-reply thread became the primary community discussion about Subal’s financial troubles (^[2]).

Other Notable Threads

• “Nikon 14-24 f/2.8 on full frame” (29 replies) — Full-frame Nikon wide-angle lens discussion (^[3])
• “Macro” (24 replies) — Macro photography technique (^[4])
• “Want to add just 1 video light on still camera gear” (22 replies) — Hybrid lighting discussion (^[5])

Timeline

• 2004-07: Joined Wetpixel; started the packing/transport thread using Subal S2 Pro system (^[6])
• 2004—2017: Regular contributor to gear and technique discussions, primarily Nikon/Subal ecosystem
• 2018-01: Broke the Subal insolvency news to the Wetpixel community; considered switching to Seacam or Nauticam (^[7])
• 2025: Still active on the forums, one of the longest-tenured members

Activity Profile

• Peak years: 2004—2018
• Gear ecosystem: Subal housings (S2 Pro, D4s), Nikon DSLRs, Nikonos SB-105 strobes
• 269 posts across Photography Gear and Technique
• Notable distinction: Started a thread with 275 replies on the practical topic of gear transport