Draq

Forum username: Draq
Posts: 653
Active years: 2007—2024
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique, Trip Reports and Travel, General Chat
Specialization: Olympus/Micro Four Thirds systems, vacuum leak detection, gear travel logistics, housing safety

Biography

Draq is one of Wetpixel’s most consistent long-term contributors, maintaining an active presence across 18 years from 2007 through 2024. With 653 posts and 86 threads started, Draq was a prolific thread starter who often raised practical, real-world questions that generated extensive community discussion. His threads frequently became definitive reference discussions on topics ranging from vacuum leak detection to gear packing for air travel.

Draq entered Wetpixel as a photographer moving up from a point-and-shoot to a DSLR system. His first threads in late 2007 asked foundational questions about Olympus E-series cameras and lenses for underwater use. Over the following 17 years, he evolved through the entire Olympus/OM System ecosystem: from the E-410 and E-520, through the Panasonic GF-1, to the Olympus E-M5, E-M1, and finally the E-M1 Mark II. Throughout this progression, he used Nauticam housings and became deeply knowledgeable about the Nauticam port system, dome optics, and Micro Four Thirds lens selection for underwater photography.

His posting pattern reveals a thoughtful, analytical community member who asked questions carefully, listened to responses, and circled back to share results. He was not a professional photographer but rather a dedicated enthusiast who approached gear decisions with engineering precision and valued safety and reliability above all else.

Notable Contributions

Vacuum Leak Detector Thread (172 Replies)

Draq’s most impactful thread, “Vacuum leak detector question” (2014), became one of the definitive discussions on vacuum leak detection systems for underwater housings. Starting with a straightforward question about whether the Nauticam vacuum system provided meaningful flood protection beyond pre-dive seal verification, the thread exploded into a vigorous 172-post debate about the physics of o-ring sealing, the protective value of negative pressure at the surface, and real-world flood prevention.

The thread attracted contributions from experienced housing users across multiple brands — Nauticam, Aquatica, Hugyfot, and Backscatter systems were all discussed in detail. Key insights included: the vacuum equivalent to putting a housing under approximately 2 meters of water pressure; the system’s primary value being pre-dive seal integrity checks rather than active flood prevention; and real-world accounts of vacuum systems preventing floods when ports became unscrewed during rough-sea dives. The thread remains one of the most-referenced vacuum leak detection discussions in the underwater photography community. ([1])

Micro Four Thirds Format Advocacy

Draq was a vocal proponent of the Micro Four Thirds system when many photographers were questioning its viability. His 2016 thread “Are people leaving micro four thirds?” (69 replies) directly addressed the concern that MFT was becoming a “compact camera format” as serious photographers moved to full-frame mirrorless. Draq observed that despite new Olympus and Panasonic lens releases, community discussion had thinned compared to the enthusiasm that greeted the E-M5 and E-M1 launches. The thread generated thoughtful responses from across the MFT user base and helped clarify that the format remained strong for underwater use due to its size, weight, and macro advantages. ([2])

His 2017 field report on the E-M1 Mark II was a detailed assessment covering autofocus tracking performance, TTL metering with Inon Z-240 strobes, battery life across dive days, and corner sharpness comparisons between the Olympus 7-14mm and Panasonic 7-14mm lenses in a 170mm dome. He found the Olympus lens produced less color fringing than the Panasonic despite similar corner sharpness, and reported excellent autofocus tracking even on darting juvenile fish. ([3])

Gear Travel and Packing

Draq started multiple influential threads on the practical logistics of traveling with underwater camera gear, a topic of growing concern as airline baggage restrictions tightened:

Wetpixel Financial Controversy

In August 2023, Draq authored one of the most direct threads addressing the Wetpixel financial controversy. His thread “Wetpixel defrauding customers and others” documented his personal loss of $8,600 paid to Adam Hanlon for a Red Sea liveaboard trip that was never delivered. He argued that allowing the situation to “drift away” made the community “passive accomplices to any ongoing fraud” and proposed notifying advertisers and other dive forums to pressure Hanlon into accountability. The thread reflected both his long-term loyalty to Wetpixel (16 years of participation) and his frustration at the betrayal of that trust. ([7])

Gear Progression

Draq’s gear journey through Wetpixel documents the entire evolution of the Micro Four Thirds platform for underwater use:

  1. 2007—2008: Olympus E-1 (land), E-410 with Olympus PT-E03 housing, Zuiko 14-54mm and 50mm macro
  2. 2008—2009: Olympus E-520, exploring Ikelite vs Olympus housings
  3. 2010—2012: Panasonic GF-1 in Recsea housing, Sea & Sea YS-D1 strobes, Sola 800 focus light
  4. 2012—2014: Olympus E-M5 in Nauticam housing, Olympus 12-50mm macro port, Nauticam 6-inch dome
  5. 2014: Vacuum leak detection system installed on NA-EM5
  6. 2016—2017: Olympus E-M1 Mark II in Nauticam housing, Olympus 7-14mm, 8mm fisheye, 60mm macro, 12-40mm; 170mm and 100mm Nauticam domes; Inon Z-240 strobes
  7. 2018+: Nikon D500 in Nauticam, Nikon 8-15mm fisheye in 180mm dome; maintained MFT as secondary system
  8. 2022—2024: Exploring lighter/smaller additional rigs alongside D500 system

Community Role

Draq exemplified the engaged amateur who elevated community knowledge through careful questions and willingness to share honest field experiences. Unlike many contributors who posted primarily to showcase images, Draq focused on the practical engineering of underwater photography — how to pack gear safely, how to verify housing integrity, how to choose between competing lens and dome combinations. His threads frequently became reference material that newer photographers would discover years after the original discussion.

He was also an active participant in discussions about housing maintenance, o-ring care, strobe selection, and viewfinder options, often providing follow-up posts documenting whether community advice had worked in practice.

Activity Profile

Timeline

Sources

  1. Forum thread: Vacuum Leak Detector Question ↩
  2. Forum thread: Are People Leaving Micro Four Thirds ↩
  3. Forum thread: Good Results From First Dive Trip With The E M1 Mkii ↩
  4. Forum thread: Is This Gear Safely Packed ↩
  5. Forum thread: What Do Do When Cameras Cant Fly In The Aircraft Cabin ↩
  6. Forum thread: A Slightly Different Gear Packing Discussion ↩
  7. Forum thread: Wetpixel Defrauding Customers And Others ↩
  8. Forum thread: A Few Olympus Questions ↩
  9. Forum thread: Leave O Rings In Place Or Remove ↩
  10. Forum thread: Vacuum Leak Detector Question ↩
  11. Forum thread: Are People Leaving Micro Four Thirds ↩
  12. Forum thread: Good Results From First Dive Trip With The E M1 Mkii ↩
  13. Forum thread: What Do Do When Cameras Cant Fly In The Aircraft Cabin ↩
  14. Forum thread: Proper Extensions Nikkor 8 15 And Tokina 10 17 In A 180mm Dome ↩
  15. Forum thread: Is This Gear Safely Packed ↩
  16. Forum thread: Wetpixel Defrauding Customers And Others ↩
  17. Vacuum leak detector question (forum) ↩
  18. Are people leaving micro four thirds? (forum) ↩
  19. Is this gear safely packed? (forum) ↩
  20. What to do when cameras can’t fly in the aircraft cabin (forum) ↩
  21. Good results from first dive trip with the E-M1 mkii (forum) ↩
  22. Wetpixel defrauding customers and others (forum) ↩
  23. A few Olympus questions (forum) ↩