nickj

Forum username: nickj
Real name: Nick
Posts: 372
Active years: 2006–2015
Primary forums: Video Gear and Technique, Shooting Technique/Workflow/Editing
Specialization: HDV underwater videography, Sony camcorders, video workflow

Community Role

nickj (Nick) was one of Wetpixel’s most active underwater videography contributors from 2006 through 2015, with 372 posts focused primarily on the video side of underwater imaging. At a time when the Wetpixel community was predominantly still-photography oriented, Nick provided detailed field testing and practical videography knowledge that helped other members navigate the transition from standard definition to HDV and eventually to HD-capable DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.

He was based in Southeast Asia, frequently diving locations like Tioman (Malaysia) and the Philippines, and ran Fluent Communications, sharing his underwater video work online. His methodical approach to field testing — documenting white balance behavior at specific depths, comparing filter vs. no-filter performance, and evaluating different light sources — made his posts particularly valuable reference material (^[1]).

Notable Contributions

• “Sony A1 Field Test Results” (38 replies): Started a landmark thread in March 2006 providing detailed field test results from the Sony HDR-HC1/A1 camcorder used underwater around Tioman, Malaysia. His systematic documentation covered manual white balance challenges below 7 meters, color correction filter tradeoffs (finding 2 full stops lost with a CC filter), grain and artifacting in low light, and comparisons between halogen and HID video lights. The thread became an important reference for early HDV underwater shooters and drew responses from other A1 users comparing their experiences (^[2]).

• “Back from Tiger Beach” (29 replies): Shared video footage from a trip to Tiger Beach in the Bahamas in February 2007 with ShawnH and Oscar van Tol. The video included dramatic shark encounters and generated enthusiastic responses from community members including Drew Wong, who praised the opening shot composition. The thread discussed filter-free shooting techniques for shallow water shark videography (^[3]).

• “Sony RX100 AVCHD Import into Final Cut Pro 6.0.6” (22 replies): Addressed a common video workflow challenge in 2013, helping videographers deal with import compatibility between the Sony RX100 AVCHD format and Apple’s Final Cut Pro editing software (^[4]).

• “TRV 950 vs A1 — low light question” (19 replies): Compared the Sony TRV950 against the Sony A1 for low-light underwater videography performance (^[5]).

• “Angle of coverage vs. focal length?” (18 replies): Started an educational discussion on the relationship between focal length and angle of coverage for underwater video applications (^[6]).

Activity Profile

nickj was most active from 2006 through 2009, corresponding with the HDV revolution in underwater video. He started 22 threads and contributed 372 posts. After a gap from 2010 to 2012, he returned with some activity in 2013–2015 during the transition to mirrorless and DSLR video. He was mentioned in one Wetpixel article and left 2 article comments. His contributions were concentrated in the Video Gear and Technique and Shooting Technique forums, making him one of the community’s primary video-focused voices during the HDV era.