paquito
Forum username: paquito
Posts: 291
Active years: 2004–2023
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique, Trip Reports and Travel
Specialization: Housing comparisons, Indo-Pacific dive travel, wide-angle photography
Community Role
paquito is one of the longest-active Wetpixel community members, with participation spanning from 2004 to 2023 across nearly two decades. He was a thoughtful contributor known for detailed housing comparison questions and extensive Indo-Pacific dive travel. His threads frequently generated substantive community discussions about gear selection and dive destination planning.
Notable Contributions
Housing Comparison: Aluminum vs. Polycarbonate
paquito’s most significant thread (43 replies) compared high-end aluminum housings (Subal, Seacam, Aquatica) against Ikelite’s polycarbonate housings. He systematically examined air-tight integrity, port compatibility, buoyancy, strobe/TTL compatibility, and viewfinder options, asking the community to identify the functional and quality differences that justified the price gap. The thread drew detailed responses explaining that aluminum housings were lighter, more compact (often half the weight of Ikelite), used versatile extension ring systems requiring fewer ports, offered more precise controls with one-to-one click correspondence, and provided magnified viewfinder options ([1]).
Indo-Pacific Dive Travel
paquito was an active dive traveler focused on the Indo-Pacific region. He started threads comparing destinations:
- Bali planning thread (34 replies) — seeking advice for an April trip, gathering community recommendations on dive sites, operators, and logistics ([2])
- PNG comparison thread (20 replies) — evaluating two Papua New Guinea options for dive travel ([3])
- Indonesia vs. PNG thread (15 replies) — comparing the two premier macro diving destinations ([4])
- Guadalupe lens selection (18 replies) — asking about Nikon 17-55mm lens suitability for white shark photography at Guadalupe Island ([5])
Activity Profile
- Peak years: 2006–2011
- Primary focus: Housing selection, Indo-Pacific dive travel, wide-angle photography
- 71 threads started across Photography Gear and Technique and Trip Reports
- Nikon DSLR shooter evaluating multiple housing brands
- Active across nearly two decades (2004–2023)
Sources
- Forum thread: Subal Seacam Aquatica Vs Ikelite ↩
- Forum thread: Bali This April Help Suggestions ↩
- Forum thread: Png Two Options ↩
- Forum thread: Indo Vs Png ↩
- Forum thread: Nikon 17 55 For Guadelupe ↩
- Subal/Seacam/Aquatica vs Ikelite thread (forum) ↩
- Bali suggestions thread (forum) ↩
- PNG two options thread (forum) ↩
- Nikon 17-55 for Guadalupe thread (forum) ↩
- Indo vs PNG thread (forum) ↩