Peter Walker (peterbkk)

Forum username: peterbkk
Real name: Peter Walker
Posts: 786
Active years: 2005—2016
Primary forums: Video Gear and Technique, Photography Gear and Technique, Shooting Technique/Workflow/Editing
Specialization: Underwater video, Micro Four Thirds video systems, dive computer technology, video lighting

Biography

Peter Walker is a Singapore-based underwater photographer, filmmaker, and technologist who was one of the most active and methodical underwater videographers on Wetpixel from 2005 through 2016. He joined the forum in May 2005 and contributed 786 posts across 53 threads he started, producing some of the most detailed equipment reviews and real-world field reports in the Video Gear and Technique forum. His writing style was notably thorough, systematic, and generous — sharing not just conclusions but the reasoning process behind every gear decision, complete with comparison testing and practical diving context.

Walker was based in Bangkok, Thailand (hence the “bkk” in his username) and was part of the Southeast Asian underwater imaging community, frequently visiting David Cheung’s ScubaCam shop in Singapore. He authored a formal Wetpixel article reviewing the BS Kinetics Takla Makan housing with the Canon XF100 in August 2011.

His forum style was methodical: he would acquire a new system, test it in real diving conditions, then write exhaustive field reports documenting every aspect from manual white balance depth limits to battery life across multiple dives.

Notable Contributions

Underwater Video Systems Expertise

Peter documented his complete evolution through underwater video systems over a decade, providing the community with rare longitudinal field data:

• L&M Bluefin + Sony HC3 + HID lights (pre-2010): His baseline system, which he documented the limitations of — MWB difficulties below 15m, short HID battery life, small external monitor.
• L&M Bluefin + Sony CX550 + L&M Sunray 2000x LEDs (2010): His 129-reply thread documented everything from MWB at 30 meters to the OLED monitor’s viewing angles. He was able to perform manual white balance at 30 meters on the Seven Skies wreck, a significant improvement over the HC3. (^[1])
• BS Kinetics Takla Makan + Canon XF100 (2011): His formal Wetpixel article was the first in-depth review of this professional-grade underwater video housing, comparing it against the Equinox HD8X. He chose the Takla Makan for its travel portability and electronic controls, noting it fit into the same carry-on bag as his previous prosumer system. (^[2])
• Panasonic GH4 + Nauticam NA-GH4 (2014—2016): His most prolific period, generating the 259-reply GH4 macro lens/port discussion, one of the longest-running threads in the Video Gear and Technique forum. He systematically tested the Panasonic 7-14mm in a Zen 170mm dome, the Olympus 60mm macro, and the Panasonic 14-42mm PZ with flip diopters. (^[3])

L&M Sola 1200 Video Light Testing

Peter was an early adopter of LED video lights, moving from L&M HID lights to the L&M Sunray 2000x LEDs and then the L&M Sola 1200. His 68-reply thread on the Sola 1200 included footage shot in extreme 1-meter visibility conditions, demonstrating the light’s real-world performance. He documented a three-light configuration with lights mounted on top of locline arms. (^[4])

GH4 4K Video Pioneering

Peter was among the first to build out a complete Panasonic GH4 system for underwater 4K video. His threads documented the practical challenges of using Micro Four Thirds for video macro — the 60mm Olympus macro was too long for stable handheld video (camera shake at 120mm equivalent), leading him to test the Panasonic 14-42mm PZ with a +5 diopter as a dual-purpose macro/wide solution. He identified that OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) was essential for macro video on MFT and that the Panasonic lenses had the advantage over Olympus lenses in this regard when used on the GH4 body. (^[5])

He also tested the GH4’s tracking autofocus capabilities for underwater video and shared his findings in a dedicated thread. (^[6])

Uwatec Galileo Sol Dive Computer Review

Peter’s 167-reply thread on the Uwatec Galileo Sol was one of the most comprehensive dive computer discussions on Wetpixel. He was the first owner of the Galileo Sol in Thailand, purchased at the Thai Dive Expo in Bangkok. His review highlighted features specifically relevant to underwater videographers: the large screen readable at extreme angles while operating a housing, customizable warning messages repurposed as underwater direction cards for “actors” (e.g., “wait here for 20 seconds then follow me”), and heart rate monitoring that revealed his pulse spiking from 90 to 125 bpm when Bull Sharks appeared at Chumphon Pinnacles. (^[7])

Housing Safety Survey

Peter started a systematic poll-based thread asking the community whether they jumped into the water while holding their camera housing, generating 59 responses with real-world data on leak incidents from giant stride entries. The thread drew responses from Alex Mustard, who noted he never jumped in with his housing but acknowledged that experienced professionals like Peter Rowlands routinely did so. (^[8])

Community Role

Peter was a bridge figure between the Southeast Asian dive community and the broader Wetpixel forum. His friendship with David Cheung of ScubaCam connected him to professional cinema housing ecosystems, while his own work focused on prosumer-to-professional video systems optimized for travel. When David broke his leg in a motorized skateboard accident in February 2014, it was Peter who posted the news to Wetpixel and visited him in hospital. (^[9])

He also produced underwater videos for marine conservation, including footage from the Gulf of Thailand’s marine parks and promotional work for Lembeh dive operations. His Raja Ampat and Tubbataha Reef trip reports combined travel documentation with gear testing. (^[10]) (^[11])

Dive Locations

Peter’s forum posts document extensive diving across the Asia-Pacific region:

• Thailand: Gulf of Thailand (Chumphon Pinnacles, Koh Tao), South China Sea wrecks including the Seven Skies
• Indonesia: Lembeh Strait, Raja Ampat, Komodo
• Philippines: Tubbataha Reef
• Palau
• Australia: South West Rocks

Timeline

• 2005-05: Joins Wetpixel forum
• 2006: Active in photography technique discussions, AF vs MF underwater
• 2007-02: Starts housing safety poll thread (59 replies) (^[12])
• 2007-05: Attends ADEX Bangkok, comments on the event coverage (^[13])
• 2007-06: Publishes Uwatec Galileo Sol review thread (167 replies) (^[14])
• 2008: Continues testing L&M Sunray lights, battery repacking experiments (^[15])
• 2010-06: Publishes L&M Bluefin / Sony CX550 experience thread (129 replies) (^[16])
• 2011-02: Reviews L&M Sola 1200 lights in extreme conditions (^[17])
• 2011-04: Attends Wetpixel/ScubaCam ADEX party in Singapore (^[18])
• 2011-08: Publishes BS Kinetics Takla Makan / Canon XF100 review article on Wetpixel (^[19])
• 2012: Tests Canon XF100 and Sony CX700 systems
• 2013: Posts RX100 nurse shark footage from South West Rocks (^[20])
• 2014-02: Reports David Cheung’s skateboard injury to the community (^[21])
• 2014-07: Begins GH4 system build, tests 7-14mm in Zen 170mm dome (^[22])
• 2014-08: Starts GH4 macro lens/port thread (259 replies) (^[23])
• 2015: Tests Nauticam Shogun housing, continues GH4 macro exploration (^[24])
• 2016-05: Last forum appearance