Phil Rudin

Forum username: phil rudin
Posts: 1,901
Articles authored: 3 (plus 2 housing reviews)
Active years: 2005–2024
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique (81%), Classifieds, Lights/Strobes/Lighting
Specialization: Olympus/OM System, Sony mirrorless, and underwater housing evaluation
First appearance: 2005 (^[1])

Community Role

Phil Rudin is one of Wetpixel’s most dedicated gear discussion contributors, with 1,901 posts across 814 threads spanning nearly two decades from 2005 to 2024. Rudin brought rare historical perspective to the community’s gear discussions.

Rudin’s forum activity is overwhelmingly concentrated in Photography Gear and Technique (81% of posts), making him one of the most gear-focused contributors in the community. His posting was remarkably consistent across two decades, with notable peaks in the late 2000s (171 posts in 2007, 150 in 2008) and an even stronger resurgence in the early 2020s (236 in 2021, 229 in 2022, 177 in 2023) driven by the mirrorless transition.

He was also a board member of the South Florida Underwater Photography Society, where he promoted underwater photography and video at events like the Florida Dive Show (^[2]).

Published Articles and Reviews

Wetpixel Articles

• Florida Dive Show Report (December 2005) — covered the inaugural Florida Dive Show, noting speakers like Cathy Church, Mauricio Handler, and Paul Humann, and the presence of multiple Wetpixel members (^[3])
• Olympus E-410 DSLR and PT-E03 underwater housing (July 2007) — comprehensive review of Olympus’s entry-level DSLR housing system, detailing the 40m-rated polycarbonate housing’s controls, live-view capability, and lens compatibility (^[4])
• Hands-on review of the Olympus EPL-1 and PT-EP01 housing (August 2010) — one of the earliest thorough reviews of a Micro Four Thirds underwater system, covering the camera’s 12.3MP sensor, in-body stabilization, and the PT-EP01 housing. Established Rudin as a key voice in the compact mirrorless underwater movement (^[5])

Housing Reviews for Wetpixel

• Aquatica Pro A7RIV housing (June 2020) — detailed review of Aquatica’s housing for Sony’s 61MP flagship, including extensive discussion of Sony’s real-time tracking AF and animal eye-AF performance underwater. Referenced his prior review in UwP Magazine issue 111 (^[6])
• Marelux MX-A1 housing for Sony A1 (March 2022) — reviewed the newest aluminum housing manufacturer’s first Sony flagship housing, noting Marelux’s 100m depth rating, interchangeable port system, and six standard housing colors. Compared them favorably to Nauticam’s market entry a decade prior (^[7])

Rudin also contributed regularly to UwP Magazine (Underwater Photography Magazine), with his articles referenced in multiple UwP issue announcements on Wetpixel.

Notable Forum Contributions

• Leading contributor to the Olympus OM-D E-M5 thread (80 posts) — the most active single-thread participation of any member in this batch, tracking the camera that cemented Micro Four Thirds as a serious underwater platform
• Major participant in Olympus E-3 discussions and lens/port compatibility threads
• Active in Marelux Apollo strobe evaluation (18 posts)
• Engaged in Canon EOS 5D announcement discussion (16 posts)
• Sony A7R V thread (219 replies) — Rudin’s most active thread during his Sony era (24 posts)
• Nauticam Fisheye Conversion Port thread (85 replies)
• Sony 20-70mm f/4 G lens evaluation (19 posts)
• Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 and Zen DP 170 port compatibility (63-reply thread)

Activity Profile

• Peak years: 2021 (236 posts), 2022 (229 posts), 2023 (177 posts)
• Earlier peak: 2007 (171 posts), 2008 (150 posts)
• Forum focus: Photography Gear (81%), Classifieds (6%), Lighting/Strobes (6%)
• Thread participation: 814 threads, averaging 2.3 posts per thread (107 threads started)
• Gear trajectory: Olympus DSLR (2005–2012) to Olympus mirrorless (2012–2020) to Sony mirrorless (2021–2024)
• Activity score: 2,321

References