Ryan Canon

Forum username: ryan (also ryan)
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Posts: 1,065 across 784 threads (32 started)
Active years: 2003—2024 (peak 2005—2006)
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique (660), Lights/Strobes/Lighting (121), Video Gear and Technique (118)
Specialization: Housing design and ergonomics, Aquatica and Nauticam systems, mirrorless transition, video housings
Industry affiliation: Nauticam / REEF Photo & Video
Comments left: 7 on Wetpixel articles
Mentioned in: 67 articles

Community Role

ryan was one of Wetpixel’s longest-tenured contributors, with posts spanning from February 2003 to June 2024 — over two decades. Based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he is an industry professional affiliated with Nauticam and REEF Photo & Video (he presented at the REEF Photo booth at Beneath the Sea 2007 and represented Nauticam at DEMA 2019). He was primarily a gear-focused member with nearly two-thirds of his posts (660 of 1,065) in Photography Gear and Technique. His secondary interests in Lights/Strobes/Lighting (121 posts) and Video Gear and Technique (118 posts) reflected the community’s evolution from still photography into video.

What distinguished ryan was his engagement with housing design at a deeper level than most users. He started threads on fundamental questions like removable trays for SLR housings — polling the community on fixed vs. removable designs and discussing the tradeoffs with manufacturers (^[1]). He contributed first-look reviews, including the Aquatica A300 for the Canon Digital Rebel, one of the early affordable DSLR housings (^[2]).

His peak activity (286 posts in 2005—2006) coincided with the DSLR revolution, when underwater photographers were transitioning from film and compact cameras to housed DSLRs. His later activity tracked the mirrorless transition, with threads about the Nauticam NEX-7 housing at CES and the NA-550D for the Canon Rebel T2i.

Notable Contributions

Housing Design and Reviews

• Removable trays for SLR housings (22 replies) — Started this 2005 design philosophy discussion where Eric Cheng and other experts weighed in on fixed vs. removable tray designs across Subal, Sea & Sea, Light & Motion, and Seacam (^[3])
• Aquatica A300 first look (6 replies) — Published first impressions and product shots of the Aquatica housing for Canon Digital Rebel in March 2004, helping early adopters evaluate their options (^[4])
• Nauticam NEX-7 housing on display in Sony booth at CES (18 replies) — Reported from the January 2012 CES/PMA show on Sony displaying Nauticam’s mirrorless housing, noting it was the only aluminum underwater housing at the entire show (^[5])
• Nauticam NA-550D Canon Rebel T2i housing photos (14 replies) — Documented Nauticam’s entry-level DSLR housing (^[6])

Video Housings

• Sealux housing for FX7/V1 (19 replies) — Started this 2007 thread analyzing the specs of the Sealux video housing, evaluating its claim of being the smallest and lightest in class, and noting the LDV viewfinder as a competitive advantage (^[7])
• Snap shots of 5D Mark II in action — Early documentation of the Canon 5D Mark II being used underwater (^[8])

Technique and Optics

• AF-L/AE-L or thumb actuated focus, which one? (11 replies) — Started a technique discussion about back-button focus vs. standard autofocus for underwater photography (^[9])
• 250 full-power flashes from a DS-125 — Ikelite strobe testing thread (^[10])
• Inon UFL-MR130 fisheye relay / insect eye lens comparison — Wet lens comparison (^[11])
• Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro lens — Lens evaluation for underwater use (^[12])
• New stuff: Canon 40D — Camera announcement discussion (^[13])
• Tokyo Diving Festival pictures — Event reporting from Japan (^[14])

Activity Profile

References