Simon Buxton

Forum username: scuba_si
Posts: 1,052 across 108 threads started
Active years: 2006—2015 (peak 2007)
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique (171), Shooting Technique/Workflow/Editing (145), General Chat (133), Trip Reports and Travel (126), Video Gear and Technique (102)
Specialization: Professional video housings (Sealux, Nexus), Lembeh Strait operations, marine conservation ethics, photographer ethics
Location: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia (dive resort operator)

Community Role

scuba_si, known as Simon, was a UK-born underwater videographer and photographer who operated from the Lembeh Strait in Indonesia. His posting pattern — remarkably evenly distributed across six different forums — reflects someone deeply embedded in both the technical and ethical dimensions of underwater imaging. With 1,052 posts across 589 threads, he touched on video gear, photography technique, travel, conservation, and community ethics with equal engagement.

His peak activity came in 2007 (489 posts), when he was heavily involved in professional video housing discussions and building his underwater video practice. Simon used a Nexus housing system and later acquired a Sealux housing for the Sony PMW-EX1, which he reviewed in detail for the community (^[1]). He published the review on his buxtonphotographic.com website and offered Sealux the opportunity to respond to issues he identified, demonstrating a fair-minded approach to gear evaluation.

His position as a dive operator in Lembeh gave him a unique perspective on photographer ethics — particularly the practice of feeding marine life for photographs. He started a significant thread on photographer ethics that addressed frogfish feeding, sand diver manipulation, and the tension between guide practices and photographer demands (^[2]).

Notable Contributions

Professional Video Housing Reviews

• Sealux / Sony PMW-EX1 review (18 replies) — Published a detailed hands-on review of this professional video housing, documenting balance issues, weight requirements, and the process of tweaking the system for underwater stability. Drew Wong responded and suggested it be featured on Wetpixel’s front page (^[3])
• Inon viewfinder for Nexus housing (9 replies) and Inon Nexus 45-degree viewfinder — Viewfinder solutions for his Nexus system (^[4], ^[5])
• Sony PMW-EX series discussion — Contributed to the professional camera evaluation thread, discussing 4:2:2 color space, bit rates, and codec requirements for broadcast-quality underwater footage (^[6])
• FX1 housing options — Evaluating video housing manufacturers (^[7])
• Logging tapes — Video workflow discussion (^[8])
• Has anyone used a JVC HD7? — Camera evaluation (^[9])

Conservation and Ethics

• Photographer ethics (20 replies) — Started this 2011 thread from his perspective as a Lembeh Strait dive operator, asking the community to weigh in on feeding frogfish and manipulating animals for shots. He presented both sides of the argument and sought consensus on responsible practices (^[10])
• Manipulation of subjects for the shot (9 posts) — Participated in this significant ethics discussion about underwater photography practices (forum archive)
• Great White spotted off Cornwall (23 replies) — Started this breaking news thread about a reported great white shark sighting off St Ives, UK, humorously proposing that UK Wetpixel members hire a boat to find it before fishermen could kill it (^[11])
• UK Tesco’s selling turtle products — Conservation alert (^[12])
• Destruction of dive sites — Environmental discussion (^[13])
• Wanted: stories about mantas — Contributing to manta ray awareness (^[14])

Lembeh Operations and Travel

• Lembeh shots — Sharing images from his home waters (^[15])
• Free stay in Lembeh — Offering community members accommodation (^[16])
• Buxton and Veitch do Jakarta — Travel thread (^[17])
• Happy New Year from Lembeh — Community engagement from his Indonesian base (^[18])
• So, if I was to move to Canon… (21 replies) — System switching discussion, reflecting the Canon-Nikon debate common among underwater photographers (^[19])

Community Engagement

• eBay, again… (27 replies) — Online marketplace discussion (^[20])
• Which printer? (24 replies) — Print output for underwater photography (^[21])
• Is it Christmas already? (22 replies) — Community social thread (^[22])
• How to improve WP (7 posts) — Providing feedback on Wetpixel platform development (forum archive)
• Congratulations to Keri Wilk — Recognizing competition achievements (forum archive)
• Komodo video shot on the 7D — Video showcase (^[23])
• Fish fireworks in 4K — Later video work (^[24])

Activity Profile

References