Simon K.

Forum username: Simon K.
Aliases: simon k, simon k.
Posts: 616
Active years: 2003–2007
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique, Photo/Video Showcase, General Chat
Specialization: Canon DSLR systems, Red Sea and Mediterranean photography

Community Role

Simon K. was an early Wetpixel community member who joined in January 2003 and was active through early 2007. He was part of the first wave of digital underwater photographers on the forum, documenting his transition from a Canon S40 compact camera to Canon DSLR systems during the formative years of digital underwater photography.

Simon was based in Europe (likely Germany or Switzerland based on his references to local dealers and travel patterns) and primarily photographed in the Red Sea and Mediterranean. He was an engaged community participant who actively sought advice from experienced members, shared his images for critique, and contributed to discussions about Canon lens selection and technique. His threads frequently drew responses from prominent community members including Alex Mustard and Eric Cheng, reflecting the close-knit nature of the early Wetpixel community.

Simon’s willingness to ask practical questions — and his detailed follow-up reporting from dive trips — made his threads useful reference points for other photographers making similar gear transitions during the compact-to-DSLR era.

Notable Contributions

• Canon 100mm macro AF vs MF discussion: Simon started one of the most-replied technical threads of 2004, asking whether to use autofocus or manual focus with the Canon 100mm macro underwater. The thread drew responses from Alex Mustard (who declared himself “an AF-er”), William (acroporas) who highlighted Canon’s full-time manual focus (FTMF) capability, and others, creating a valuable reference on macro focusing techniques (^[1]).

• Red Sea dolphin photography: Simon shared widely praised images from El Gouna in the Red Sea, including dolphin photographs that community members called “contest winners.” The thread also documented his first camera flooding — his Canon S40 took on two teaspoons of water on the last dive, though his Microdrive storage survived (^[2]).

• Red Sea marine life documentation: Simon contributed regular showcase threads featuring Red Sea subjects including basslet swarms and various marine life, receiving constructive composition feedback that helped develop the community’s photo critique culture (^[3]).

• DSLR transition documentation: Before his first DSLR dive trip, Simon asked foundational questions about lens selection, ISO settings, and shutter speed/aperture combinations for underwater shooting. Eric Cheng (“Guest echeng”) and other experienced photographers provided detailed starting-point settings, creating a reference thread for other beginners. Notably, Simon mentioned using “Eric’s former Sea & Sea housing” for his Canon D60, suggesting a direct community connection with the Wetpixel co-founder (^[4]).

• Mediterranean photography: Simon documented diving trips to Ibiza, sharing images and accepting compositional critique from community members. These threads helped establish Wetpixel’s photo critique culture during its early years (^[5]).

Gear History

• 2003: Canon PowerShot S40 in Canon WP-DC300 housing, external strobe
• 2004: Transitioned to Canon DSLR (D60/10D), Sea & Sea housing (formerly owned by Eric Cheng), Canon 50mm macro, Canon 100mm macro
• 2004–2007: Canon DSLR system with Sea & Sea housing, focus gear for Canon 100mm, external strobes (recommended Ikelite DS-125 to other members)
• Diving locations: Red Sea (El Gouna, Egypt), Ibiza (Spain), Mediterranean

Activity Profile

• First post: January 2, 2003
• Last post: February 5, 2007
• Threads started: 79
• Total posts: 616
• Peak activity: 2003–2005, during the early digital compact and DSLR era
• Forum focus: Photography Gear and Technique and Photo/Video Showcase (primary), with regular contributions to General Chat and Critter Identification
• Comments left: 1