2000

Key events

A foundational year for both underwater digital photography and its online community. Wetpixel.com launches on March 21 — David Breitigam creates the first dedicated news page for underwater digital still photography, filling a gap that no other website addressed. The Nikon Coolpix 990 (3.3MP) launches, representing a major resolution jump over the Coolpix 950. Canon releases the PowerShot G1, a serious compact competitor. Light & Motion announces and ships the Tetra 3030 — the first professional aluminum housing for Olympus digital cameras — and Wetpixel breaks the story. Housing options from Ikelite, UK Germany, Sealux, INON, and others multiply rapidly as the film-to-digital transition accelerates. Breitigam’s publication in What Digital Camera (UK) marks one of the first mainstream print features on underwater digital photography.

February

• 2000-02-29: David Breitigam authors a review of the MCD/Arrow aluminum housing for the Agfa ePhoto 1280/1680, noting the emerging tension between quality built-to-fit housings and rapid digital camera obsolescence: “As digital cameras move into the same obsolescence cycle as personal computers, quality built-to-fit housings such as this aluminum beauty from Marine Camera Distributors and Arrow Machine will become a rare site if not a distant memory.” The review is among the first written assessments of a digital underwater housing system. (^[1])

March

• 2000-03-21: David Breitigam launches Wetpixel.com — “OK, I’m biting the bullet and taking this site live.” The site launches as a hand-maintained static HTML page with “The Digital Advantage” feature article, DEMA 2000 coverage from Las Vegas, a gallery page, links to other resources, and a message board (Coolboard). Tagline: “The Digital Photography resource for SCUBA divers.” Copyright notice reads “(C) 1999, 2000 By Wetpixel and David Breitigam.” The site is part of the Underwater Photo WebRing, a linking network through which early visitors discover it. (Wayback Machine, ^[2])
• 2000-03-22: Breitigam curates early UW digital galleries on Wetpixel: Queensland Reefs (shot with a homemade housing), Ocean-brite Systems housings, Olympus underwater housing lineup.
• 2000-03-23: Mike Watson shares Hurghada (Red Sea) photos shot with Olympus C-920Z + PT-003 housing. Breitigam reports rumors that Ikelite is developing a Coolpix 990 housing.
• 2000-03-24: Robin Burr’s photos from Provo Turtle Divers with Hitachi JPEG/MPEG camera in custom Ikelite housing. Sony PC-100 DV camera noted as a still-to-video crossover product.
• 2000-03-27: Ron Fuller’s UW digital collection with MCD Arrow housing for Agfa ePhoto 1680.

April

• 2000-04-04: Olympus announces housings for C-2020Z, C-3030Z, and C-960Z. Breitigam creates an underwater product index organized by camera manufacturer — an early attempt to catalog the growing digital housing ecosystem.
• 2000-04-05: Inuzuka Masatoshi’s underwater Mavica FD-7 shots published. Nikon D1 housing at the Underwater Digital Camera Project; also testing Canon EOS D2000.
• 2000-04-18: Discount Divers demos Kodak DC-260 in Ikelite housing. Gilles Dequeiros shoots Sharm el Sheikh (Red Sea) with Olympus C-900Z + PT-003.
• 2000-04-28: Ove Toranger photographs Finnmark, Northern Norway with Olympus C900-Zoom + PT003 — demonstrating digital UW photography in cold water conditions.

May

• 2000-05-09: Japanese Olympus PT-005 (C3030Z housing) appears on US auction site. Breitigam notes: “Lots of site visitors and no use of the message board.” The Coolboard message system sees little community engagement — a problem that will persist until the forum migrates to Steve’s Digicams in March 2001.
• 2000-05-15: Ikelite announces housing for Olympus D-360L — a lower-end digital offering for budget-conscious underwater photographers.
• 2000-05-18: Ikelite announces housing for Nikon Coolpix 990, confirming March rumors.
• 2000-05-24: INON of Japan producing accessories for Olympus PT-005 housing — an early sign of the Japanese accessory manufacturer’s growing role in underwater imaging.

June

• 2000-06-06: Ocean-brite Systems brings Olympus PT-005 housing to the US. Wetpixel publishes a pictorial report from SCUBA 2000 in Long Beach, California, showcasing the PT-005 with Olympus C2020 and dual slave strobes, plus an Olympus C2500L prosumer housing. Ikelite announces Sony S70 housing. (^[3])
• 2000-06-07: Light & Motion announces the Tetra 3030 underwater housing for Olympus C3030Z/C3000/C2020 — Wetpixel breaks the story, which Breitigam later claims was the first announcement of the product on the internet. The housing offers full manual control including aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual focus. Interchangeable glass flat port, Nikonos-style bulkheads for strobes. (Wayback Machine)
• 2000-06-09: Light & Motion posts full Tetra 3030 specifications and photos.
• 2000-06-14: Breitigam departs for Fiji — two weeks diving at Naigani Island and aboard the Princess II liveaboard with Agfa ePhoto 1680 + Marine Camera Arrow Housing and 30 Iomega Clik! disks for storage.
• 2000-06-14: Breitigam publishes “The Digital Advantage” on Wetpixel — an editorial advocating for digital over film in underwater photography. The piece opens with an anecdote about a dive buddy whose entire week of film slides came out underexposed due to a misconfigured Aquatica housing, contrasting this with the instant feedback of digital. This is one of the earliest published arguments for the digital transition in underwater photography. (^[4])

July

• 2000-07-12: Breitigam returns from Fiji — his Agfa camera was destroyed during the trip but the photos were saved. Begins work on a feature for What Digital Camera (UK print magazine). Switches Wetpixel to a table-format layout. Light & Motion posts sample photos from the Tetra 3030. Ikelite shows Sony DCS S-70 housing. Site copyright notice references “March - June, 2000” news archives, confirming continuous operation since launch. (Wayback Machine)

August

• 2000-08-13: GUN-LUX NIMAR (Rolf Blossl GmbH) compact housings for digital cameras featured, including Nikon Coolpix 950 housing with Sea & Sea strobe. UK Germany pictures Canon Powershot Pro 70 housing.
• 2000-08-14: Breitigam posts Fiji gallery (70+ photos) — shot with Agfa ePhoto 1680, Marine Camera Arrow Housing, dual Ikelite substrobe AQ/S, +7 Tiffen diopter, Kenko KUW-045 wide-angle dome port. “Great lighting, color and composition underwater are no longer the exclusive domain of the film photographer.” (Wayback Machine)
• 2000-08-18: “Digital Underwater photography goes mainstream” — What Digital Camera (UK) September issue features article and photos by Breitigam. One of the first mainstream print features on underwater digital photography. Breitigam describes himself as “an obscure underwater photographer from the US Southwest.” (Wayback Machine)
• 2000-08-24: UK Germany posts Nikon CP990 aluminum housing — interchangeable ports (telephoto, wide angle, fish eye), flash port, 60m depth rated. This professional-grade housing for a consumer camera signals the growing seriousness of digital underwater photography.

September

• 2000-09-05: UK Germany releases aluminum housings for Canon EOS 1n D2000 (11 controls, 50m rated) and Sony DSC-F505V (CNC-milled aluminum, gold hardcoat, 60m rated). Also working on Canon EOS D30 housing — a precursor to the DSLR housing revolution of 2001-2002.
• 2000-09-12: Sony announces Marine Pack MPK-P1 housing for Cyber-shot DSC-P1 — $250, waterproof to 100ft/30m. Manufacturer-made housings begin competing with third-party options.
• 2000-09-18: Emmette Murkett posts filtered available-light UW digital photos: Sony Mavica MVC-FD7 + Ikelite (Cayman Brac), Sony Cybershot DCS F-55 + Ikelite (Red Sea).
• 2000-09-20: Breitigam calls for gallery submissions — “Send us the link… Don’t forget to mention your digital camera model and housing.” The curated gallery page becomes a key resource for the small but growing community.
• 2000-09-26: Jeff Farris posts gallery from Yap using Olympus PT-005 housing, C-2000z upgraded to C-3030z.

October

• 2000-10-01: Scott Lansburg posts “Maui Underwater” gallery shot with Ikelite + Nikon CP950, and is planning a Loreto, Mexico trip for schooling hammerheads.

November

• 2000-11-03: Light & Motion Tetra 3030 begins shipping (since Oct 25). MSRP US $999. Wetpixel notes it “broke the story about the product on the internet” back in June. Bertrand Chauvel’s Sipadan gallery (Olympus C-920z + PT-003, November 1999) also featured. (Wayback Machine)
• 2000-11-14: Detailed explanation of L&M Tetra 3030 external strobe implementation — pre-flash sync behavior, TTL limitations, internal/external flash interaction. The pre-flash problem — where digital cameras fire a metering flash before the main exposure, triggering slave strobes at the wrong moment — is emerging as the defining technical challenge of early digital underwater photography.
• 2000-11-14: Matt Endo’s MarScuba page featured — a key resource for Japanese market UW digital products. Zillion housings from Japan (FinePix 40, FinePix 4900, Sony DSC-505) available. Breitigam frequently credits Endo for alerting him to Japanese products, calling his site “a very informative and growing web page on underwater digital still photography.” (Wayback Machine)
• 2000-11-24: Chris Huck posts first consumer review of L&M Tetra housing — Red Sea gallery with Olympus C3030Z. “The Tetra was absolutely wonderful in the water! WYSIWYG in U/W photography!!!” — capturing the transformative experience of digital’s real-time preview versus film’s blind shooting. (Wayback Machine)

December

• 2000-12-11: Matt Endo’s MarScuba page moves to a new URL. Apex CNC505 housing for Sony F505 reported. Ocean Images (Hong Kong) produces Sony F505V housing in clear polycarbonate — the company later rebrands as 10bar.
• 2000-12-12: Olympus C-3040 and PT-007 housing announced — Olympus continues expanding its own underwater housing line, competing with third-party manufacturers.
• 2000-12-28: Ikelite signals Canon PowerShot G1 housing; Canon G1 can accept IBM 1GB Microdrive for extended shooting — a significant advantage when storage was severely limited. INON close-up and wide-angle lenses for PT-005 now available in Japan. Adrian Marsden’s Bahamas trip report with Nikon CP990 in Ikelite housing. Ocean-Brite offers “Digital Light Adjustment” proprietary strobe sync for Olympus PT-005.
• 2000-12-29: Ocean-Brite Digital Light Adjustment details — a proprietary circuit board and sensor addressing the Olympus pre-flash problem for Epoque strobes. This is one of several early attempts to solve the pre-flash synchronization challenge.

Also this year

• Nikon Coolpix 990 (3.3MP) released — the camera Eric Cheng would later buy for his trip to Palau in April 2001, which would catalyze his connection to Wetpixel and the underwater photography community
• Canon PowerShot G1 launches as a serious compact camera competitor — heralding Canon’s growing presence in the digital compact market
• Eric Cheng — Still working 80-100 hour weeks at a Silicon Valley startup after Stanford, with fewer than 20 dives since his 1995 certification. Keeping saltwater reef aquariums, which sparks a love for the ocean. (^[5])
• Pre-flash sync emerges as the defining technical challenge — digital cameras fire a metering pre-flash before the main exposure, which triggers conventional slave strobes at the wrong moment. Solutions from Light & Motion (ROC controller), Ocean-Brite (Digital Light Adjustment), and individual tinkerers would occupy the community for years.

References

• Wayback Machine: Wetpixel.com October 2000 — earliest full snapshot, content from March-October 2000
• Wayback Machine: Wetpixel.com December 2000 — November content added, Tetra shipping, MarScuba, Chris Huck review

Note: This page draws primarily from Wayback Machine captures of wetpixel.com (March-December 2000), supplemented by 3 surviving Wetpixel articles from 2000, forum recollections, and web research (Batch 0).