Don Erway

Forum username: derway
Location: Pasadena, California
Posts: 1,077
Threads started: 62
Active years: 2002–2013
Primary forums: Photography Gear and Technique (50%), Beginner Forum (13%), Lights/Strobes/Lighting (12%), General Chat (4%), Shooting Technique/Workflow (4%), Feedback (3%)
Specialization: Compact cameras, micro four-thirds systems, strobe selection, community mentoring

Community Role

derway was one of the original Wetpixel community members, active from January 2002 — the forum’s earliest days. With 548 posts (50%) in Photography Gear and Technique, they were primarily focused on camera and housing discussions. What set derway apart from many gear-focused contributors was their exceptionally strong presence in the Beginner Forum (141 posts, 13%) and Feedback forum (43 posts, 3%), making them one of the community’s most dedicated mentors and site-improvement advocates.

derway’s activity pattern is distinctive: consistent moderate posting from 2002–2010 with a dramatic spike in 2011 (318 posts) and sustained high activity in 2012 (147 posts). This late-career surge coincided with the micro four-thirds revolution — the emergence of the Olympus OM-D E-M5, Panasonic GX1, and other mirrorless systems that promised DSLR-quality imaging in compact form factors. derway became one of the community’s most passionate advocates for mirrorless cameras as a practical alternative to large DSLR rigs. They also left 1 article comment, responding to the first Wetpixel Hangout video session ([source: comment on wetpixel.com/articles/wetpixel-hangout-1, 2012]).

Notable Contributions

Micro Four-Thirds Advocacy

derway was among the most vocal proponents of mirrorless cameras for underwater use during the 2011–2012 transition period:

• Olympus OM-D E-M5 (778 total replies, 15 of derway’s posts) — one of the most active voices in this landmark mirrorless camera thread, which became one of the longest gear discussions in Wetpixel history (^[1])
• “EPL-2 as alternative to high end compact” (44 replies, 11 posts) — championing the Olympus PEN E-PL2 as a viable step up from compacts without the bulk of a DSLR (^[2])
• “New PEN 3” (33 replies, 9 posts) — following the Olympus PEN system evolution (^[3])
• Panasonic GX1 in a Nauticam housing (24 replies, 8 posts) — evaluating the Panasonic micro four-thirds option (^[4])
• “How/where to successfully measure the underwater functionality of EVIL setups?” (30 replies, 8 posts) — practical testing methodology for mirrorless systems, using the community’s then-common “EVIL” acronym (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) (^[5])
• “Choosing new camera (NOT DSLR)” (47 replies, 8 posts) — advising beginners on non-DSLR alternatives (^[6])
• Panasonic Lumix GX1 vs. Sony NEX-7 (51 replies, 6 posts) — comparative evaluation of competing mirrorless platforms (^[7])
• Nauticam NEX-5 housing (71 replies, 6 posts) — Sony mirrorless housing evaluation (^[8])
• “Best compact cams underwater 2011” (17 replies) — compact camera roundup (^[9])

Strobe and Lighting Expertise

With 139 posts (12%) in Lights/Strobes/Lighting, derway was a regular strobe advisor:

• “Which strobe is the best for me?” (70 replies, 8 posts) — foundational strobe selection guidance (^[10])
• “TTL solutions for Sony V3” (12 replies, 8 posts) — compact camera strobe integration (^[11])
• Canon G2 and Ikelite DS50 Strobe (19 replies, 7 posts) — early compact/strobe pairing (^[12])
• White balance underwater (23 replies, 5 posts) — color temperature fundamentals (^[13] — thread 830)
• Heinrich converter & Ikelite DS strobes (17 replies) — TTL converter compatibility ([source from person_matrix.json, thread 16527])

Community Building and Site Feedback

derway’s Feedback forum activity (43 posts) was notably high:

• Wetpixel Feb 2005 Migration Feedback (67 replies, 7 posts) — providing detailed feedback during the platform’s infrastructure transition (^[14])
• “Searching could be so much better” (23 replies) — advocating for improved forum search functionality (^[15])
• “Mark this forum read” broken (12 replies, 6 posts) — bug reporting (^[16] — thread 7668)

Conservation

• “Help needed to end tropical aquarium fish collection in Hawaii” (21 replies, 6 posts) — environmental advocacy (^[17])

Early Camera Era

• Canon: High-end A series or low end S series? (or Fuji f810) (55 replies, 7 posts) — compact camera selection guidance in the Beginner Forum (^[18])
• “DECISIONS…4040?, CP5000? OR G2?” (38 replies, 5 posts) — participated in the foundational compact camera debate (^[19])
• Upcoming Sea & Sea DX-1G camera (100 replies, 7 posts) — compact camera evaluation (^[20])
• “Post a Picture of Your Rig” (40 replies, 6 posts) — community rig-sharing (^[21])
• “NO Digital Shutter Lag - Any suggestions?” (17 replies, 6 posts) — addressing a key compact camera limitation (^[22])

Activity Profile

• Forum focus: Gear (50%), Beginner (13%), Lighting (12%), Chat (4%), Technique (4%), Feedback (3%), Showcase (2%), Conservation (2%), Critter ID (1%), Trips (1%)
• Thread participation: 62 threads started
• Article comments: 1 comment (Wetpixel Hangout)
• Key role: Community mentor through Beginner Forum and strobe guidance; mirrorless camera advocate

References