35mm SLR body

[cmdasia]

Has anyone used the NX 80? I would be very interested in users comments - I am dropping digital (4040/PT10) to go to the NX 80 and slides - digital has its advantages (many of them) but the quality of 35mm slides blows me away. Saying that my decision to change is going to blow my bank manager away!

 

[BradfordD]

Hi All,

I have the Sea & Sea NX-80 and it is a great U/W SLR system! Certainly one of the best options available today... Before I purchased the NX-80, I looked into Subal and a few other systems. A close second to the NX-80 is the Subal (IMHO) - as the build qualitiy of both are superb. The NX-80 fit my hands better, and I found the layout of the controls better for my needs as well.

A picture and list of my equipment can be found here on the scubaboard at : http://www.scubaboard.com/t16074/s18826f938cc89e51c9c1288218084090.html

The housing itself is an improvement over other Sea&Sea housings... chipping (and resulting rust) just hasn't been an issue with the special surfacing of the NX-80. Overall it's a great U/W SLR set-up AND the Nikon N80 a great camera above water as well! Nikon camera body, Nikkor lenses and Sea & Sea underwater products - a great combination.... AT ANY PRICE!

 

[clive francis]

Canadian guy i met in the red sea had an F4 (i think) with a huge housing, big dome on it, data back etc, he reckoned it cost him $1,000 from some shop in the US (not to sure where before you ask, I might still have his email adress i will check later)

 

[scorpionfish]

Here I am late, but with advice that will make your loan company very happy!

I use a Nikon F100, but the less expensive versions you mentioned seem to work just great u/w! But here is my (costly) recommendation:

Nikon Camera
Nikkor AF 35mm-70mm D zoom lens
Subal Housing
Subal Dome DP-SWP

If Sea and Sea makes the same combination and you like it better, go for that.

The crux of my recommendation is in the zoom lens. After setting up the Nikon with my 60mm Micro=Nikkor, along came a school of Coronetfish, hunting in a "pack": it looked like a missle attack! Then, of course, I put the 20mm Nikkor on and spot a wonderful group of ghost shrimp that would take up 10% of the negative area.

These events and many other similar to them finally convinced me to give the zoom a shot. What a difference! The 70mm end of the lens works perfectly for nearly any macro shot. The 35mm end is nearly perfect for all those grand coral/gorgonian scenary shots along with those of schooling fish and the large pelagics that cross my path. As far as I can tell, the quality of the zoom optics is similar to that of the fixed focus lenses--excellent. If I had to do it all over again, I would have just purchased the zoom!

Cost?

Camera--$600.00-$1200.00 (New York Mail order prices)
Lens--$670.00(ditto)
Housing--$2750.00
Port--$620.00
Diopter for the lens--$30.00

Grand total = $4670.00-$5370.00!

Did you say that you really just wanted a point and shoot?!

Scorpionfish--a kinder, gentler, POORER Scorpionfish

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

You don't need a housing for a SLR if you don't yet have the SLR.

You don't need to change lenses besides a basic wide angle like 24 or 28mm unless you go for an even wider angle like 15mm, which would cost you even more money.

Plus, with the TTL/SLR cameras, you would need a TTL strobe, which will set you back at least $500. Where are the Vivitar or Soligor of the underwater world? The 3rd party brands are suppose to be cheaper than the camera mfg's. Apparently they are not in the UW housing/strobe world.

An cheap alternative would be to get the moderate priced setup where they have a decent autowind camera in a waterproof housing. Some are like Ikelite Auto35, Sea&Sea MX-5/MX-10 or Bonica Multi-snapper. A brand new camera/housing/strobe/macro/framer kit would run you in the $300-$500 range. Bonica mult-snapper seems interesting because in close up mode, the depth of field is from 5"-16". No need to fiddle with focus or making sure you are exactly at 8".

And you can keep your Pentax K1000 for all your land shots.