Nikons v

[Brewingfisherman]

was a great camera in its day. Now very difficult to find facility to service it and if you do expensive, add to that cost of film, developing. The Ike 75 strobe is beyond ancient, likely 40 years old, very heavy and battery is non replaceable now. Much less costly to go digital today. I say this as an owner of 6 Nikonos 2’s , 2 nikonos 5’s assorted lens, Ike 75 sunstone, Ike 150 strobe, Ike 225 strobe. Non of this gear has been used since I went digital many years ago.

Old cameras have became my thing after I invested in Polaroids. I gave up on the ikelite. But I did find someone that not only serviced my camera at a reasonable price but also sold me a sb 105 with mount and cable along with bag.

 

[Brewingfisherman]

Nik 5’s are good for getting creative with BW film using the 20mm lens, in clear sunlit waters looking up and going for the big vista with natural light. Leave the strobes at home.
Or perhaps using it on a pouring rainy day topside to get shots of raging storms using the 35mm lens.
Or maybe running a raging rapid and taking pictures. They can take a hell of a beating.
I have one and use it once in a while.

Well since I forgot about this thread I got the camera serviced, and did invest in a strobe and such. Which actually only cost me an arm not a leg. So let's see how it does. I wasnt looking into spending a bunch for photography. I took it down to 115 ft recently. Everything seemed to work well. Let's see the film when I get it.

 

[Bigbella]

See if you can obtain a copy of Jim Church's Essential Guide to Nikonos Systems, an invaluable resource to all of the Nikonos models. It may still be in print; or, otherwise, still available, used, through Amazon or Abebooks , , ,

https://www.amazon.com/Churchs-Essential-Guide-Nikonos-Systems/dp/1881652041

 

[Angelo Farina]

My wife did buy a Nikonos-III when she was 20, arund 1980. It is still working perfectly.

I always serviced it myself, replacing the O-rings and lubricating the parts in movement.
At the time we were using it with a flash I did build myself, which did include also an halogen lamp. It was very handy to carry a single compact cylindrical device working both as a powerful torch and as a flashlight.
However, in more recent years we moved to video recording, so I did build a pair of very powerful underwater lights. In their first version I did use dicroic halogen bulbs directly in the eater (to be replaced every year, of course). Later I replaced them with LED bulbs, which are more energy efficient (at 10W each they make the same light as my previous halogen bulbs at 50W each):
Nowadays LED lights are so nice and powerful, that I consider a flash an obsolete technology. A flash has also the nasty effect of making the particles suspended in water more visible. Just use a good LED light and make the photos with steady lighting. The electronics exposure system of the Nikonos-V will ensure to always expose correctly if using a steady light. You will also enjoy the dive more, looking at those wonderful colours which are visible only when an artificial light is available.
I envy your Nikkor 20mm lens. It had always been our dream but it was too expensive at the time. It is considered the best lens for UW photography with a Nikonos. The 15 mm was also excellent, but too much wide angle for many cases. The 20 mm was just perfect, and with less distortion. I would stay with it...
Regarding the film. At the time, after testing many different film types, we ended up using always the Kodak Ektachrome 64. These are diapositives, not prints, but you can always print also a diapo. I do not think that it is available anymore...
But here Wikipedia say that Kodak started making it again in the 35mm format!
Ektachrome - Wikipedia

 

[Searcaigh]

The 20 mm was just perfect, and with less distortion. I would stay with it

I second this point.

The 20mm lens also came with a special viewfinder, (as did the 15mm lens), that basically attached to the hotshoe above the normal viewfinder. Do you (OP) have this device also?

I sold both of my Nik Vs when I moved to DSLRs and housings back in the mid 90s

My first Nikonos was a Nik II and I still have that camera with the 20mm lens I always carried it in case that elusive whale shark decided to pass by and I could leap overboard and get the right shots ..... never happened though

 

[Brewingfisherman]

See if you can obtain a copy of Jim Church's Essential Guide to Nikonos Systems, an invaluable resource to all of the Nikonos models. It may still be in print; or, otherwise, still available through Amazon or Abebooks , , ,

https://www.amazon.com/Churchs-Essential-Guide-Nikonos-Systems/dp/1881652041

Awesome definitely going to order this.

It is so easy to find YouTube videos on digital photography stuff but almost impossible to find anything on the nikonos.

Thank you so much.

 

[Brewingfisherman]

My wife did buy a Nikonos-III when she was 20, arund 1980. It is still working perfectly.

I always serviced it myself, replacing the O-rings and lubricating the parts in movement.
At the time we were using it with a flash I did build myself, which did include also an halogen lamp. It was very handy to carry a single compact cylindrical device working both as a powerful torch and as a flashlight.
However, in more recent years we moved to video recording, so I did build a pair of very powerful underwater lights. In their first version I did use dicroic halogen bulbs directly in the eater (to be replaced every year, of course). Later I replaced them with LED bulbs, which are more energy efficient (at 10W each they make the same light as my previous halogen bulbs at 50W each):
Nowadays LED lights are so nice and powerful, that I consider a flash an obsolete technology. A flash has also the nasty effect of making the particles suspended in water more visible. Just use a good LED light and make the photos with steady lighting. The electronics exposure system of the Nikonos-V will ensure to always expose correctly if using a steady light. You will also enjoy the dive more, looking at those wonderful colours which are visible only when an artificial light is available.
I envy your Nikkor 20mm lens. It had always been our dream but it was too expensive at the time. It is considered the best lens for UW photography with a Nikonos. The 15 mm was also excellent, but too much wide angle for many cases. The 20 mm was just perfect, and with less distortion. I would stay with it...
Regarding the film. At the time, after testing many different film types, we ended up using always the Kodak Ektachrome 64. These are diapositives, not prints, but you can always print also a diapo. I do not think that it is available anymore...
But here Wikipedia say that Kodak started making it again in the 35mm format!
Ektachrome - Wikipedia

So wow I never thought of that. Getting a great flashlight and using that instead of relying on a strobe.

I was debating on investing in a gopro or something similar if I use a flash light I could probably fabricate a mount for the cold shoe above the view finder and mount the go pro on the that capturing my dive and allowing me to analyze my shooting technique.
(Edit: so using my current setup which is with a sb-105 with arm and such. Replacing the strobe with a flash light so I can aim it to the subject being photographed. This will also require some fabrication. And go pro above the nikonos. Hopefully it makes a little sense now)

Thank you for the awesome idea.

 

[Brewingfisherman]

I second this point.

The 20mm lens also came with a special viewfinder, (as did the 15mm lens), that basically attached to the hotshoe above the normal viewfinder. Do you (OP) have this device also?

I sold both of my Nik Vs when I moved to DSLRs and housings back in the mid 90s

My first Nikonos was a Nik II and I still have that camera with the 20mm lens I always carried it in case that elusive whale shark decided to pass by and I could leap overboard and get the right shots ..... never happened though

Unfortunately I do not have the separate viewfinder.

The current viewfinder is great above water but not so much underwater.

I am very happy with my current setup.

 

[tursiops]

Nowadays LED lights are so nice and powerful, that I consider a flash an obsolete technology.

Most who have looked at this with instruments find it is not true. Even with VERY bright LEDs, the amount of light they can produce doesn't come close to that of a decent strobe/flash, unless you use longer exposure times than most want to do. It is also more much difficult to balance the foreground light from the LED against the ambient illumination of the water so that you can balance out colors.
Lastly, diving at night with someone who has bright video lights always on is really disturbing.

 

[Brewingfisherman]

Most who have looked at this with instruments find it is not true. Even with VERY bright LEDs, the amount of light they can produce doesn't come close to that of a decent strobe/flash, unless you use longer exposure times than most want to do. It is also more much difficult to balance the foreground light from the LED against the ambient illumination of the water so that you can balance out colors.
Lastly, diving at night with someone who has bright video lights always on is really disturbing.

Well I don't want the bright of a light hanging next to me either. I do enjoy the darkness of the night time. But I will still try some shots with my current flash light and compare using that to the sb-105.

I'm just waiting for my first roll to develop before I start making any adjustments. If I loaded the film properly.