Perspective on Nikonos V

[jpoczwa]

Hi all

I have purchased, second hand, a Nikonos V, which I'm going to get pressure-tested and serviced before I use it.

I also have a Coolpix 4100 and Fantasea underwater housing.

My question is whether I should keep the film-based underwater camera, given that this technology is today, perceived to be somewhat superseded. I've always wanted a Nikonos V and love film, and believe that the Nikonos V would be good to learn with, in respect to taking underwater film photos as opposed to an SLR, which I can't afford anyway.

What do other current Nikonos V users think? Are parts/lenses still readily available and for how long? I only know one person locally who is able to service my Nikonos at the moment, so I wonder whether it would be worth paying for the service and pressure-test and intended future purchase of a Nikonos strobe as opposed to upgrading my digital gear.

I would like to keep the Nikonos V as I like mechanical cameras (having learnt photography with a manual Nikon FM).

Any thoughts and perspective on the above is much appreciated.

Many thanks!
Janet

 

[Mike Veitch]

DId you get the 20 or 15 mm lenses? if you just have the 35 kit lens then i would retire it and shoot with your digital point and shoots, the 35mm is a lesson in frustration and extremely limiting.

ANy strobe will work with your nikonos as long as you have the right synch, the SB105 will also work with other cameras, including the digital ones as it has a slave sensor

But yes, it is a great way to learn all about fstops and shutter speeds, but you can also do that with most new Pand S digital cameras that have full manual

Mike

 

[OceanObsessed]

I am just a recreational photographer and I still use the Nikonos cameras. The Nikonos products are super high quality and the digital revolution has driven the price of Nikonos equipment way down. If you are not ready to go digital then it is a great time to go Nikonos because of the price. You can buy Nikonos lenses, strobes, everything... very cheap. I have bought and sold many Nikonos cameras, strobes, lenses on ebay.

You can still get parts from http://www.southern-nikonos.com/ and I believe that you can still purchase new lenses from Nikkor and other vendors. If you go with ebay just be sure you buy from somebody with good feedback history and offers a money back guarantee on their products and NEVER EVER WIRE MONEY (usually a sure sign of a rip off) to the seller. Pay with check, money order or paypal and complete the transaction through ebay... don't be tricked into "taking the transaction offline". If you follow these guidelines ebay can be pretty safe.

I agree with Mike, I used the Nikonos 35mm lens for way too many years because of the high price of the wider angle lenses. Looking back I wish I had sprung for the 20mm lens when I got my first Nikonos in 1983. The 20mm is a great place to start.. it is much cheaper than the 15mm which can frequently be just too wide for many situatuations.

If price is an issue then get a macro kit (new under $100.00) for your 35mm or a Nikonos close up kit for your 35mm. It is fairly easy to get good shots with these kits beause you preset your focus, fstop etc before the dive and just put the subject in the frame and shoot.

 

[Mariozi]

I will never part with mine!!! Even if it ends its days as a desk decoration on my office!!!

 

[jpoczwa]

Firstly, thanks everyone for the replies!

Mike, I got the 35mm lens, as this is the one that came with the camera. I think I will keep it for learning how to handle the Nikonos underwater and eventually get the SB105 and macro kit, as Charris400 mentioned (fantastic idea). I guess the bottom line is I haven't used the Nikonos underwater with ANY lens, let alone a wide angle, so I think I'll be preoccupied for a while with the abovementioned gear, and then buy a wide angle lens down the track.

Charris400, thanks for the website link and advice about buying online - looks like it can be a really good way to go with buying Nikonos gear.

I'm glad there are still people out there using the Nikonos system. Hopefully, this has created a "niche market" where parts/accessories will available for years to come, since I haven't the heart to part with my NikV and I'm just starting to learn.

 

[alo100]

Hi all

I have purchased, second hand, a Nikonos V, which I'm going to get pressure-tested and serviced before I use it.

I also have a Coolpix 4100 and Fantasea underwater housing.

My question is whether I should keep the film-based underwater camera, given that this technology is today, perceived to be somewhat superseded. I've always wanted a Nikonos V and love film, and believe that the Nikonos V would be good to learn with, in respect to taking underwater film photos as opposed to an SLR, which I can't afford anyway.

What do other current Nikonos V users think? Are parts/lenses still readily available and for how long? I only know one person locally who is able to service my Nikonos at the moment, so I wonder whether it would be worth paying for the service and pressure-test and intended future purchase of a Nikonos strobe as opposed to upgrading my digital gear.

I would like to keep the Nikonos V as I like mechanical cameras (having learnt photography with a manual Nikon FM).

Any thoughts and perspective on the above is much appreciated.

Many thanks!
Janet

I too have a manual Nikon FM, not FM2.
Yesterday, I tried my friend's new digital compact camera, and we just make shots inside a shopping mall, and I used an old digital compact made by cannon. Her new digital camera has more adjustable features, including cooler/warmer temp. the lens was Leica made too; however, somehow, there are specific scerenaries we cannot do well with both of our compact digital cameras -- two, three hundreds small silver decorations hanging at the ceiling of the shopping mall. We tried to add/sub EV to make the contrasts working so that the small decorations wouldn't look like small gray dots in the picture (do not stand out at all). In short, there is still a difference between using film and electronic sensors. This is also the reason why I still do not want to buy a DSLR, both technology and price are still not optimum. I know some of you may not agree with this.

Back to your question, if I were you, I'd make the Nikonos V full function, at least up to the level that you can use it underwater in your way, enough for the photo's you want to take.
If the lights/strobes are master slave type, you can still use it in the future for your digital camera. If I have to get a digital camera underwater, I'd get a S80 or so (ok, ok, it doesn't have to be a cannon, I have much more Nikon stuff than cannon myself), a compact camera, then the housing for that should be around US$120 to 150, not too expensive, whereas any DSLR housing would be much more expensive. Now, think about the value of your Nikonos V again.

 

[louisianadiver]

I'd definitely keep the Nikonos V, but I would forget about a Nikon strobe and start looking for an Ikelite 100a or an old Ai. You can find them every now and then in the $100 range. The Sea & Sea 20mm for Nikonos is a cost effective lens, as is the Sea & Sea 15mm although it costs more. A Nik V, Ike 100, and 20mm lens is a professional-quality wide angle setup capable of producing images superior to those made by systems costing 10 times as much. The key is the water-contact lenses, which housed cameras simply don't have. My $.02

 

[Seadiver5]

The availability of Nikonos parts and lenses are vitually endless even though they are no longer manufactured. I own 5 or 6 of them and I still love them. I personally believe them to be superior to digital cameras in the wide angle arena and a good film image is still better than digital image.

Digital has many advantages however especially for new photographers.

 

[Mycroft]

I was testing a Coolpix 4300 in a fantasea housing over the weekend, and comparing results to my Nikonos V setup (using the same strobes, via the adapter you can get from Germany).

The 4300 - what a piece of crap. The shutter delay was waaaayyyyy too long. Every time I went to take a photo of a fish, the fish swam away before I got the shot, just because of the shutter lag.

The lighting was not that great, as it just could not meter correctly underwater either. (And I tried shots 3 different ways - dual stobe, single and no strobe!) Back to the Nikonos V for me.

 

[Doubles]

I love mine and have the 20mm and a 105 strobe. It was my first u/w setup. I take it and an olympus 5060 with me on most trips, the quality of film photos is still tops! There are a lot of places to get them serviced.

I saw a post that they are not manufactured anymore. I thought that the V was still being manufactured but that Nikon had said it was going to discontinue manufacturing in the future....with digital age, I would not be surprised if they have stopped....

I do get to borrow a 15mm from a very trusting friend every now and then, it's great for shooting those big wrecks, but the 20 is a great all round lens

Cheers