Thinking of Getting a camera.

[mike_s]

BTW... you can pick up the DC310 for about $359.
http://www.divesports.com/mall/sealife_SL148.asp

Add the strobe for a total of $529
http://www.divesports.com/mall/sealife_SL145.asp

 

[ChrisA]

Getting the Nikon serviced wil not be a problem. "Backscatter" and others, I'm sure can do any type of service you need.

For the price of a Nikonos system you can get a _much_ better camera then a DC310.
A housed Olympus 5050 can produce very good professional results results
With digital it is easy to "fix" the shoots later and I can shoot 100 exposures on a one tank dive.

Either camera will require a strobe or two strobes

If you just like film and want to do wide angle shoots there is nothing like the nikonos but you could easy spend $2,000 on a system (body, llenses and apair of strobes) A quite good digital system could be bought for much less.

If what you really want is slides viewed with a slide projector then you've got to have film but for prints digital "works" because you can do the darkroom work on the computer. Of course you can always scan the film. But then there goes another $1k for a film scanner...

Hi all,
I have never used this forum but I have a camera question and what better place to ask it. I want to get a underwater camera. The beauty of the Springs in Florida have convinced me that I need to be able to share images with my girlfriend who is currently overseas. I am on the fence between a Nikonos V and a Reefmaster DC310. Now I know this is probably like comparing apples to oranges(digital to film).
I have seen the Nikonos V in the past and liked it. I have been told Nikon is not making the Nikonos Line anymore. If this is true how hard are the Orings and seals to get? What do you like about this camera? What do you dislike?

I have only seen the Reefmaster in a dive shop. Same questions what do you like and dislike? I had a kodak digital and it held up well through two trips to the desert but got stolen last fall. I liked the ability to view my photos with the digital but that is about the only thing I liked better than a regular film cameras.

I guess I know a bit more about the Nikonos V and am leaning towards it but I am looking for thoughts or links to both before I jump in and pick it up

I guess I am just looking for opinions before I buy.

Thanks

 

[ChrisA]

One thing you don't say is your experiance as a topside, dryland photographer. If you are used to film based SLR cameras you will like the nikonos. No, the Nikonos is not an SLR but it does have manual control for the shutter speed, f-stop and focus and you need to know about "guiide numbers" and so on. Most people who buy the Nikonos today buy it because of the outstanding optics. There is _nothing_ comparable to the Nikons 15mm lens. It is sharp edgeto edge and covers about 90 degrees field of view. The trouble is that the "good" lenes are expensive. If you are good enough to shoot "valvia" you can bring back so outstanding shoots.

Are you diving in caves? I assume it is dark in there so you wil be needing a good set of strobes. These will cost more then the camera. You might want to research strobes first. Look at thier range and angle of coverage. The one on the 310 is weak and may limit you distance to (maybe about?) 6 feet. So do research the most expensive part (strobes) first.

Like I wrote last post, given your budget you should look at digital cameras that are much nicer then the 310. Not that the 310 is bad but if you want to shoot a cave wall that is fae away..

ne more Idea: Have you concidered video? (hey,as I type this I'm watching an eBay auction on some video equipment -- looks like I just won an underwater LCD monitor)

Hi all,
I have never used this forum but I have a camera question and what better place to ask it. I want to get a underwater camera. The beauty of the Springs in Florida have convinced me that I need to be able to share images with my girlfriend who is currently overseas. I am on the fence between a Nikonos V and a Reefmaster DC310. Now I know this is probably like comparing apples to oranges(digital to film).
I have seen the Nikonos V in the past and liked it. I have been told Nikon is not making the Nikonos Line anymore. If this is true how hard are the Orings and seals to get? What do you like about this camera? What do you dislike?

I have only seen the Reefmaster in a dive shop. Same questions what do you like and dislike? I had a kodak digital and it held up well through two trips to the desert but got stolen last fall. I liked the ability to view my photos with the digital but that is about the only thing I liked better than a regular film cameras.

I guess I know a bit more about the Nikonos V and am leaning towards it but I am looking for thoughts or links to both before I jump in and pick it up

I guess I am just looking for opinions before I buy.

Thanks

 

[ssra30]

Nikonos V is an excellent camera and when used properly, the image is stunning and it is a more capable camera than the usual point and shoot camera in my opinion. However I think that Nikonos probably turned off more people from underwater photography than attracting people to underwater photography especially for the inexperience photographer. Learning curve is very steep, you won't see what you get until you are back at home developing the film/slide so there is not chance to go back and redo the shot easily. With digital, at least you will get instant feed back and work on your shot right away. So if you are an experienced topside photography with SLR camera, I would consider Nikonos for sure but if you are a regular point and shoot/auto kind of person, Nikonos is not going to be a good first underwater camera for you, considering all the other alternatives available nowaday.

 

[SCUBADIVINERIK]

I have a bit of top side photography expierence with both digital(Kodak 4.1m) and single lens reflex cameras(mostly Nikon). Much more expierence with the digital I will admit. I took several thousand photos on my last trip overseas but about 85-90% were with the digital. I will also admit that I am not the best photographer and I am sure underwater photography will present challenges that would make a digital nice to have. I do like the quality factor of the Nik V.

Having said that I have been doing alot of research on camera prices and strobes today. Keep it rolling I am learning.

 

[jwnca]

Hi all,
I have never used this forum but I have a camera question and what better place to ask it. I want to get a underwater camera. The beauty of the Springs in Florida have convinced me that I need to be able to share images with my girlfriend who is currently overseas. I am on the fence between a Nikonos V and a Reefmaster DC310. Now I know this is probably like comparing apples to oranges(digital to film).
I have seen the Nikonos V in the past and liked it. I have been told Nikon is not making the Nikonos Line anymore. If this is true how hard are the Orings and seals to get? What do you like about this camera? What do you dislike?

I have only seen the Reefmaster in a dive shop. Same questions what do you like and dislike? I had a kodak digital and it held up well through two trips to the desert but got stolen last fall. I liked the ability to view my photos with the digital but that is about the only thing I liked better than a regular film cameras.

I guess I know a bit more about the Nikonos V and am leaning towards it but I am looking for thoughts or links to both before I jump in and pick it up

I guess I am just looking for opinions before I buy.

Thanks

Here's my 2 cents

I would suggest going digital. It's great having instant feedback on how good the last photo was. In the event it didn't come out too well, and the fish cooperate, you can take another shot.

While speaking "digitally"....
I have no personal experience with ReefMaster products, and I'm sure that they work well....I've been skeptical about such products where the camera and housing were one unit. It seems reasonable to me that a camera company should excel at making cameras and a housing company excel at making "boxes" for said cameras. I always wondered if the "all-in-one" models were failing to excel in one of the two areas.

Having said that and again speaking "digitally", this is my person checklist for choosing a camera
1) Does the camera meet my needs/wants just as a camera?
a) Are the megapixals high enough for the size of prints I want to run?
b) Is the optical zoom (if any) zoomy enough?
c) What's the flash card medium? Have seen indication that SmartMedia will go bye-bye.
2) Is there an UW housing for the unit? This is obvious very important
3) Will the camera grow with me?
a) If I chose to get a strobe, well my camera work. You can go nuts on this research. You're see terms such as TTL, S-TTL, etc.... I'll let you go nuts when you get to that point.
b) Can I get external lens such as wide angle or macro?

I'm sure you'll have your own check list, but I would suggest thinking to the future when you may either desire to expand or when your checkbook can handle the expense. While it wasn't listed in my own checklist, expense is an important aspect. It has been my experience that those who decide to try UW photography get hooked rather quickly and start looking to grow with extra equipment.

OK....down to the recommendation....this is based on my own research, experiences, and what's available.
1) Olympus
2) Canon

My experience is with Olympus and I've been very happy. It also seems that Olympus, at least for the "point-and-shot" digital models, have the greatest number of cameras and housings followed by Canon. It's difficult to tell who's in third place, my guess is Sony.

Well, there's my long winded two cents... I wish you luck in hunt.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Erik - next time I dive with you, I can bring out a DC310 if you want to give it a whirl - just a thought. I have access to one that belongs to a good friend of mine, I used it alot before I bought my Olympus.

...or if you are in a hurry to purchase...

http://www.suprbugman.com/gallery/album01
Everything taken on page 1 and 2 were taken with a DC310, some with strobe, some without. The exceptions are anything with SeaYoda's name on it - he took them with his Oly5050 and the Halloween Megadive, which most of the pics came from my first 5060 - which flooded on that trip Page 3 is a mix between pics from the DC310, some of SeaYoda's pics, and some of my latest dives with my 5060.

The strobe with the Reefmaster 310 does allow swivel of the head, but not much else for positioning. To combat backscatter, create moods, light at appropriate angles you're going to need to modify that arm somehow - it needs to throw light where you want it and not simply straight ahead.

I agree with the Reefmaster 310 setbacks, being as its hardly adjustable, but the strobe that comes with them has an adjustable arm setup that can be swiveled, bent, contoured, angled in pretty much any fashion. One of my best friends has one of these cameras and I used it regularly(he rarely dives so I took advantage to its availability). Its a fun camera, but it is limited.

Whether or not you want to get it(DC310) would depend on your expectations on the quality level of the shots and how flexible you want the camera to be. I know I suprised myself with good shots on a few occasions, but they were few and far between.

 

[alcina]

...
I agree with the Reefmaster 310 setbacks, being as its hardly adjustable, but the strobe that comes with them has an adjustable arm setup that can be swiveled, bent, contoured, angled in pretty much any fashion.
.

Thanks for clarifying that, supr! The arm is bendy which will give more options for aiming. It's still too short for my taste, but should be easy enough to switch out or modify...

 

[SCUBADIVINERIK]

Mat,
There is no hurry! Ill def try it out when we dive next. Chris said Ginnie was awesome and that you got some good pictures. Thanks to all for the info. Everyone gave great informed rewsponses which is what I was looking for. Its all being taken into consideration. I will post some of my photos when I get a chance.

Erik

 

[DesertEagle]

I used to see so many people spend over a thousand dollars to purchase a Nikonos with a 35mm lens and strobe. Then they would wonder why their photos looked terrible. You need the right tool for the job. The 35 is designed for head & shoulders portraits, not reef scenics. I wish more people knew that. It's also an awkward lens to use. Due to limited depth of field, you need to be good at guessing distance.

Film shooters still need to bracket. I just came back from the Red Sea and picked up my slides. From experience, I know to bracket my exposures to guarantee that I'll get what I want. I love the first time I see a well-exposed chrome. It's similar with digital now, except you can review the photos during a decompression stop.

My own recommendation is a Fuji F810 in an Ikelite housing.