Nikonos RS AF Camera

I am considering upgrading my camera to a Nikonos RS system. I currently have a Nikonos I (on the shelf for many years now) and a Digital setup. I love the digital but I am thinking of going back to film for certain situations. I have the opportunity to purchase a RS, with strobe with a good service history. I am not in need of the film vs digital debate as I am well versed in both, just looking for some opinions from owners of RS cameras, ease of use, reliability when maintained professional, etc. Flooding? Better options for less money. Sorry if this is in older threads I searched but could not find.

Oh, the RS was awesome but it can be a can of worms. If you do flood it, you're in for a very expensive treat. I would check places like Stephen Frink Photographic or Underwater PhotoTech to see what they think. Also, if you have the money and want to use the RS optics, there is a camera called the SubEye. The viewfinder is HUGE.

Thanks for the info, I thought that might be the case for such an old platform.

I had the pleasure of meeting Stephen Frink. I'd definately call his shop and see if you can get some discussion on the RS. He is exclusively digital from my understanding, but he shot with the RS for a long time.

My understanding of the RS is that is can DEFINATELY flood (I read an article where he described an RS flood), and yes, they are VERY expensive to repair, and I would imagine that parts could be an issue as Nikon has not sold this camera for a long time.

http://www.stephenfrink.com/

Thanks for the link to Stephen, I will get in touch with him. I have done some additional research since my original post and have learned a lot. A great camera, especially in its day, but there are other options.

gene

I used the RS for more than ten years (probably more than 500 dives) and was extremely happy with the system. I bought my first body and lenses almost immediately after the camera came on the market. I have two bodies (one backup, never required), 13mm, 50mm (with the 2X teleconverter from Chris Newbert), 28mm, and 20-35mm zoom lens. I used a variety of strobes including Ikelite 50, SB104, SB105. I never had a flood. I was pretty careful with cleaning and greasing the back door o-ring, but beyond that I was not a "fiddler". I think the RS system is outstanding, particularly the lens optics. I have switched to digital and don't use the RS anymore, but I have nothing but good things to say about it. The only minor negative I ever had about the system is that it was VERY heavy underwater. But in most situations that was not a big problem and in certain conditions it was an advantage (steadiness, etc.).

Thanks for the comments, much appreciated.

gene

I know this is a rather old thread, but hoping someone can hear me and point me in the right direction. I'm new to Nikonos RS and this is the issue:

I have a Nikonos RS body with its 28/2.8 R-UW AF Nikkor lens I just bought. The lens connects, is in good physical shape, the elements move, the lit display works, but the focus seems to be off: The scale does not match the actual focal distance, and instead of focusing from infinity-0.26mt, the actual in-focus range it achieves is only approx between 5-10cm. Manual or auto, nothing is in focus, unless you approach the subject to that 5-10cm distance approx.

I just took it to my local Nikon service and they tested it for me. They double test my Nikons RS body with another lens and it works fine (although the test lens was a land lens, not a Nikonos). My new 28mm lens seems to be the problem. But they are unfamiliar with Nikonos cameras.

The strange thing is this is the second 28mm I buy with exactly the same problem. Both sellers claim the lenses are in good shape. Are you aware of any instructions, settings, user errors, typical failures or issues with this model that may affect performance that way? Does it need an adapter or additional parts to work?

Thanks in advance to anybody pointing me in the right direction here.

Are you testing the lens underwater or on land? AFAIK the 28mm will not correctly focus on land, and certainly not at infinity. However, under the water it is fine.

I like many others used the Nikonos RS for fifteen years before moving to digital. All of the lenses that have a dome or curved port are water contact lenses and only work well underwater. The 50mm macro with its flat port will work above water. This is a excellent film system for U/W film shooters. I had two bodies and never had a flood in over 2000 dives. The biggest problem for some users was that they opened the camera back with the lens pointing down rather than up allowing water to run into the camera. Far more floods were caused by this issue and the older rear doors that had dimples all the way around the edge that held water and dip into the camera when pointed lens down and opened.

As others have advised service and parts are the main issue with these cameras currently.

A shot of a Goliath Grouper from the 1980's using the Nikonos RS and the 20-35 mm zoom.