Nikonos IV vs. V

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Bill Walton

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I am considering buying a new/slightly used uw SLR camera. I have a point/shoot film and digital. I was considering getting a housing for my F100 but for the same price I could get a complete nikonos setup.

So this brings me to the decision between the IV or the V.

If yall have any experiance with these, please give me your impressions. Let me know what similarities, differences, likes and dislikes.

Thanks,

Bill
 
If you can get your hands on Jim Church's guide to Nikonos cameras, he compares the different Nikonos models. I don't think he likes the IV for some reason which I cannot recall, and my book went walkabout during my last housemove - someone else on this board surely has it though and can complete my ramble!
 
Sorry Bill...I don't know enough about Nikonos cameras to help you.
 
OK, this is from the top of my head (which isn't always reliable) Nik IVs had unreliable electronics and were flood prone. The very old Nik IIIs were better than the Nik IV's. The Nik Vs, (I still use mine), are a much better (much better?) camera. I would get the Nik V over the IV. That being said, I also have a Nikon F-100 in an Aquatica housing. I can tell you from first hand experience, unless you just absolutely cannot afford it, get the housing for the F-100. Yes it will cost more, but from your post you sound like your ready to move up. If your going to move up, the cheapest in the long run would be to house your SLR. I know I'll get a lot of flack from the Digi heads on this board, but I still don't think there is anything better than the SLR under water. Yes I do have a Digital. It's a Nikon CP-995 in an Aquatica housing. Yes it takes great pictures, but it's still nowhere as good as my F-100. I have plenty of experience in moving up and in different systems. I currently own a Sea & Sea MMII EX, a Nikonos V, a Nikon CP-995 in an Aquatica housing, and a Nikon F-100 in an Aquatica housing. I also own a Nikon F-5, but just don't think that I will house it, as the camera advantages over the F-100, IMHO, are not worth the greatly added expense. If you have any questions about the F-100, Aquatica housings, or any of the cameras I listed above feel free to drop me a line.
 
Not with the photos you produce and your experience with so many formats! You definaitely have the proof to back-up your statement.
 
The Nik III was all mechanical. If it flooded, you opened, tossed the film, rinsed and dried. You were back in business. The Nik IV was the first Nikon attempt to add electronic controls. It had several design deficiencies that lent to disastrous floods. I'll skip the details. It was fairly short lived as far as Nikonos goes. The Nik V corrected these deficiencies, plus has more advanced electronics. Bottom line, stay away from the Nik IV.

The Nik V will have a lower initial investment, but you will have to add to it to shoot macro and wide angle, whereas you may already own lenses for your F100 that will work underwater. A 15mm Nikonos lens will cost you over $1000. You will also need some extension tubes for macro.

There are advantages and disadvantages of Nik V versus housed F100, but overall I'd choose the housing route. Other than that, I can't add much more than what Rooster said. He always beats me to it.

Here's what I shoot:

Nikonos V
Nikon N90s in Aquatica housing
Nikon F100 not housed (land only)
Nikon Coolpix 995 in Aquatica housing
Nikon D100 not housed (yet)

The housed N90s (or F100) is the easiest to shoot and produces the best macro images. A Nikonos V with 15mm lens gets a slight nod over the housed system for wide angle.

I see you live in Dallas. I sent you an e-mail. I'll be glad to let you look at all my setups.
 
Well. as usual Rooster has the best crow when it comes to U/W photography! Very sound advice!

I have several Niks in the collection, but only use the Nik V. I also have an F100 with a Subal housing. I use both and am addicted to the autofocus feature of the housed camera. HOWEVER, when I want to travel light above and below the water, the Nik V is the winner by far! Even with dual strobes it is lighter and less bulky than my housed critter. So, when I do that rocky shore dive or am lazy and do not want to carry a lot of bulk and weight to the boat, the Nik V is my sidekick!

That said, I have to admit that U/W photography is not a cheap sport! If you get the Nik V, start with the 20mm or 28mm lens: the 35mm that is usually sold with the basic camera is, in my opinion, only good for macro photography with the appropriate gear. I suspect that you will find that you will want to have the 20mm, the 35mm with macro gear, and the 15mm eventually. However, you can start with one strobe and one lens! Likely you will soon want dual strobes. I like Ultralite trays, etc. with Sea & Sea strobe(s), but there is a plethora of good gear out there. As I wrote earlier, this is not a sport for the miser! For items that do not risk leaks (i.e., not lenses and cameras), you can sometimes pick up some bargains on eBay (listed under "Nikonos" in the Photography and Optics section).

I am certain that I have offended some S&S, etc. users, but you asked about Nik V and Nik IV. If you want to consider S&S, etc., there are some decent options in that group, too.

My final word (I promise) is that a Nik V is a good place to start if you have no experience in U/W photography. The "rules" for terrestrial photography and U/W photography are quite different and the learning curve can be steep if you work at it. Jim Church's book on Nikonos systems will give you some valuable pointers.

The Fish That Only Its Mother Could Love, Scorpionfish
 
Hi,

I agree with Scorpionfish, I have a S&S MMEXII with various lens, a Nik V with 15mm lens and a housing for F90X with various ports.

I will digress a bit. The investment you are going to make for Nik V with the 20mm or 15mm lens will be significant. Since you already have a F100, just have it compared to a housed SLR again. I have to say that a housed SLR has far more advantages than the Nik V. The Nik V is good when you want to travel and dive light.

Note that Nikon has discontinued Nik V and you might run into trouble getting spare parts for future servicing.

Liang

PS : Whatever system you own, please read Jim Church's book as recommended by Scorpionfish
 
Dear Bill
After taking photos underwater for very close to thirty years, I have used all of the Nikonos range of cameras. Of these the only one with reliability is the Nikonos III. As someone else pointed out, when it floods (which is rare), they can be repaired cheaply.
The V or IVA are OK but when they flood (and they will) you throw them away, my cupboard has three flooded V's and two IV's which I keep for spare parts. I still use a couple of V's that haven't shown problems for nearly three years, but I don't expect they will last forever. I maintain them religiously, but some seem better than others. Most IVA & V's leak through the wind on mechanism sooner or later.
The Nikonos III cameras are relatively cheap here in Oz and I have seen them on E-Bay for a couple of hundred $US. I would buy one of these equipped with a 20mm or 15mm Nikonos lens and house your F100, which will be far superior for macro.
Having two set-ups will soon show its merits.
Regards - Reefwalker:wink:
 
that is over 15 years old and has about 200 dives on it (I don't take it on every dive). It has never flooded or given me any sort of a problem. I've brought it in for its annual "service" three or four times and the only thing they ever found wrong was a cracked battery holder, which is a very common weak point (I go to Southern Nikonos is located not far from my office. Of course, I've jinxed things by saying this, so I'll likely flood the thing on my next dive).

You can recover a Nikonos V from a flood, but you HAVE to respond quickly. About five years ago, my buddy flooded his on a trip to the Flower Gardens. He simply opened it up and rinsed it over and over in fresh water, inside AND out. He then put it "opened" in a big "baggy" of distilled water until he could take it in for repair. He told me it still works fine and that the repairs weren't that expensive.


The Nikonos IV has known reliability problems. I don't think its flash port is TTL metered (is it?). I would stay away from the IV for a variety of reasons.

Dittos on the advice on Jim and Cathy Church's book. It is literally the "bible" for the Nikonos and any Nikonos owner should have one.

As for housed systems, I am leaning toward go that route myself for macro and close-ups, but I don't think anything out there is better than the V with the 15mm and two wide angle strobes. The edge to edge lack of distortion and lack of color aberration is phenomenal.


As for digital? I still prefer film to digital, but I'm starting to see some closing of the gap betweent the two. My main beefs in the past were not in total image resolution, but in color saturation, contrast and a subtle quality I can only call "depth" that you get with high quality slide film and the right kind of lighting. But some of the images I'm starting to see from good digital cameras are really causing me to question my opinions on this.......

(I have a good friend who bought a D100 when we were in NYC, way back in 2001. He bought this camera before it was readily available in the US. He instantly became a digital fanatic. As a retired police photographer and now the official photographer for the mayor and the city of Houston, he is very knowledgeable. He swears by the D100, and uses it almost exclusively.)
 
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