Nikonos V

Hello. I'm brand new to this forum and diving for the matter. I'm very interested in taking pictures while diving and would like to hear what camera people enjoy. In doing some reseach on eBay and B&H...it seems like the Nikonos is the prefered camera. My budget is around $1000. Thoughts anyone?

Regards,

Welcome and hello. The Nikonos V is a good camera but because it is a film based system many people are selling them to go digital... After all, digital is better, right??? ;-) I am not sure what support Nikon is providing and if new accessories are being made.

Olympus has a great following because they came out with their own housing for some of their cameras. You must decide if you want to use film or a digital camera system.

For $1,000US you should be able to get a good setup. Others have more knowledge and you will find the people here friendly.

The Nikonos V is probably the top film camera, but is more used by pro's who really understand what they are doing with such a camera. Digital is probably a much better way to go for beginners and amateurs (maybe even some pro's)

One advantage that digital has is the ability to see what you have shot immediately (as opposed to waiting for the processing). This means that you get a chance between dives to check how it's going and if necessary adjust your settings for better results. Another advantage of digital is the ability to manipulate the image in software after the picture has been shot.

Take a look around our Photo forums and I think you will soon get an idea of what is possible and what different people use.

By the way - you can get a VERY good setup with your kind of budget.

Many thanks! This is great feedback.

jnbblues:

Hello. I'm brand new to this forum and diving for the matter. I'm very interested in taking pictures while diving and would like to hear what camera people enjoy. In doing some reseach on eBay and B&H...it seems like the Nikonos is the prefered camera. My budget is around $1000. Thoughts anyone?

Regards,

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It depends on what kind of photography you'd like to do. The Nikonos V with 15mm lens is still the benchmark setup for high quality wide angle underwater photography, as the lens actually comes into contact with the water and renders superior edge-to-edge sharpness. Also, the camera's small size is a big plus when diving from rocking boats. However, the Nikonos system is limited for macro photography. Also, a Nikonos/15mm lens/strobe setup will probably set you back a bit more than $1,000. I'd look into one of the Olympus cameras for a start-up, all-around camera. -Clay

Clay speaks the truth! I agree with him completely. Plus, he got to do all the typing.

All the best, James

What Olympus do you prefer/recomend? Do they offer an aquadic camera or something that needs a case?

Many thanks for your insight.

As stated above the Nikonos V with the 15mm lens is the benchmark. I personally don't take a camera underwater (I do video) but I work closely with a guy who is in to it in a big way. He has the Nikonos V with a 12mm lens, dual strobes to fill the wide angle of the picture. He has invested between $4000-$5000cnd into his setup. He'll shoot a roll of 36 hoping to get one good shot. With that being said he usually takes pictures of us on the deco stage because he wasn't able to shoot all 36 pictures in the allotted bottom time. It's not a point and shoot. You have to take your time down there and multitask with additional stresses. When he does get that good shot they are beautiful shots. He tells me how he is going to push the speed on the developing and Blah Blah F-stop Blah Blah aperture Blah Blah. Frankly I don't understand any of it. I do know you can be very artistic and do things with it I'm not sure if you could with a digital cameras. Think of what you want out of a camera, your knowledge of using one and what you want to take pictures of when you are underwater.
Oh yeah. Keep asking questions.
JK

I had three Nikonos V's and loved them. When each one flooded, I felt like I had lost a family member. My main flash was the SB-102 which was awesome. especially on night dives. The guys in the boat would be sitting there and all of a sudden, the ocean would explode with light all around them, and I was 100' deep. But all of that is gone now - it's digital all the way now. For a grand, you can put together a pretty righteous system.