Nikonos info needed

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Kirby-Morgan

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Hello there
This is my second post. The first is in the travel/Africa section today.

I'm employed in commercial diving but I'm about to rediscover scuba after a twenty-year break because my kids are keen to try it. We're going to Tofo, Mozambique next month and I want to take pictures.

Now I've been lurking on the board long enough to realise that the digital revolution is perhaps even more active in underwater photography than it is on the surface. However, left over from my former life I have a Nikonos 2 in perfect condition and right now I'm not ready to buy housings for my surface cameras if I can get by with the old Nik.

The trouble is I don't have a flashgun for it. I used to use (-Now then, no s******ing from you luminous green fins types-) a BULB flash! I'll have you know that it was actually considered very cool to be swimming around with a mesh bag full of chickens-egg bulbs floating from your wrist. And it worked well too. But the bulbs are obsolete and anyway I have a sneaky suspicion that it might not be quite so cool nowadays. Sooo, my questions are.

Is it worth my while to use the old Nik or are the advantages of digital so great that I would be dissatisfied with the results it produces?

If I go with the Nik what light/flashgun would suit it. I really don't want to buy new so what could I buy on the secondhand market that would be compatible, reliable and cheap? Also is there a sync cable suitable for the Nik 2?

My film of preference for prints used to be Fuji 100 but there must be a better one by now. Any suggestions.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom. I'm really looking forward to my comeback.

Colin
 
PS I can't believe this. The board is auto-politically correct!! For s******ing read laughing. I am too.

Colin (Siebe-Heinke twin hose)
 
Welcome to the board!

Anyhoo, as for your question. Personally if i were you i would go with a nice small point and shoot camera as opposed to the Nik2 (i own one myself...)

They are relatively cheap these days (a decent set up for $500 US is not out of the question without strobe of course) and you are going to get a much higher percentage of keepers. Also, if you are going to be diving with the kids i think you will have a lot of fun being able to show them the results instantaneously and let them play around with it as well.
You will be able to take a lot more photos on a trip, and therefore not have to open up the camera when 36 are finished. This is a big plus when taking photos of the family etc...
Also, you will have a nice zoom feature which isn't available on the Nik. And if you only have the 35mm lens for your Nik then 2/3's of your shots won't be in focus anyway! that lens sucks....

And of course you have a built in flash on the small cameras for small stuff good options for strobes these days too.

I would put the Nik to rest and go with a P&S.
Have a look at some of the older threads, you will find plenty of recommendatins for which one to get. Sony, Nikon, Fuji, Olympus, Canon...they all have good packages available
 
I bought my first Nikonos back in 1969 and wound up with a bunch of Nikonos stuff over the years. It's all gone now. My above water cameras - Nikon, Rollei, Leica, all sit in storage boxes now. Everything is digital - the ONLY way to go, at least for me.
 
I would also agree with Tom and Mike... Get a digital P&S it's oh SO MUCH EASIER, than a Nikonos.

I have also used both, and one point they didn't mention, is the obvious advantage of the view screen whereas the Nikonos has nothing, you barely even know if your shot is in focus, better yet in the frame.

When you shoot with a digital... You see the photo instantly... If it doesn't look good, take another one.
 
I still use a Nik for wide angle, and I don't have any plans to change in the near future. However, your Nik II has the old 3 pin strobe connector and it won't work with any modern strobes that I know of. You can update the Nik II (Southern Nikonos in Houston did mine) to accept most strobes, but it'll cost you about $100. Plus, the Nik II doesn't have a tripod mount, which means that you'll have to use an old tray to hold the camera via the strobe connection--not very good. Lastly, the Nik II does not have uniform film advance, which means that the images on the film will probably not be evenly spaced. When the processor cuts the film by machine, some images will likely be cut in half. Needless to say, although I still use a Nikons/15mm setup, I don't use a NIk II. The NIk III was a tremendous improvement, but I don't see any reason for you to get one. I'd start over with a digital setup. -Clay
 
Gentlemen
Thank you for your very valuable advice. Your consensus is unavoidable and is precisely what I expected to hear. A great pity though, I was hoping to get a few more fathoms out of the Nik.

With quite large expenses coming up for holiday, training and kit I won't be buying a new camera setup immediately, but I have a Canon IXUS 1 (the original, also called Powershot 1 on the US market ) which I'd reluctantly be prepared to put in a housing - if one exists. Canon don't advertise one for the IXUS 1 though they do for the IXUS 2 which, in pictures appears identical. Can anyone tell me if it's compatible or if there is another suitable housing?

Thank you again
Colin
 
Colin:

I guess the silver lining to the digital revolution is that you can get great deals on used film equipment on ebay. Flash bulbs? I used to call myself the Nikonos Neanderthal but you have me beat by a mile! <lol>

---Bob
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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