Nikonos V

[oly5050user]

I guess hardly anyone uses the Nikonos V anymore.

You are so right..I still have 2 of my nik V's here ,complete with 15mm lens ,ike strobes..never will part with them,but have not used them in 4 yearsWho knows,maybe someone will come up with a magic gizmo that replaces the rear door of the nik v and that would turn it into digital.I feel that you can still get better results with them than my digitals,but it is soo close that it is difficult to compare.Problem is cost of film and developing.For what it cost to go on a trip and shoot up/develop 10 rolls of film I could almost buy a new digital camera.Plus again,you have the instant gratification thing going on too with digital.

 

[Md Spear]

.Problem is cost of film and developing.For what it cost to go on a trip and shoot up/develop 10 rolls of film I could almost buy a new digital camera.Plus again,you have the instant gratification thing going on too with digital.

lets see it just cost me $32 w/Dale labs for processing and a disc and postage for the Vandenberg wreck dive . for 10 rolls thats $320. you can get a nice starter digtal for that ,but it wont create the pix of the 15 mm nikonos . So it just depends on what you want to do .I use a cheap digital for a lotta stuff too. Of course Im only shooting a few rolls a year underwater,unless I go on a live aboard. I think the Cocos Island trip cost me $650 for 20 rolls developing ,prints and discs. that was all 15 mm wide angle work.

 

[oly5050user]

lets see it just cost me $32 w/Dale labs for processing and a disc and postage for the Vandenberg wreck dive . for 10 rolls thats $320. you can get a nice starter digtal for that ,but it wont create the pix of the 15 mm nikonos . So it just depends on what you want to do .I use a cheap digital for a lotta stuff too. Of course Im only shooting a few rolls a year underwater,unless I go on a live aboard. I think the Cocos Island trip cost me $650 for 20 rolls developing ,prints and discs. that was all 15 mm wide angle work.

So true..my nikon p5900/ike housing/ike 125 strobe/wa lens probably ran close to $2400.My oly5050 set up ran about the same costs.Both "prosumer"cameras,not the typical point and shoot kind.
My nik v,15mm lens/viewfinder,ike 150 strobe ran around $3,350.add to that every trip is $320.in film costs.
Quality of image can be better with the nik v,but with todays digital gear it is really getting very difficult to tell the difference.

 

[Md Spear]

As soon as I can make some more money $$$, I want to get a decent digital for u/w

 

[Gilldiver]

I have my Nik V, a Canon A630 in an Ike housing, and a Ike D160 with the EV controler. The strobe will work with all of them either with the controler or with a Nikonos to strobe connector. So, I covered all bases.

For UW work I care about the glass and strobe, everything else is second by a good margin.

But I don't want to put a lot into any digital camera and housing as the cameras are discontined way too fast and if you have a flood 3 years after getting a rig, you may have a trashed camera and a great housing with no camera. Then its a crap shoot on ebay.

 

[rdjiv]

Thanks for all the input. It seems both companies are about the same now just need to check out the price differences (if any). Turns out that Backscatter West doesn't do the services here in CA; they ship it off to Backscatter East in New Hampshire.

As for using the camera, I've been looking into a housing for my D200 but would also like to try out a film camera as well. I used to play around with the Nikonos when I could get my hands on it but now would like to see if I can get some of the cool-looking types of pictures seen above.

 

[Gilldiver]

Ask if they replace all o-rings/seals or just clean and reuse them.

I have been told that Southern bought some of the molds from Nikon and can make some of the seals, where the others can't.

 

[spyder]

I've used Bob at Southern for years. Great service and a real character. I'm in the process of deciding whether to house my D80 or not. Cases are so expensive and specific to the camera which is a pain considering the bodies are outdated as soon as you buy them. What ever happened to a good body being around for years? And none of my strobes will work, SB102 and Ikelite MV 50's. The pictures with my Nik V and 15 or 20mm lenses are unbelievable but between film/processing/and bad shots due to my infrequent use these days is a killer. Sigh.....

 

[SharkSafaris]

It's not too hard to service the Nikonos V yourself actually. I've seen at least one web site and one chapter in a book with detailed photos and descriptions of how to do it. The parts you'd possibly have to order online though. It'll save you a few bucks in addition to getting a better idea of how your camera works.

____________________
www.sharksafaris.co.za

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

And none of my strobes will work, SB102 and Ikelite MV 50's.

I think they will work with your D80, but in manual mode.