Nikonos III for street shooting ? Am I nuts ?

[MrFujicaman]

I bought myself a "BGN" Nikonos III for last Xmas from KEH-mainly because I'd always wanted one when I was younger.

Lately, I've been using it for street shooting at the area flea markets. I do this because I want to get used to the camera,and the flea markets are very dusty (think Alabama red mud/clay soil dust blowing in the wind) and to see how well it works for street shooting.

My thinking is that A) if it's sealed against water, it should be dust proof also. It was so covered with dust yesterday that I had to wash it off when I got home. B) the lens is the same Nikkor 35mm f2.5 as the 35mm f2.5 for the Nikon S cameras and the LTM version, so it's pretty sharp. C) for street shooting,most of us zone focus anyway,so the lack of a rangefinder isn't really that big of a deal for most of what I'm using it for. I use ISO 400 B & W with a yellow filter most of the time,so I'm shooting at f 16 @ 1/250th or f 11 @ 1/500th. D) the Nikkor 35mm f2.5 is kinda costly in LTM. I bought the Nikkonos III body and lens for $90. E) if I get caught in the rain,it's no big deal.

Okay....am I crazy or just semi-smart ?

 

[Roger Hicks]

Semi-smart. Thanks to the weird control layout it's a bar steward for camera shake. I prefer at least 1 or 2 steps higher on the shutter speed dial to be (reasonably) sure of sharp pics: at least 1/60, preferably 1/125 or even 1/250 with the 35/2,5.

Cheers,

R.

 

[MaxElmar]

I don't think that's crazy at all. Laugh at the rain! The 35/2.5 works fine above water and is really quite sharp. The camera is very quiet in use and it works as well as any scale focus camera does. The Nikonos III is dirt cheap, too. Mine goes on every canoe trip.

 

[GaryLH]

I would say u like a challenge 😀..

I have used a nikonos in the past as my only camera on vacations where snorkeling was the main reason. I had a three lens setup, that included the tele, the 35 u got and a 28. The 28 seems to be a rare one that I stumbled into at my local camera store at the time. Unlike the other two lenses which are designed for both land and underwater use, this was a land only. It was instead weather sealed.

If I were to shoot strictly for street, the 28 would be my choice but this particular lens I rarely have seen for sale. I really knew nothing about it until I stumbled upon it. Before then, I had expected the 35 to be the widest lens I could use above water.

Good luck and have fun..
Gary

 

[back alley]

i have, on occasion, thought about getting one for shooting in blizzards...

 

[Nokton48]

I had a Nikonos II back in the mid-1970's, and I liked it. Used it quite a bit, even for high school yearbook photography. So I think it would work great for street. The III is one I have not used, I would make sure the O-rings are in good shape, and properly maintained. Everything seems available and not expensive.
Very little not to like.

-Dan, NASDS-certified scuba diver since 1976.

 

[rhl-oregon]

All your reasons are sound, and the 35 is a fine lens for out-of-water experiences.

You still have an opportunity to be nuts, though: Put on a mask and snorkel when you walk through the flea market. Fins are optional.

 

[Alpsman]

Bought a Nikonos 3 for some 2 reasons: 1st ist is a mechanical camera, 2nd it is watereproof. Whenever the weather is rainy the Nikonos 3 is on my side.

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

hi,

i used to have a nikonos IV, lovely camera.

very heavy. but durable and waterproof.

"The "Workhorse of the War" [edit]
Because of its waterproof housing, lens options, and toughness,
the Nikonos was an important tool for photographers working in the
steaming jungles, flooded rice paddies, and rain-lashed battlefields of
the Vietnam War. The wire services loaded their Nikonos cameras
with Tri-X, Ektacolor-X or High-Speed Ektachrome.[10]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikonos

question: It may be water-proof, but is it fungus proof ?

 

[tomwiebe]

Not crazy at all. I picked up a Nikonos V last winter for a steal and it's my wet weather camera. Haven't got around to posting much from it but, there's a few on my flickr stream. The HUGE viewfinder is a great boon to shooting quickly and I've gotten used to pre-adjusting my 'zone' of focus to where I think it might need to be given what I see around me. Hit rate has been surprisingly high and it's highly bottom weighted metering is just the trick for our constantly overcast Vancouver skies. That 35mm f/2.5 is a real corker of a lens too.


Alarm System by Tom Wiebe, on Flickr


The Apocalypse Will Be Televised by Tom Wiebe, on Flickr

 

[jmilkins]

I love the industrial nature of my Nikonos III - so different to the plastic fantastic digicams.

 

[petronius]

Good choice; maybe the Nikonos will start some conversations too!
Martin Parr did a series about the bad british weather in the early 80s(?) and used a Nikonos too.
I don´t own a Nikonos, but in wet conditions I like using my Nikon L35AWAF!

 

[FrankS]

Only downside is the camera shake introduced by the shutter trigger set up. I sometimes use a nikonos V with a more conventional shutter release. It's not mechanical though it does have one mechanical speed and B I believe, that work without batteries.

 

[Alpsman]

Only downside is the camera shake introduced by the shutter trigger set up.

Äh, yes, the way how to press the shutterbutton on the Nikonos 3 is something ya have to get used to.

 

[bosjohn]

I used to do street with a Nikonos 1 very early one

 

[noisycheese]

Nikonos III for street shooting ? Am I nuts ?

Not at all - I'd say you are more along the lines of resourceful and are able to think outside the proverbial box.

About a week ago, I was doing some street photography with my M4-P and 28 Summicron. It started to sprinkle and I continued as long as I dared, but eventually the rain increased to the point where I had to stop for out of concern for the camera and lens. This made me think that with a good rain jacket (got that) and a Nikonos, I would still be out making images.

I did some research on the Nikonos V and was surprised to find nice clean used copies available in the $200-250 range. Then I discovered that a camera store an hour north of here happened to have a nice used Nikonos V with the 35mm f/2.5 lens in stock.

My wife (bless her) decided that this would be a great 20th anniversary gift - and she was right. I am headed out this afternoon to shoot my first roll of C-41 film thru the V as a test drive.

These are great little cameras - not as small and discreet as a Leica M is, but they are built like a tank and are waterproof down to 50 meters (160 feet)
when the camera is prepped for underwater use. This simply requires making sure the O-ring seals are in good condition and are clean, and lubricating them with a silicone gel to ensure a waterproof seal.

I was also surprised at how quiet the camera is when the shutter is released. It is not quite as quiet as a Leica M, but it is much less "clacky" than an SLR with the reflex mirror flapping around inside, which is a definite plus for street photography.

 

[peterm1]

Not at all - I'd say you are more along the lines of resourceful and are able to think outside the proverbial box.

About a week ago, I was doing some street photography with my M4-P and 28 Summicron. It started to sprinkle and I continued as long as I dared, but eventually the rain increased to the point where I had to stop for out of concern for the camera and lens. This made me think that with a good rain jacket (got that) and a Nikonos, I would still be out making images.

I did some research on the Nikonos V and was surprised to find nice clean used copies available in the $200-250 range. Then I discovered that a camera store an hour north of here happened to have a nice used Nikonos V with the 35mm f/2.5 lens in stock.

My wife (bless her) decided that this would be a great 20th anniversary gift - and she was right. I am headed out this afternoon to shoot my first roll of C-41 film thru the V as a test drive.

These are great little cameras - not as small and discreet as a Leica M is, but they are built like a tank and are waterproof down to 50 meters (160 feet)
when the camera is prepped for underwater use. This simply requires making sure the O-ring seals are in good condition and are clean, and lubricating them with a silicone gel to ensure a waterproof seal.

I was also surprised at how quiet the camera is when the shutter is released. It is not quite as quiet as a Leica M, but it is much less "clacky" than an SLR with the reflex mirror flapping around inside, which is a definite plus for street photography.

I really started my photography with a Nikonos V. I was a keen scuba diver and sailed throughout the Pacific looking for dive sites. Eventually I bought a Nikonos. After a while using it under water I discovered I was getting far better shots on the surface with this camera. (UW photography is technically very challenging). For a few years this was my only camera and I began to use it a lot. Yes it was zone focusing but that became quite easy after a while as long as I shot at above f5.6. And it gave me great shots in circumstances I would never take an ordinary camera. In the rain, in dense (and wet) tropical rainforest, up mountains and while caving. I eventually sold it when I gave up scuba diving and got into photography seriously but have been tempted to buy another as mit was so nice. I loved that heavy solid feel and as you say the shutter is silky smooth and quiet.

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

sorry to be off-topic, but i am quite excited over the nikonos. can i ask
how "off" is an underwater lens when used on land ? Can it be used
on land in the first place or will it crackle and die ? LOL

Reason is ask is that there is a 28 f3.5 lens (on keh.com) which would be better for street ?

raytoei

 

[henri klein]

Used one (III in my case) for street shooting. Quite nice, reloading is a major issue, else scale-focussing is fully sufficient (and often superior to AF).

 

[Roger Hicks]

sorry to be off-topic, but i am quite excited over the nikonos. can i ask
how "off" is an underwater lens when used on land ? Can it be used
on land in the first place or will it crackle and die ? LOL

Reason is ask is that there is a 28 f3.5 lens (on keh.com) which would be better for street ?

raytoei

The 35/2.5 is above/below water. Some (?all -- dunno) of the others are underwater only.

Cheers,

R.