ianmarsh

Interceptor 121's point was that no one reads the comments... seems to me that the most valuable information is exchanged when people interact with one another. Thanks for the article, by the way👊

I guess people do read the comments....

Looking for one of these older units. Let me know. (Not the #11075) Thanks Ian

Perhaps you should.... When you think about it, the inner elements simply look out the front glass, which if water corrected, would "see" the same thing as it was seeing through the air corrected front element. Maybe that is simplistic thinking. Both the AF-D and Manual focus 16mm's are selling for under $300 usd... boy, that would make a difference. Although if it worked, we would probably soon be paying $2000 for a used 16mm...

Another thought I have had is how different is the optical formula between the Nikonos 13 RS and the Nikon 16mm AF-D lens or even the 16mm manual focus ai-s lens ? The schematics look very similar and maybe(?) only the front element is different? Air vs water contact? These lenses all use the same rear element filter holder, so dimensionally may be close. All three lenses were manufactured at the same time, and I wonder if there were any common glass parts.

Yes, It was Andrej that offered that service, come to think of it. It still blows my mind that you are able to do this with just the glass... how on earth you honed in on the Sony 50mm is beyond me. How fortunate that one of their cheapest lenses happened to be the one. We usually don't get those kind of breaks in this business. Well done, Isaac. ian

Alex, I assume the Nauticam mechanical version uses "new" elements rather than recycled RS 13 elements? If so then someone is already making them, and could Isaac put them into Sony 50mm lens bodies?

I have had the same thoughts about a modern re-creation. If it only comes down to the glass, and the optical formula is known, that should be doable. I believe Seacam has contracted someone to make the front port glass for those lenses that are scratched. I would also note that at this point, the external part of the RS lens is immaterial. The only part that matters is the glass. When I bought mine from Japan in 2015, it was described as having some "balsam separation" and "haziness of the rear element", which did not affect the image. The "haziness" was a crack in the inner of the two elements, probably from being dropped. Fortunately for me I was able to source the very last rear element assembly from Rene Aumann, and install it myself. Best 100 euros I ever spent.... Bottom line; if the glass isn't perfect, Do Not Buy.

I saw that lens... it was in nice shape. I put in an offer on it and within 5 minutes of it being posted with offer pending, it got snapped up on the Buy It Now. I'm sure someone on WaterPixels is the new proud owner.

Indeed. Agree. I recall going to Sipadan in 1992 with 36 rolls of Fuji Velvia 100, spending 10 days there and not having a clue if I had a single keeper. Also, the learning curve was completely flat. You could continue to make the same mistake over and over, with no feedback. Three weeks later, when the film returned from processing, you could toss 90% of the slides into the bin. Digital photography is the single most important advance in UW imaging. The reference to Howard Hall was more of a shout-out to one of the greatest UW image makers, who is still active, all these years later... Ian

Hey Will... welcome aboard. Good to see you here! I spotted this on the BBC website... interesting stuff https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240123-the-race-to-build-climate-resilient-coral-reefs

Hey Pavel! Great to see you here. Your expertise is greatly appreciated. Ian

Right on! It's good to know one is not alone.... group hug!

Like Tim, I strap my ancient Suunto Vyper to the float on my strobe arm. It is always in my field of view, and is about the size of the speedometer in my truck. I wear a second Suunto D6 on my forearm. I wear this throughout the day of diving so I can track surface intervals etc. Agreement between the two instruments is remarkably comparable, although I use the D6 as the "Official" recording, since it is much newer. Both computers are linked to the same Suunto Transmitter on my regs first stage. The last piece of paranoia is a SPG on a short hose which is bungeed to my backplate. I can retrieve this if needed, and is just long enough. While I have never had a computer fail, I have had a number of dives aborted due to a glitchy transmitter. The SPG is good insurance at no real cost.

I will throw in one from the film era. This one kicked off the madness for me: Howard Hall's guide to Successful Underwater Photography, First printing 1982. Somewhat dated, but the basics are all there. Hard to argue with Howard.