Subal ND800

Now, I am ready and all set for Lembeh in about 10 days!

Juerg,

Your Subal sure looks pretty with the FP70180 port!! Do you also use a 5T or a wet diopter ?

Thanks you doing the homework on the zoom gear and have a wonderful trip.

Elmer

yes, I have both a 5T and a wet diopter and occasionally I also use them (off course not together).

The Nikkor 70-180 is such a great lens, just wish Nikon would update it

that's why it is traded from time to time at a price tag higher than at its original cost. Wish the same lens in f 2.8; this way the viewfinder especially for UW will be brighter. Thought already to swap it for the 105 f2.8, but be unsure.

what is your experience of smallest aperture as far as diffraction goes?

I just got back from a week in Bonaire, I took the 105 mm VR but did not use it. Was shooting with the 28-85 mm f 2.8-4 set at its macro range of 35-85 mm and was quite pleased with the dynamic range and the camera's detail. My dive buddy was shooting his D800 with the 105 mm VR and all of our shoots showed some diffraction at smaller f stops if you really looked for it, but on fish shots I do not think it matters much. Overall, both of our shots were better with the D800 then our older bodies of D300s and D2Xs. The dynamic range with this body is really WOW.

Overall, both of our shots were better with the D800 then our older bodies of D300s and D2Xs. The dynamic range with this body is really WOW.

Glad to see you're enjoying the new toy.

As I've posted many times, I'm a big fan of the 70-180 micro-nikkor. Buddy has written "Wish the same lens in 2.8." Considering the lens is already a 62mm thread on the front, going from 5.6 to 2.8 would probably increase this to at least 82mm. Maybe more. And result in a lens so large and heavy that it might not even fit in current port diameters. AF-S focusing might be nice, but the faster focusing, especially at the closer end might result in more frequent whizzing past the correct focus point, as does the new AF-S 105mm compared to the older 105mm. This happened more often when I used the 105 AF-S with the 6T close-up lens. So I'm happy to settle for the current 70-180 configuration. If Buddy really wants to swap his 70-180 for a 105 AF-S VR, I've got a friend who might be very interested.

Fred

Buddy,

How did your Nikkor 70-180 micro work out with your D4 in Lembeh?? At what f stop did diffraction get messy?

Elmer

Anyone wishing to use the 70-180 lens on a Nauticam housing, we’ve just discovered that the N1017-Z+1.4 zoom gear for the Tokina 10-17 with 1.4x Kenko extender will fit well with no modification.

For flotation, people may be interested to check James' custom DiY flotation:

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/james-wisemans-buoyancy-collar-review/

 

 

Buddy,

 

How did your Nikkor 70-180 micro work out with your D4 in Lembeh?? At what f stop did diffraction get messy?

 

Elmer

It worked just fine, even with the 5T. And changing from AF to manual focus with Subal's FP70180 ist just amazing. I tested the lens at home and figured out that the strongest sharpness is somewhere at f11 - f16. At f22 the sharpness starts to degrade slightly. I did not shoot smaller apertures than f16. Mostly f11, depending on subjects. I did not yet have the time an muse yet to develop the pictures (hopefully during christmas and new year....)

cheers

It worked just fine, even with the 5T. And changing from AF to manual focus with Subal's FP70180 ist just amazing. I tested the lens at home and figured out that the strongest sharpness is somewhere at f11 - f16. At f22 the sharpness starts to degrade slightly. I did not shoot smaller apertures than f16. Mostly f11, depending on subjects. I did not yet have the time an muse yet to develop the pictures (hopefully during christmas and new year....)

cheers

Glad to hear that the lens and port worked out for you. I was thinking that f 8 - f11 would be the sweet spot for minimal diffraction with the D800.

My zoom gear has been shaved down and my FP70180 port has been rebuilt at Reef Photo and should arrive back later this week. Looking forward to seeing some of your pics.

Just wondering if anyone knows the best Nauticam port configuration for the Micro-Nikkor 70-180mm? It's a beast of a lens to take underwater, and I had it happily housed with my old Anthis Nexus (M5 port Ø), but unsure of best combo for Nauticam. The 60mm macro port with extensions seems to vignette too much at all focal lengths, so perhaps the compact port?

If Nauticam makes a port adaptor you could use your Nexus port but you would need to see if the zoom gears match up.

Thanks; after a bit of consideration I've decided this is probably the best solution, as the Anthis M5 port combo for this lens is narrower also, making it less bulky underwater. The downsides are the lack of locking port & lack of threaded port to add extras, but perhaps that's the price for holding onto this old lens.

Another option to think about is to use a Nauticam 105 VR port with extension. Look at Subal's port configurations for the D800 for example.

Already been down this route thanks, but to no avail. The front port diameter is too narrow for this lens, giving significant vignetting for anything < ~90mm.

Just wondering if anyone knows the best Nauticam port configuration for the Micro-Nikkor 70-180mm? It's a beast of a lens to take underwater, and I had it happily housed with my old Anthis Nexus (M5 port Ø), but unsure of best combo for Nauticam. The 60mm macro port with extensions seems to vignette too much at all focal lengths, so perhaps the compact port?

I use the Nexus port on Nauticam. The adapter doesn't change Nexus lens spacing, but the drive gear is different so it requires a custom gear for zoom. The AF-MF selector gear and focus gear are the Nexus originals.

My lens was stolen, though Anybody sees a 70-180 on eBay with the tripod collar removed and a very nice aluminum ring in its place let me know!

Ah, great to hear from someone else who has actually used this setup! I already have the zoom gear solved, and I'm running with auto-focus to simplify matters, as I don't have the manual focus Nexus port. Sorry to hear it was stolen; a fabulous lens that hasn't been equalled since, and difficult to source; good luck finding it again. If you find one for sale it's easy enough (and worth it) to get the tripod collar removed by a service tech.

Stan