Ikelite D70 Housing with Nikkor 12 - 24 lens - Zoom Question

Any comments on how easy/practical to zoom the Nikkor 12 - 24 lens in an Ikelite D70 housing.

Per Ikelite's site I see that a #5509.12 special internal port sleeve with rubber pads is required. But I don't understand what this part is or how it works to zoom the lens.

Easy as a 5050 to zoom? Practical to zoom from shot to shot? Anyway to tell how zoomed the lens is e.g. position or feel of zoom control or can I only tell through the eyepiece viewer?

Hi Peter-

I have the d70 in ike housing with the kit lens.. zoom function works fine from 18 to 70 mm. I added a lever to the zoom knob for my finger to reach. otherwise you need two fingers to rotate the knob. Tom at Ikelite sent the screw and plastic cover. I tapped knob with drill bit and installed myself. I'll be posting pictures in about two weeks when I get back from mexico hopefully with some decent photographs.

There is plastic sleeve with springs that fits around the barrel of the lens. Another plastic sleeve with gears fits over this and makes the connection with the zoom knob on the housing.

M.

It's easier than zooming an Olympus. :-)

You just turn the knob on the housing.

Cheers

James

Thanks guys. I'm running out of reasons not get a D70.

Well...what reasons are left? Is it just the $$$?

Cheers

James

James, re "Well...what reasons are left? Is it just the $$$? "

Actually, my final dilemma is that I have to give up TTL on my 5050 to get really great RAW performance on the D70. But in so doing, I will have to use a part of the exposure compensation benefit of RAW to compensate for the manually exposed pictures. It feels like one step forward and one step backward.

To see if I can stand the pain of going back to manual power, I have been shooting only RAW with manual power on my DS 125s for the last three days. So far the results are quite good i.e. I can save the occasional burned sand foreground etc. and end up with the same number or more of keepers.

Actually, I'm falling in love with RAW and it's going to be hard to give up --- there is a subtle quality difference when I process in RAW that I can't duplicate if I start with JPG.

Oh if only someone named Ikelite would make an iTTl housing for the D70.

Peter........just do it! You'll never look back 8)

Karl

Peter, is there any reason you have not considered the S2?

The TTL is fabulous! And as it is true TTL, with no pre-flash, your strobe output ends up being a bit higher as well.

James did a good job of proving out the quality of the images...

my $.02

All right, we've got another S2 convert among us! I think the current new price for the S2 without lens is ~$1600. That's $300 more than the D70 which comes WITH a good walkabout lens.

Hence it's a tough decision for some to spend the extra money on an "old" camera...even if it is better...

Cheers

James

Re "Is there any reason you have not considered the S2? "

Yes. I want to have the camera that 5050 users and other new high-end prosumer users will be moving to and be able to help them as they progress.

Not a leader. Not a follower. Just in the middle of the pack. Here to help if help is needed.