Nikonos 13mm Appreciation Thread

Figured this might be fun to start. To show off photos taken with the lens and just general all around discussions/thoughts on it.

So far i've only used mine with great whites but i absolutely loved it. There are certain challenges but to me the images it produces just have a 'look' that modern lenses don't have.

Matt

Probably not going to get much love on this topic as it's such a rare bird... But I will throw in my two cents.

I have a Nikonos R-UW 13mm converted by Seacam as well as the R-UW Zoom 20-35mm. Both are beautifully executed pieces of gear.

I have used the 13mm without any problems in a Nauticam housing with a Seacam port adapter. Small, compact with stunning image quality at pretty much all apertures. Razor sharp corners.

The 20-35mm is more problematic in a Nauticam set up due to the integrated proprietary zoom gear. Image quality is superb (in the pool) for a rectilinear zoom, and this is much harder to replicate with a terrestrial lens and dome. Razor sharp corners at f5.6 aperture and above.
Some have commented this is not a really useable focal length, but I believe it should be ideal for fish portraits and small to medium size subjects. I am really excited to use this lens.

I love these lenses so much I sold my Nauticam system and purchased a Seacam for my D800. The zoom function works perfectly in this housing.

I really believe these water corrected optics are the way to go, but sadly the used market on these lenses is not kind, with asking prices of $4000 plus for a twenty-five year old lens that doesn't work out of the box. I agree with your comments about the "look" of these lenses. It is hard to describe, but more akin to a "film" look but with digital sharpness.

Haralds conversion at Seacam is brilliant, but quite expensive too. I would die if I flooded one of these beauties:(

My other soapbox is the 15mm Nikonos with the Sony A series with a Nauticam adapter. Same Idea, brilliant image quality on a rectilinear set up.

Stephen Frink's excellent 1990's book "Wonders of the Reef" is an excellent resource, as most of the images were taken with these three lenses. Apart from the 90's neon wetsuits, it still rings true today.

I am off to the Solomons in November and am planning on taking the Nikonos trio as my wide option only. Really all I give up are under/overs.

Sort of a "Digital Nikonos" trip

I will let you know how that goes.

ian

sweet man! i've seen a few 20-35 floating around but heard the same thing in terms of it not being a useful focal length since its more like a 28-40 something? So I've not pulled the trigger.

But the 13mm...i love it. it was ridiculously expensive to buy/convert and I went broke, but now that im finished paying for it it was absolutely worth it!

I very much look forward to seeing your results from the solomons. I have some (hopefully) good stuff coming up including a return to guadalupe, and the 13mm probably won't leave my housing for any of it haha i preferred shooting wide angle before this lens and now i haven't been able to bring myself to put on a macro lens. unless i get the nikonos 50mm

I appreciate the response, i'm glad somebody answered haha

I have this lens and I also have a 20-35mm (left over from my RS days that I have not had converted).

The 13mm has been my standard wide angle lens for a few years and I am very happy wth it. It is the best fisheye, but I do think that those of us who have spent lots of money converting them, tend to overstate by how much. In all honesty, I struggle to see much of a difference with other fisheyes (Sigma 15mm or Nikon 8-15mm) with a 230 dome, once you are shut down more than (a true) f/13. If I was ordered to go back to shooting a dome, I don't think I'd make that much fuss with most subjects (there are exceptions).

If you want to see some samples - visit my website and type - 13.0 - into the Image Search box at the top of my home page. There are 350 images taken with the lens on digital on there. http://www.amustard.com

I have also used it (occasionally) with DX Nikons, even shooting a GWS at f/5.6 with excellent image quality:

http://www.amustard.com/library/twentyone/MEX15_am-12024.jpg

I am curious to see images taken with the 20-35mm on digital. It is so long since I used it - I have forgotten the types of images it suits - here is a frogfish taken with the 20-35mm (on film) in the Red Sea:

http://www.amustard.com/library/twentysix/RS02_am-104.jpg

Alex

Alex

Your points are well taken There is a certain sense of self-congratulation by owners of this lens... once you spend the money required to purchase and convert this lens, you had BETTER be happy:)

I think for me part of the attraction is the form factor. I don't own a Superdome, but I find the 13mm very easy to handle, both from size and bouyancy considerations. It doesn't take up much room in the camera backpack either.

I've never been in a shark cage, like Matt, but I believe it would be easier to handle this optic in close quarters over a large dome set-up. Especially the retreat:)

I have only really used my 20-35mm in the pool. It is very sharp indeed. Now, that's not so easy with rectilinears. I did take it to Bonaire last Feb but at that time I was using it in a Nauticam. I had a gear adapter made by a local machinist. Due to the very forward position of the Seacam gear relative to the Nauticam pinion, while it would zoom on land, once the housing compressed, the gear adapter would bind and became inoperable....

So, I replaced the Nauticam with a Seacam D800. The zoom works perfectly in the pool.

I will see how it performs in the Solomons in Nov and report back:)

Ian

As a side note having been one of the many who used the Nikonos RS for years a lens that is even harder to find is the Rene Aumann 18mm rectilinear lens. He also made a 2 X tele converter for the Nikonos RS 50mm macro which I used extensively. This one is for sale in the US at KEH Camera reduced to $698.00.

I remember that one Phil,

I still have my 2x TC. The shape of it means that it won't work with my RS lens adaptor, so I can't use it now. I (and others) used to use it with the 13mm on the RS for WAM shooting (as well as on the 50mm).

I never had the 18mm - nor tried it. However, my understanding is that it is just a land lens and dome (converted to work with the RS) and not a water contact lens, like the 13mm, 20-35mm or 28mm. And therefore is not of interest to use today - as it is probably considerably worse that the 16-35mm and 230 dome combo. Although this is just my suspicion.

Alex