Nikonos 35mm vs. 28 mm Lens

[Ken Bloom]

If I decide to buy a Nikonos system, what are the pros and cons of choosing
between the 35 mm lens and the 28 mm lens?

[Pmcduffee]

From: "Ken Bloom" <kbl...@tiac.net>

>If I decide to buy a Nikonos system, what are the pros and cons of choosing
>between the 35 mm lens and the 28 mm lens?
>
>

The 35 can be used above water making it available for land based pix as well.
The 28 cannot be used out of water.

The optics of the 28mm are better than to 35mm and will generaly give you
better pix with less distortion in several catagories.

The difference in angle coverage isn't really much of an issue here if you're
just starting out.

Actually, for me that is, about all I use is my 20mm, don't have the $$$ for
the 15mm yet, though I really wish I did, some day.

I use my 28mm mostly for macro, though I'm really starting to consider a housed
system for macro, w/either a 100mm or 200mm macro lens.

But that's many $$$ away yet.

What ever you decide upon you will enjoy u/w photo. It slows you down, and you
really start to *see* what you really went diving for in the 1st place, imo.

Pat

[Micetro]

In article <01bdb361$2ec05c40$8d55...@kbloom.tiac.net>, "Ken Bloom"
<kbl...@tiac.net> wrote:

> If I decide to buy a Nikonos system, what are the pros and cons of choosing
> between the 35 mm lens and the 28 mm lens?

I'd strongly recommend the 28mm over the 35. It's a water-contact optic,
so it's much sharper and will allow you to get closer to subjects u/w (this
is crucial, as you'll find out). The 35mm can be used above water too, but
who cares? For the price of the 35mm you could buy a point-n-shoot camera
for land. There are extension tubes made specifically for the 28mm when
you want to do macro. Good luck...

ASD

[Stephen J Brannon]

The 35 mm is a anphibious lenes you can use it in and out of water so the
camera does not have to sit in its bag until the next dive trip.
The 28mm is opticaly correct under water so the images are better especaily at
the eges, can YOU see a difference .
The close up lense fits both, but I find the 35mm easer to use with both the
closeup lense and macro tubes.
The 28mm is not realy wide enough to be a real wide angle lense you need a 20mm
or better yet a 15mm.
I have 2 second hand bodies which came with a 35mm and a 28mm resectivly so I
did not have to make this hard descion.
Try reading some books.
Mail me direct for a list.

[Stephen J Brannon]

The 35 mm is a amphibious lens you can use it in and out of water so the camera

does not have to sit in its bag until the next dive trip.

The 28 mm is optically correct under water so the images are better especially
at the edges, can YOU see a difference .
The close up lens fits both, but I find the 35 mm easier to use with both the
close-up lens and macro tubes.
The 28 mm is not really wide enough to be a real wide angle lens you need a 20
mm or better yet a 15 mm.
I have 2 second hand bodies which came with a 35 mm and a 28 mm respectively so
I did not have to make this hard decision.

[chris]

Although the 35 is a nice lens, and amphibious, I find it a bit long under
most circumstances. I like it though for very close, almost macro work.

If it were me, I'd get the 28. Exceptional lens, and a real workhorse, under
the surface, at least. Does practically everything.

--
If Emailing take out the .nospam

[Bruno PIETON]

Any information for diving places and renting equipment on this
island would be very much appreciated.
I'm leaving beginning of August for a month or so.

[SCove1045]

Graeme Teague - photo journalist/Stuart Coves. You've already made the right
leap by bypassing all the plastic happy snappys, and trash cameras. The key to
u/w photography is 'to get close'. So if you're really serious about shooting
go for the 15mm right away. Even though it's expensive you'll end up geting one
anyhow and then be like 1000's of other photographers with drawers full of
worthless 35mm and restrictive 28mm lenses. Pay the extra money, take really
good care of it, and over a 20 year period will reward your work with the
investment. Good hunting!

[Ch...@spamnot.com]

>> The key to
u/w photography is 'to get close'. So if you're really serious about
shooting
go for the 15mm right away. <<

Rank beginner/chris doole. I rented a 22mm while in Yap, and found
^that^ a tad restrictive; too damn short. If you ever want a shot of a
SMALL animal ie damsels, basslets, whatever, they just look like
insects.

Ideally, if you wanted to be able to shoot ^anything^ while down, I
would think you'd want about a 15-30 zoom, but most of the
oppurtunities presented to me seem to be handleable with the 28.
________________________________
If Emailing take out the @nospam

[Micetro]

> Rank beginner/chris doole. I rented a 22mm while in Yap, and found
> ^that^ a tad restrictive; too damn short. If you ever want a shot of a
> SMALL animal ie damsels, basslets, whatever, they just look like
> insects.
>
> Ideally, if you wanted to be able to shoot ^anything^ while down, I
> would think you'd want about a 15-30 zoom, but most of the
> oppurtunities presented to me seem to be handleable with the 28.

There is no perfect lens for all situations. Even zoom lenses in housed
systems are a poor choice (as far as maximum sharpness), since the dome
port can never be perfectly matched. The only real u/w zoom lens is the
20-35 for the Nikonos RS, and that's probably not a good investment these
days.

The lens you put on at the surface, unfortunately, determines what kinds of
things you'll shoot during that dive. If you want shots of small stuff,
get out the extension tubes. If you want reef scenics, big animals, etc.
the "shorter" the lens the better--assuming you can get close enough to the
subject. The Nikonos 28mm is an excellent choice for a beginner, since it
strikes a good compromise between having to get really close and acceptable
sharpness.

ASD