charlie_garcia Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 First off let me tell you guys what ill be using this camera for. The camera will be used in a water housing to shoot surfing. my setup will be pretty simple. i made a custom housing out of 8 inch PVC and some Lexan plexiglass. ill be using a fisheye (zenitar) at F8 with the focus set to infinity. i need a fast shooting manual focus camera, the cheaper the better. i just purchased an F5 and im on an extremely tight budget hence the zenitar fisheye. i really dont know much about the specifications of any of the manual focus nikkors but i need something that shoots faster than 3 frames per second. F3 maybe? any info would be greatly appreciated. thanks a million Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_cochran Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 I believe the absolute fastest would be the <a href="http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/htmls/models/htmls/f3h.htm"> 13.5 fps F3H</a>. Those are fairly rare and exotic, though. You'd get less than three seconds worth of shooting before reloading, anyway. <p> A garden variety F3 with MD-4 will do somewhere around 4 to 6 fps, depending on the batteries, shutter speed, and mirror lockup. <p> For this application, the F3's action finder might be a very nice thing to have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly_flanigan1 Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 Many of the older Nikons shoot faster; when the mirror is locked up. There was a Hulcher camera that used Nikon F lenses; than would eat a roll of 36 exposures in about 2 seconds or less. Using a fisheye and a waterproof housing sounds like a challenge. The glass in front of the fisheye; and the fisheye might be a challenge; good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aardvarko Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 <a href='http://www.hulchercamera.com/page13.htm'>aforementioned Hulcher</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim schwaiger Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 Why focus a fisheye at infinity for surfing shots? Why not focus near the subject distance? Focusing at infinity will limit your subject sharpness. I would either focus at a few feet or at hyperfocal distance. Suppose your subjects are likely to be 5 to 20 feet away, just choose about 10 feet as your focus point and shoot away. At hyperfocal, you will have maximum DOF and will likely have sharper subjects than if you focus at infinity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd peach seattle, washi Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 Of the common / inexpensive ones, I'd go F3/MD-4. With alkalines, you'll only do about 3.5 fps, but with the MN-2 NiCad you'll push it out to 5.5, 6 with MLU. Add the MH-2 charger for the MN-2, and you can have it all for under $400 (www.keh.com, 'bargain' grade). Add a DA-2 action finder for $94 if you've engineered your housing for viewing, and you have a hot setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 Since you already have an F5, is it possible just to use the F5 with AF switched off? With a fisheye, you probably don't need to focus much, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd peach seattle, washi Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 Shun, if it were me, I'd be looking for the most cost-efficient way to 'get it done' according to the performance parameters I thought were needed. I'm not a diver, but 'flooding happens'. So of course my idea of cost-efficient means putting the least-cost stuff at risk. $400 for an F3/MD-4 ain't exactly 'chump change', but it beats the replacement cost of an F5. Extending that thought a little further, $200 for an FE/MD-12 that shoots at roughly 3.5 fps is another pricepoint to consider, especially if Charlie didn't design in a 'viewfinder' for his rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_garcia Posted October 29, 2003 Author Share Posted October 29, 2003 yea Todd i definitely didnt design in a viewfinder its merely a simple fisheye setup and i am looking into just getting it done. this is the only thing ill use this camera for. you're also right about me not taking my F5 in the surf. if i was gonna do something idiotic like that i would never have asked the question. my f5 will stay on the beach...for now. thanks for all the replies guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim mucklin Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 Charlie, run a search, I remember reading this past winter somewhere (maybe on this site) of some guy that had these incredible shots from inside the wave. Sorry I can't remember where, maybe post the question in the unified. Oh yeah, I agree with Todd, my F3 with the MD-4 will burn up some film. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_chananie Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 If memory serves, the F2 with motor drive shoots at 5 frames per second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd peach seattle, washi Posted October 29, 2003 Share Posted October 29, 2003 Jim, there was a Photo Of Week from inside the tube sometime this year. It was cross-processed if I recall correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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