1. Any camera taken aboard a small boat must be considered expendable. 

2. Get a small waterproof box for the camera to live in on deck. I've 

3. For cameras used in a marine environment, plastic is better than 

4. While professionals use slide film for marketing and technical 

5. Finally, for great pictures with the least trouble, buy a Nikonos 

In a message dated 2/4/04 12:07:14 AM, Mark asks: << What about the ability of the camera to withstand a moist environment? >> I wrote this a few years ago for our local boating newspaper. I think it is still applicable today. 1. Any camera taken aboard a small boat must be considered expendable. Apart from the ever present danger of dropping it overboard is the mechanical and electrical deterioration caused by the corrosive effects of dampness and salt. Select a camera you would not be heartbroken to lose. If your photographic standards permit, the Kodak Fun Saver or Fuji Quick Snap disposable cameras are ideal. Professional photographers can deduct camera repair costs and loss from their tax returns. The rest of us are not so lucky. 2. Get a small waterproof box for the camera to live in on deck. I've used a surplus ammo box, a Tupperware freezer container, and a cheap plastic camera transport case. All protect the camera from salt spray and can be opened quickly. Don't forget to fasten the box securely or it can go overboard along with the camera. 3. For cameras used in a marine environment, plastic is better than metal, mechanical is better than electric, simple is better than complex. Forego autofocus, auto film transport, and, if you can, auto exposure. Equip the camera with a neck strap or wrist lanyard and use it. 4. While professionals use slide film for marketing and technical reasons, most of us prefer prints. The worldwide photo establishment is set up to deal with print film. Both film and processing can be found in any port frequented by yachtsmen. Current print film possesses superb quality. It also has considerably greater tolerance for exposure error than does slide film, a necessity for most point-and-shoot cameras. Use 36 exposure film. The longer the roll, the less it costs per exposure and the fewer times you have to open the camera. 5. Finally, for great pictures with the least trouble, buy a Nikonos camera. The older manual models are almost indestructible, work to depths of160 feet, and have a first quality lens. Plenty are available on the used market at less than $200. Try your local dive store. One camera on deck is worth ten in a footlocker. Incidentally, although I have several fine film and digital cameras of top professional quality, my favorite marine camera is a 20 year old Nikonos II, bought used for $180. It has proven indestructible in all wet endeavors from diving in the Virgins to rafting down the Grand Canyon. And at the end of the day, I can crack walnuts or drive nails with the camera body. Nikonos users will know what I mean. Larry Z

>>>> Incidentally, although I have several fine film and digital cameras of top professional quality, my favorite marine camera is a 20 year old Nikonos II, bought used for $180. It has proven indestructible in all wet endeavors from diving in the Virgins to rafting down the Grand Canyon. And at the end of the day, I can crack walnuts or drive nails with the camera body. Nikonos users will know what I mean.. <<<< The Nikonos II is great (it's what I use), but if you're going to go looking for one of the old manual Nikonos cameras, try to find a Nikonos III. It was the last of the manual models and had all the bugs worked out. For example it has the film frame counter window on the top plate instead of the base, so you don't have to worry about it when you're pounding on those walnuts... Best regards, Robert Bryett, Sydney, Australia. mailto:rbryett@mail.com

on 2/5/04 7:17, Robert Bryett at rbryett@mail.com wrote: >... my favorite marine camera is a 20 year old Nikonos > II, bought used for $180. > > The Nikonos II is great (it's what I use), but ... try to find a Nikonos III. It was > the last of the manual models and had all the bugs worked out. My two cents: The Nikonos IV, IV-A and V, might be better for general, non professional users. The II and III (which are really Jacques Cousteau's Calypso camera, rights to which were acquired by Nikon), have no meter and a durable but fiddly loading system, where you have to take the lens off and disassemble the body to get film in and out. It's a two-handed, table based operation hard to do on a rocking boat. Plus, the finders get cloudy. The IV-A, reviled by divers because it can leak at depths greater than 50 ft., has a conventional swing-open back and aperture priority automation, with an LED indicator in the luxuriously large finder (designed to be visible even with a dive mask on). The V is the best of the lot, sealing problems solved, full metered manual available, and better design/ergonomics. DO NOT get the Nikonos RS underwater reflex. Everything breaks on it. It's a dog, Nikon themselves gave up and stopped making it, plus it's unconscionably expensive not only to buy but to maintain, and the lenses are rarer than hen's teeth. Rafael M/Y Isla Manila, Philippines

on 2/4/04 11:02 AM, LRZeitlin@aol.com at LRZeitlin@aol.com wrote: > While professionals use slide film for marketing and technical > reasons, most of us prefer prints. I have become a big fan of the automated slide show on the laptop. iPhoto for Mac does this in a particularly slick way with music. Impresses everyone...I print very few photos anymore. Bob ___________________ R C Smith Jr M/V MARY KATHRYN Hatteras 58 LRC Marathon, The Florida Keys