Caterpillars

“The caterpillar does all the work, 

but the butterfly gets all the publicity.” 

George Carlin

UW-Nikkor 2.8/20 mm

Another instalment in our series of vintage film cameras and lenses. These images and the ones in the post below were shot on the Sunshine Coast of Australia using a Nikonos V  35mm film camera from the mid-1980's.

The lens is the UW-Nikkor 2.8/20 mm introduced in July 1985. It should be used with the DF-12 viewfinder (the thing on top of the camera). Otherwise framing a shot is a bit "hit and miss". I usually use a diving mask as well. It goes without saying that being able to swim confidently in the ocean is mandatory for these kinds of shots. 

On both sides of the lens are knobs to allow adjustments for aperture and distance. Everything is manual, including film wind on. This camera does have an accurate light meter, though.

The 20mm Nikkor_UW is still an amazing collection of glass designed to work underwater only. I have read on the internet there are hacks to make it work on land -  like set it to F22 and Infinity or F22 and the closest focusing but neither have worked. So I use this lens only underwater. Here's what it looks like on land at F22.