ikan

I've just found this fascinating post. I do remember that when Nikon announced the end of commercial production of the RS they said it would still continue to be produced to fulfil government and military contracts.

I have always thought it a great shame that those wonderful U/W corrected wideangle/fisheye lenses are not available for digital use. Come on Nikon, let's have a digital RS using today's sensors.

It looks like the living coral tissue died and that resulted in the underlying dead skeleton crumbling. Over several years without the living tissue depositing new skeleton, that amount of dead skeleton could easily erode. What killed the living polyps though? Competition from another organism like the sponge suggested or damage caused by animals/humans are probably both possible.

Richard

Thanks for the reply's

But without having the two different ones next to each other to compare the barrel length I still don't know how to see it on a picture.
Is there a difference in name or serial number or some other characteristic that helps me to the differentiate these lenses?

I believe the original 15mm f/2.8 had serial numbers 15XXXX whereas the later f/2.8N retrofocus model had serial numbers starting at 200001. Apart from the serial number range, there was no difference in the markings on the front dome retaining ring.

The length of the cylindrical section of the lens body that contains the distance and aperture scale window and controls is noticeably different between the two versions. If you view the lens side on with the scale window visible then on the original lens this cylindrical section is not much longer than the depth of the window and the controls are very close to the front section of the lens.


Rear view of original lens with controls close behind rear of dome and showing rear element extended well back from the mount.

In the later lens the cylindrical section of the body is significantly extended with the window being about a third of the length of the cylinder. The cylindrical section is stepped so that it has a smaller diameter nearer the mount. The controls are in this part which puts them well back from the front dome section of the lens (see image in Alex's post).

Later lens showing position of the the controls and window.


Richard

Serge,

If you are going to attempt replcement yourself, why not take a look inside anyway. You may find the bulb is coded with a specification. Just a thought...

Otherwise, I have asked the question of my INON supplier in Japan. If I get the information, so will you

Strobe discharge tubes are pretty specialised. Different models of a suitable power rating will probably work but given that there is a pair it makes it more important to get exactly the right one, so that they fire with the same characteristics.

A lot of people don't get them set up correctly.

That is my view too. It doesn't help that the port configuration given by SUBAL for the 12-24 puts the lens in the wrong position relative to the centre of curvature of the port (too far back).

Richard