Tobi-Wan 1 Posted November 4, 2020 Hi all, I'm looking for the René Aumann 18mm f/ 2.8 lens for the Nikonos RS. Please let me know if you have one you'd like to sell. Thanks, Tobias. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tobi-Wan 1 Posted November 11, 2020 I guess this is a rare beast, does anyone even own one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex_Mustard 0 Posted November 11, 2020 I only owned the Aumann teleconverter. My understanding is that this is not water corrected - basically just a lens and dome in Nikonos RS mount. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tobi-Wan 1 Posted November 11, 2020 Hi Alex yes that is what I've read as well. Hoping someone has one laying around without use. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom_Kline 141 Posted November 11, 2020 9 hours ago, Alex_Mustard said: I only owned the Aumann teleconverter. My understanding is that this is not water corrected - basically just a lens and dome in Nikonos RS mount. I concur with Alex's statement. I bought the RS18 when it came out as a pre-order (only option as only a few were going to get made) and was disappointed when it arrived as it was much larger than the prototype picture that was sent to me. The front element looked like a simple 8" (20cm) dome port. As this was the only way to get a 100 degree non-fisheye image on an RS it made sense to keep. I recall the cost as being over 3 grand in 1990s money so figuring inflation was about the same cost as the WACP-2 is today. After moving to digital I bought the Nikkor 18mm AF-D lens and made careful eyeball comparisons of the two lenses then sold the RS18 (as part of a gear dump along with two RS bodies, the 20-35 and 13). To me the front and back of the RS18 lens (ignoring the dome) looked identical to that of the 18 AF-D. IMHO it only makes sense to own the RS18 for shooting on an RS camera. There are better and less expensive solutions for other applications. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tobi-Wan 1 Posted November 12, 2020 I hear you Tom, that's a lot of money for what it was. Did you get any good photo's with it when you had it? I'm hoping to find one at a reasonable price these days particularly because they have become more or less obsolete. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TimG 62 Posted November 12, 2020 I suspect you might be optimistic on the "reasonable price". Sounds like, even if they are of dubious value/quality, they have become a collector's item! The RS seems to be a bit of a cult thing with some u/w photographers. I can see why: very cool things. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tom_Kline 141 Posted November 12, 2020 13 hours ago, Tobi-Wan said: I hear you Tom, that's a lot of money for what it was. Did you get any good photo's with it when you had it? I'm hoping to find one at a reasonable price these days particularly because they have become more or less obsolete. I got some satisfactory shots with it. Keep in mind I was using film so no pixel peeping like with digital today. It did not get used as much as I would have liked due its large size - I recall doing just one plane trip with it. You might get lucky and find one for not much money but keep in mind that only few were made. A really good price would be a rare find. I do recall that it took a while to offload mine so they may not sell all that well. For the money the Nauticam EMWL is a better idea and there is a 100 degree objective for it so you have the same angle of view as the 18. At this time the amount of distortion is unknown... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tobi-Wan 1 Posted December 18, 2020 Still looking for this rare beast! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phil Rudin 454 Posted December 18, 2020 I owned the Aumann 2X tele converter and the 18mm for a number of years. I moved from a 35mm film system with manual focus and a Nikon 20mm lens with acrylic port to the RS system which I used for over 15 years. The 18mm lens was in fact the guts of a Nikon 18mm with the RS mount encased for U/W use with an optical glass eight inch port. Comparing image quality at that time was subjective, compared to my old manual system the auto focus 18mm was excellent, by todays standards not so much. I have attached a few images from low res scans. The biggest up side to the Nikonos RS system V. todays digital systems is that after 12-15 years of use depending on which individual item of equipment when I sold the complete system I got back more than $0.80 on the $1.00. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tobi-Wan 1 Posted December 18, 2020 Thanks for posting the pictures Phil! I'm wondering how many were made in the first place and if there is a single one for sale somewhere... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PeteAtkinson 53 Posted December 20, 2020 Hi Tobi-Wan, I owned the Aumann 18mm for a while which I purchased from Doug Perrine. I sold it many years ago to someone in Germany or Holland, I can't recall. A guy called Dave was looking for one then; maybe he has one he wants to sell? daveblackham@me.com You might get at least as good results with an 18 behind a good dome using the Sea & Sea internal correction lens, a combination Doug Perrine likes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
