Tags
Amphibian camera, Analogue Photography, Calypso, Film, Nikkor, Nikonos, Nikonos II, Snow, Underwater
…from the Nikonos II instruction manual
Page 2. Forewood
” The Nikonos II amphibious camera is built to go with you wherever your imagination leads you. Underwater, it performs at depths down to 160 feet (50m) without a bulky accessory housing. On land, it takes rain, snow, dust, dirt and salt water in stride. If you can take it, so can the Nikonos. ”
The history is more or less known and easily found online. In the 1950’s the legend of sea exploration Jacques Cousteau collaborated with Jean De Wouters, a Belgian aeronautical engineer. This led to the design and manufacture of The Calypso in France , an amphibious camera. The standard lens on the Calypso for amphibian use was a 35mm SOM Berthiot and the first models had a 1/1000 top shutter speed. Later it was reduced to 1/500.
Nippon Kogaku, Tokyo, bought the manufacturing and distribution rights. The Nikonos line of amphibious cameras started it’s journey in 1963. It consists of the Nikonos (I), Nikonos II, III, IV, V and the Nikonos RS.
The Nikonos I & II are almost identical. III is bigger overall with some alterations and more plastic parts. Those 3 pure mechanical models have basic shutter speeds, tripod socket -which can be removed to mount the contact cable for an underwater flash- film rewind, Bulb mode, film counter, an ingenious advance/shutter release lever… all that’s needed for a manual camera with full control from the user. The film advance lever in one movement advances the film, counter and cocks the shutter, and with the second movement releases the shutter.
The Nikonos IV & V are a complete new design -similar to most cameras- with electronic shutter, more shutter speed choices and TTL light meter, conventional film advance lever and back opening. All Nikonos cameras bear the same bayonet lens mount and are scale focus cameras except the Nikonos RS. The RS is an AF SLR. A different chapter on its own.
Amphibian lenses for the Nikonos (I through V) are the Nikkor/Nikon 35mm & 80mm. All other lenses from Nikkor/Nikon and other companies are only for underwater use. The lenses usually have two knobs, one on each side. One to control the aperture and the other to set the focus distance.
Heavily associated with underwater photography, the Nikonos is exactly what the manual states. An amphibious camera. For you don’t have an awkward underwater case with a camera inside that you would be hard pressed to use on land, you have a 35mm camera with a body designed to withstand difficult weather conditions on and off land in a logical size. Still you have to respect it’s boundaries and not treat it like a throw here and there object.
Sea or lake water will not get in if the camera is closed and the O’ring seals are in good condition, sand will not be a problem unless you rub the front glass of the lens with it and scratch it. If you drop it, it will propably be in better shape than any other camera but it is not meant to be dropped. No camera is.
If you are not certain about the condition of the O’ring seals on your Nikonos it is best to not get it underwater. Rain or snow will propably not harm it -unless the O’ring seals are not even present- but water pressure being full underwater will.
I am not a diver, nor a climber or wander inside thick wet jungles… but these are not reasons not to own a Nikonos camera. They are beautiful in their own unique way, rather simple to operate if you get along with scale focus and with a heritage of being an important chapter in photographic history.
Parts for I & II are scarse but if the body is not abused, with a bit of CLA will work as should. The Nikonos III is considered the best option of the three. Newer, possibly easier to find parts, it’s size makes for better handling, it has a better viewfinder and has sprocket holes for film transport which I & II don’t. It has more plastic parts and this makes it more rust proof in case of water flood but also a bit more fragile.
The basic teardown of the camera -for the user- consists of 3 parts. The lens, the lower body which acts like an outer housing and the upper patrt with the interior body.
To open you have to first slightly pull out the lens for the two safety pins to disengage and turn it about 90 degrees left or right to free it from the bayonet mount. The carrying strap attachments on each side serve also as levers to lift the upper part and take out the insert from the lower body in order to load/unload film.
If you don’t remove the lens first you will not be able to push the inner body upwards. The Nikonos III has a plastic upper part. Though it is quite strong there are Nikonos III’s with a crack on their upper body due to excessive force on the side levers to remove it with the lens still mounted.
The Nikonos II has a plastic handle to rewind the film. A delicate easy to break part. But it’s biggest issue is the design of the viewfinder. According to the late Bob Warkentin (Southern Nikonos Service Center Inc) ‘…nearly all Nikonos II will have a foggy viewfinder. The reason is it was sealed with a silicone adhesive around the front glass. Over time the vapors would out-gas but be trapped inside the sealed chamber. The result is permanent damage to the optical glass…’
My Nikonos II has a foggy viewfinder. Not a deal breaker to take a photograph since you just need it for simple framing, but I would prefer it to be clear. I will not dismantle it to see if the optical glass it’s beyond repair though, because I am rather certain I will not be able to find the parts needed to seal it again.
The lens, a chrome W-Nikkor 35mm F2.5 from the same period has smaller side control knobs from the later black ones. The chrome lenses came with two plastic covers on the knobs to make them larger thus easier to use with gloves. I have those covers off because after all these years their shape is altered and are not tight enough to stay on.
There are 2 basic O’rings to watch out and take care while loading the camera. The one on the lens and the one on the insert. These are the ‘user’ O’rings. There can be not be a single speckle of sand/dust on either one, any particle on the O’ring can ‘break’ the seal and let water in. The O’rings must be lubricated with a small amount of silicone grease and be in good condition, not old and stiff with cracks. Apart these two, there is the one in the flash mount socket, the one in the front glass on the lens, the ones on the side knobs of the lens and the rest are not seen, inside the camera. Those are usually checked by a trained technician.
A nice object to have next to a Nikonos -and use if it’s working- is the Sekonic Marine Meter (L-164). There were underwater cases made for specific light meter models, the Sekonic L-164 is build like the Nikonos, to be used underwater or in harsh weather as is, no extra case needed.
It is a CDS light meter powered by a PX-13 battery which is banned. A hearing aid battery can be used as it is about the same voltage.
My model is the Sekonic Marine Meter II version B (L-164B) distinguished by the cream colour on the back.
Pretty simple to use, the Sekonic Marine Meter II is a discreet, pocketable light meter… 🙂
The Nikkor 35mm lens is a nice lens in b&w as well as colour film.
PanF50
Kodak Colour 200
When days of heavy snow make an appearance, the Nikonos is well suited for play… Exposures could be better but I was without a light meter.
Ilford HP5@800
Kodak Ultra 400
Used a newer black Nikon 35mm lens with the Kodak Ultra 400. It was mounted on an ‘as is’ Nikonos V I bought cheap that turned out to have been completely flooded, stuck and full of sea salt… the black lenses have bigger controls ommiting the need for covers to make handling easier.
There were a few other amphibian cameras made, but none so capable and complete as the professional system with lenses, flashes, macro add ons etc… that the Nikonos line was. I doubt there will be another Nikonos line in the future. Underwater photography is back to evolution of housings for the expensive DSLR and Mirrorles cameras. Weather sealing design in some models tries to be on par with harsch weather conditions and a few compacts are made as a tuff construction to withstand submerging. But you never know.
Nasos Papathanasiou