Vintage Scuba: Nikonos Amphibious Cameras - S03E11 

Shooting film underwater was very demanding, You had 24 chances to get it right! A

Glad you enjoyed it. A great camera back in the day and still used by my vintage diver friends. A

Wonderful, thanks for sharing and knowing how to clean a camera, very impressive. A

Glad it was helpful! A

Glad it was helpful! A

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for watching Bull. There's more coming. Alec

They were rugged, affordable and took good pics. All anyone wanted back in the day. A.

Your welcome and hope the pictures come out better than mine used to. A

Thats why I love doing these, to educate and entertain divers on our important past. A

Great! For a while it was hard to find film but I see that's there's been a resurgence in film photography. Using the Nikonos requires you to be a good photographer - better than those using a digital camera. Patience and lots of practice is the answer. My good friend Jim, an internationally acclaimed underwater photographer and videographer, and I would shoot 200 pictures in a weekend. Then we'd edit ruthlessly and end up with 20 that we liked and 5 that we'd show. Everybody thought we were great photographers. They didn't see the 195 pictures that we threw out! And I suggest that you do throw them out. You'll never look at them again so why store them. It's hard but you'll appreciate this advice in a couple of years. Good luck. Alec

Have fun! A

I second this, doesn't need to be a super long video. Some steps to increase longevity. Love the content

I read film cameras are coming back big time, just like vinyl records. One good film picture from 36 is better than taking 300 digital and not liking any. Patience, light and focus is key. A

Hi John. Just based on my own experiences. Latter models were better and better. Thanks for watching.

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter Thank you, sir.

Not sure about involved in the design but his is pictured using it in ads. A.

+ Nathan Parry -- I saw a Nikonos V at a pawn shop last week for US$80. If it's still there today I may pick it up. I haven't shot film since I got a Canon 20D digital SLR in 2006 (followed by a 7D and a 6D that I still have), but I guess there are still places to buy film and get it processed and printed. ;-)

There are indeed. Film has seen a big resurgence in recent years, so much so Kodak has been re-introducing films they discontinued. $80 is a steal for a Nikonos. They're going for a lot more on ebay. Grab it!

Nikonos cameras, being film cameras, are available pretty cheaply. I have several sets that I'll be selling soon. Watch my eBay - seahunter. Alec

See, i was right! Same here with my farm family.

It will be fun shooting B&W and to be able to develop your own film, nice! Let me know how your vintage photography works out for you Pedro. Alec

Years ago, in the 90's I think, I did a lot of U/W video using Sony 8mm cameras in Amphibico housings. A lot of the work was for the government through an engineering firm. Whenever a corporation wants to build on the Great Lakes they have to have video to show that the project won't be detrimental to the underwater environment. One project was the deep water dock at St. Mary's Cement in Lake Ontario. That dock was eventually built. Another was for a similar dock for the Belanger Lumber Company on the north end of Manitoulin Island in Georgian Bay. Most of these projects were close to shore-based installations so the water was shallow (

A simple check before a dive trip is to submerge it in clear fresh water like a bath tub or deep pail. Shake off the outside bubbles and look for small bubble from the seams/joints. Remove, dry completely then open and check inside for moisture. While not a perfect test it does give you confidence before a dive. Also when diving, go down 10', stop, shake off the outside bubbles and look for any air bubbles from the seams. If ok, go diving. Hope this helps Carlos.

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter Thank you so much! Looking forward to test out the nikonos :)

Thanks Sergio. I'm working on a way to show some of my old underwater photos. It's not really video material. We'll see. Alec

That will be great

Did not know that, thanks for the info Steve.

I think you can get a good used Nikonos III pretty cheaply. If you've any experience with film photography, it's probably the best. It's more rugged, less likely to fail and gives the same results as the IV (maybe better). The IV used the newer O-Ring and door which was not as solid or leakproof. It's only feature was the little light inside that told you there wasn't enough light. Go III. I will be selling all of my Nikonos stuff soon. I have several complete sets - camera, lens and strobes. The price will be very low. Let me know if you're serious. Good luck. Alec

Alec Peirce Scuba It would be an honor to be able to take care of one of your cameras, very interested, keep me posted!

Thanks Mina. I'll be selling all of these and a lot more on my eBay site - seahunter. If you're interested, let me know or just keep an eye on that site. I use 10 day listings so once a week is enough to be sure you don't miss anything. Alec

Alec Peirce at the Ranch Wry interesting I recently found an niconious III WAS wondering how to open it and i found your video great information

Wow! Didn't know that. I'll have to watch for it. I just saw Thunderball offered on TV the other night but didn't watch. Thanks Patrick. Alec

I've had great luck with the waterproof Olympus cameras. The TG5 is good to 50'. You can get an underwater housing for it too if you feel better or go deeper than that. It's WiFi capable (you can send you pictures to your phone or computer), takes great video and handles RAW images. And, it's about $500. Good luck. Alec

It should be clear on land and under water. Suggest taking it back to where you bought it to see if a lens inside has been knocked loose. A

OK. All good questions. The argument about which produces the best images, film or digital, will go on for a few years (decades?) yet. I think the biggest results advantage goes to digital since you can edit, enhance, modify or whatever you want to call it, digital images. I have seen some digital images that were almost unrecognizable from the original image. Also the advantage of being able to shoot unlimited images goes to digital. Film is more involved and that's some of its appeal. 20 or 36 images per roll only, waiting for results and very limited ability to modify the image are the disadvantages. If you can live with that, AND save money, I guess film is for you. In that event, the best Nikonos camera made was the III. Next choice is the V. The difference between them is slight although the V is much easier to load. It's like a normal 35mm camera with a flip open back. Don't be fooled by the 'Automatic' in the V. It's really just a little light meter that tells you if there is enough light with a blinking red light in the viewfinder. There's nothing automatic about these cameras. The results depend entirely on the skill of the photographer. Nikonos III sells for between $200 and $300USD. The V is cheaper at about $150 to $200. You will also need some lenses. The camera is usually fitted with the 35mm. A 28mm is almost a must for underwater and a 14mm or 15mm is the best. And lights. You can use modern LED lights or a strobe that fires with the camera. The digital is easy and will give good results. The film is a lot more work but a lot more fun and, with practice, you'll get great images. BGTW, I have several Nikonos cameras, lenses, lights and a lot of accessories available. I'm happy to sell them. They are perfect so before you buy, get back to me at seahunter@vintagescuba.com . Have fun. Alec

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter Thank you so much for your in-depth reply! I'll go for an older digital setup for now; that's probably a good starting point. However, I'll keep monitoring the available Nikonos ones, and if a deal presents itself... I'm afraid that with my intention to be a cheapskate combined with import taxes to the EU I'd not be able to give you the price they'd be worth.. Have you heard about www.nikonosproject.com/ by the way? They lend Nikonos cameras to people to give them a try, but they have a huge waiting list. Quite a cool project IMO.

Funny, since the Nikonos II didn't have a good reputation but the III was wildly popular. I never used a II when they were new. I still had a Nikonos and then went to a Nikonos III. Do you know what problems made the II less popular? Alec

The old timer told me that the spacing of the negative was inconsistent so you should tell the developer not to cut it up. Aside from that I think the 2 was a good compact size. I carried it everywhere. Twice to Europe. I like the durability of the mechanical parts. It's more of a photographers camera. Once i too a picture against the sun of the airplane wing. I closed down the shutter and gave it a 30th or a 60th shutter speed. The wing looked molten. Very surealistic.

My camera has CALYPSO/NIKKOR written under the lens and a number ll front left. I bought it in 1970 and used it ever since and still occasionally use it even now with black and white! Primitive now but It's never let me down.

I sold all my nikonos cameras and accessories last year so let me go by memory. If you bought a 80mm lens, there should be a rangefinder that comes with it or the owners manual tells you how to frame it. If that does not work, take the camera into a pool and using a tape measure and a subject shoot according to the lens manual and note the minimum distance and offsets. Shooting a little wider gives your space to adjust in post editing. Hope this gives you some ideas and nice to hear someone still shooting with this great camera.

The Nikonos was pretty special. I used every model from the original Calypso to the SLR. I loved the Nikonos III. However, there's no question that digital photography is by far the best way to go today. As to brands, having used them all, I prefer Canon.

The history of the Nikonos cameras is very interesting. They are similar looking but only one goes down to 130' without a pop.

@@AlecPeirceScuba_SeaHunter Indeed, I actually have the opportunity to get a IV-A with the 35 and 80mm lens, with the NIKONOS bags some other accessories and a Toshiba flash all in near mint condition for about 2199SKR which equates to about 323,22 Canadian Dollar… Worth it? Oh, and by the way… Became a PADI Adventure Diver back in 05, but education and work got in the way of exploring it much further. Really enjoy the videos!

The RS was a nice camera; used one for a weekend of shooting; expensive compared to other systems. Auto doesn't always work well in the underwater environment. Manual is often much better if you know what you're doing. I have an orange V. My first V was green and I liked it. I've not seen many green ones since. Maybe I should have kept it! Alec