Nikonos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nikonos was the name given to a series of 35 mm film cameras specifically designed for underwater photography use. The Nikonos cameras were based on a prototype designed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Jean de Wouters in 1963: their "Calypso-Phot" was subsequently licensed by Nikon, and took on the moniker Nikonos in all subsequent models. The Nikonos system was immensely popular with both amateur and professional underwater photographers. Its compact design, ease of use, and excellent optical quality set the standard for several decades of underwater imaging. Nikon ceased development and manufacture of new Nikonos cameras in 2001, although there is still a large and active used market.

[edit] Viewfinder cameras

The traditional Nikonos line consisted of five primary models:

Nikonos I (1963)
Nikonos II (1968)
Nikonos III (1975)
Nikonos IV-A (1980)
Nikonos V (1984)

Each new generation brought in improvements in ambient light metering, flash circuitry, and shutter design. The various models all had rugged construction, simple controls, and were waterproof to 160ft/50m. The camera is made waterproof by a simple system of silicone o-rings at all the crucial joints. What truly set the Nikonos apart from other cameras were its dedicated underwater lenses; they were designed as "water-contact" optics, and are not usable in air. To this day, no underwater camera system can quite match the Nikonos lenses for sharpness and saturation.

The Nikonos underwater lenses included: (angle of view)

U/W Nikkor 15mm f/2.8 (94 degrees)
U/W Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 (78 degrees)
U/W Nikkor 28mm f/3.5 (59 degrees)

Nikon also created two "normal" lenses for use above or below water, which made the Nikonos useful for outdoor activities such as kayaking, canoeing, or foul weather situations. These two lenses, the 35mm and 80mm, were also fully waterproof, but did not have the benefit of the specialized water-contact optics. The 35mm Nikonos lens in particular is often paired with extension tubes to create a macro photography rig for use underwater. There were also a handful of compatible lenses made for the Nikonos by other manufacturers.

The Nikonos is commonly referred to as a rangefinder camera, although it is actually a scale focus camera, as there is no rangefinder. The viewfinder is used purely to compose the shot, and to display exposure information. Focus is set with an outsized dial mounted on the left side of the lens barrel (as seen from the operator's point of view), and the aperture is set with a dial mounted on the right. For many beginners, this meant some confusion over estimating distances underwater, since refraction makes objects appear 25% closer than they actually are. Strangely, Nikon's approach was to assume that the user did not make the correction, so the distance markers on the lens are offset to compensate for it. Thankfully the Nikonos wide-angle lenses have ample depth of field, so these discrepancies are often not a noticeable problem.

[edit] The Nikonos RS

In 1992, Nikon introduced an entirely new concept with the Nikonos RS. Unlike its predecessors, the RS was a complete amphibious single lens reflex camera, with its own set of unique lenses that also utilized water-contact optics.

The Nikonos RS underwater lenses included: (angle of view)

R-UW AF Fisheye-Nikkor 13mm f/2.8 (180 degrees)
R-UW AF Zoom-Nikkor 20-35mm f/2.8 (80-51 degrees)
R-UW AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8 (60 degrees)
R-UW AF Micro-Nikkor 50mm f/2.8 (35 degrees)

The RS represented the pinnacle of Nikon's commitment to underwater imaging, and generated significant interest at the time. Although groundbreaking in many ways, it was also very expensive, putting it out of reach of all but the most dedicated underwater photographers. Unfortunately, early versions also had an annoying tendency to flood if not maintained perfectly. Nikon replaced all these fiasco floods at first, but in the end, it clearly became not worth the trouble. The RS was quietly discontinued about 5 years later, and no subsequent models were ever designed or manufactured.

Nikon continued to manufacture Nikonos V bodies until 2001, when it formally announced it was terminating the series. Without any new models in years and with digital imaging taking over the market, Nikon has said it has no plans for any future development of the Nikonos.