Diving with a Nikonos underwater film camera in 2022

Hi All,

I shot a Youtube video about buying a vintage Nikonos V film camera and shooting a few rolls on my latest dive trip to Cozumel. I really enjoyed it actually. The Nikonos is a great little camera and using film really makes you think before you pull the trigger. Would love any and all feedback -- on the video itself or the film photos, or just anything. Let me know what you think and if you have ever shot film underwater.

Nikonos V Underwater Film Camera

Interesting post and video... yes, film can be fun, but you will not find many underwater photographers using it much any more. It is often hard to find developing labs and developing film is expensive.

I have a good collection of Nikonos cameras and lenses that are still serviceable underwater. In addition, I also have a couple of housed Nikon film cameras (Nikon N8008s and Nikon F100). Prior to the beginning of the major pandemic shutdown stuff in 2019, I would occasionally pack a Nikonos or the N8008s on dive trips.

I started diving back in 1989 when film cameras were the only option for underwater still photography. The problem I had when I started trying to capture images underwater with Nikonos cameras was that I could not dive enough to learn the cameras. When I relocated about twelve years ago to a location making more frequent dive travel possible, I unpacked the Nikonos equipment and started working with it again. I also invested in the equipment I needed to capture underwater images digitally as well.

My occasional underwater use of film helped me slow down to compose my digital images more carefully. I learned a lot about the Nikonos camera system from the guy who ran Southern Nikonos. For example, I packed a Nikonos II and a Nikonos V out to Isla Guadalupe to pursue images of white sharks. The Nikonos V refused to work for me and I ended-up doing some dives with the Nikonos II. When I talked to Bob at Southern Nikonos about the issues with my Nikonos V, he asked me if I had put a new battery in it. When I confirmed that the battery was brand new, he told me to take it out, wipe my fingerprint oil off it and reinstall it. His solution worked perfectly.

When I use my underwater film cameras, I usually use Fuji Velvia 100 film pushed to ISO 400. I also use black & white film from time to time, but I have never bothered to print any of the B&W images.

During the height of the pandemic lockdown, someone sent me a Subal housing for a Nikon F100 camera. The housing needed some refurbishment. Tracking down parts took a while, but it's ready to go underwater.

Nowadays, I usually pack several digital underwater camera systems when I travel into Mexico. I am usually working with student underwater photographers and need to have spare DSLR systems available if anyone has issues with cameras or housings. There are limits to how much gear I can pack so the film gear has not made any recent trips.

The images were captured at Isla Guadalupe with a Nikonos II and 28mm lens. I did not use strobes so the images are too blue.

-Tinman 

Tinman,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful post. You are a wonderful photographer, clearly. I am blown away by those great white photos! And on a Nik II — wow!! :-0

I so strongly agree with you point about composition. I have a small point and shoot with housing. And I snap away a ton just assuming as long as there is something good in front of me I will get it in one of those frames. 

But with film I knew I was only going to photograph the subject once, twice max. Just not enough on the roll for anything other than the at so forced to imagine to composition before pulling the shutter. I also found it forced me to shoot up or flat far more vs shooting down which can be a bad habit of mine. If electronic ISO compensates to 128k you can take the photo even if downward isn’t always the best comp. But with iso 800 fixed the light meter really wanted me to be shooting up into the sun. 
 

It’s not the same but I practiced a lot in land before taking it underwater btw. You don’t get the buoyancy down but it was to get a feel for the system and field of view in advance. 
 

Thanks so much for commenting and sharing your story! Maybe you can teach me to make underwater shark photos like that one day

I had a good mentor when I worked for a small town newspaper back in the early-1970's. The editor of the newspaper noticed I was interested in photography and worked with me. The newspaper used medium format twin lens reflex cameras. Development of film and prints was all done in-house and expectations to produce usable images were very high. I would often be given camera with one roll of twelve exposure film and sent off to photograph events at the high school I attended. Expectations were that an exposed roll of film would have a minimum of six usable images. 

Not only did my boss expect to see well composed images, exposures had to be correct as well. The metering system on those old twin lens reflex cameras were pretty primitive compared to what we have available with a modern DSLR. Before I graduated from high school, the newspaper switched to 35mm SLR cameras. I was issued a Canon Ftb QL with a Canon 50mm f/1.2 lens. I ended-up switching to a Nikon F2 when I could afford to purchase my own camera.

One of the downsides to pushing film above its intended ISO is grainy images. Of course, we can get the same thing nowadays by shooting digitally at high ISO's. Now, we call it noise.

Images captured with film have a different texture than those produced digitally. When I published a book about California sea lions a few years ago, I used some film images in one of the chapters. Shortly after submitting the chapter to my publishing editor for review, she called me and told me she noticed I had used film for several of the images. I didn't even have to tell her which ones.

It's hard to resist the urge to do the point & spray thing when we're using digital cameras with high capacity memory cards.

Check my website: www.cortezbluephotography.com if you're interested in looking at my work.

-Tinman

Did you ever get the chance to use an Aqualens dome. It is a 6 inch dome port that you can mount lens with the F mount to a Nikonos.

I have one I use with a n 18 mm Nikon lens. I will dig it out and post photo.

Yes please! I have not scratched the surface of third party lenses and accessories. Would love to hear more about this done port. I know there was a very well regarded 15mm wet lens for the nikonos for wide angle. 

Most Nikonos lenses were well-regarded optically. I never bothered to pursue any third party accessories other than extensions for the shutter release/film advance levers on My Nikonos II and III cameras.

The optical quality of the lenses made for the Nikonos RS were exceptional. Seacam offers a modification for several of these Nikonos R Series lenses that allows the lenses to be used with current Seacam housed Nikon DSLR's.

I still maintain and occasionally use four Nikonos SB105 strobes. These have limited light output adjustment compared with newer strobes, but the SB105's still work.

-Tinman

Here are some picks of the Aqualens. I think it was produced by the predecessors of the Aquatica Housings. If anyone has more knowledge I would like to know. I used it with the 24, 20 and mostly the 18 mm nikkors.   Unfortunately the chromes I shot with this set up went underwater during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Woah! That is a crazy setup. I guess I was imagining the lens with a dome built in. I didn't realize it was a dome on top of a Nikkor lens. What are the knobs on the top for? What an interesting setup. Did you like shooting with it?

One knob for focus the other aperture. The 18 performed very well. It focused to 10 inches which was a little short of the virtual image of the dome. I will take it on my next local trip to Florida and shoot some film. It probably would work with the Sony/Nauticam set up for the Nikonos lens.