Nikonos II Underwater Camera
A good friend gifted me a Nikonos II underwater 35mm camera that he had purchased way back when, which was used on canoeing trips and such fun. The camera is the second and considered better rendition of the Nikonos line and is of incredible quality. This was used extensively by photographers during the Vietnam war as its ruggedness and sealed design allowed it to survive jungle conditions. It was sold from May '68 to March '76 and the Nikonos line was discontinued in 2001. Wikipedia Page
This compact, sturdy little camera is built like a proverbial tank. The Body and the Housing are machined from Aluminum and then anodized and epoxy coated to protect them from water, salt and otherwise. Upon arrival it took a few minutes to learn how this clever little camera comes apart. Key to this is the fact that the lens must be removed to unlock the body from the housing. It is a tight fit and the metal arms on the strap are used to lever the body out of the housing. On this camera the O-rings were still supple and only required a light application of the (included) tube of O-ring grease. It came with the 35mm lens (L) and after determining the camera was fully operational I then obtained a pristine 80mm lens (R).
The lens is a 35mm f /2.5, considered the standard lens. Three lenses were generally usable on the Nikonos II body, 28mm f/ 3.5, 35mm f/ 2.5 and an 80mm f/4. The 35mm lens was considered the "kit" lens. The 35mm and 80mm would work above and below water, the 28mm was underwater only. You will note the lens is mounted upside down on the body, this allows the user to tilt the camera up and easily read the lens settings. The orientation does not affect use.
Here we see the body removed from the housing. The housing is a one piece casting that has been machined. The bronze colored areas are where the body and lens seals ride. The body has a film pressure plate with two finger springs to facilitate loading and hold the film in position.
On the bottom of the body, there is a little window that allows you to see an indicator dial where the photographer can see the number of frames that have been shot. I scrounged on eBay and found an Underwater Frame Finder which is needed when using the 80mm lens and on the off chance I take this swimming...
Included with the camera, my friend had the water proof meter, which is made by Sekonic. This is a CDS type meter and I was surprised to find it was still pretty accurate when compared to my Minolta digital meter.
Here is part of a roll scanned from the sleeved contact sheet. The images are brighter than they look here, exposure was very good.