Camera for Vacation - Nikonos

Sirius Glass · Jul 19, 2024

srtviper15 said:
Hello all!

Looking at getting a Nikonos camera for vacation.

I was inspired by this post!
https://www.facebook.com/
My question is should I get the Nikonos iii or the V? I realized I probably need to get a dedicated rugged camera with manual features so I don't ruin my other nice gear on the beach.

I also thought about the Canon Sure Shot WP1 but realized that is more of a point and shoot. I think I would like the manual and mechanical feeling of a Nikonos

UPDATE: what would be a good price to pay for this? I don’t want to overpay? Looking for the kit with the 35 mm lens.

Get the Nikonos V and have the best version available to you. My Nikonos II needed a shutter repair, the parts are not available and the shop told me to go to eBay and get the Nikonos V body and use the lens that I had.

Alan Edward Klein · Jul 19, 2024

srtviper15 said:
These pictures are fantastic! Thanks for sharing

Thanks. Many of those pictures were taken with a U/W strobe that brings out the colors underwater even during the day and of course, is necessary for my night shots.

blee1996 · Jul 19, 2024

Last time I went to Tahiti, I took only one camera with me since it was a family holiday. That camera was a Nikonos III with 35/2.5 lens. I used it above water, in the water, and under water for casual shots. And the photos turned out nicely even if I have to guess distance and exposure.

I used to have Nikonos V, but eventually decided I like the Calypso-styled III more. I don't do deep dive stuff.

dynachrome · Jul 19, 2024

It's a little off topic because this is the 35mm forum but I have a number of Minolta Weathermatic A cameras with all of the accessories. They are nice to use. The only drawback is that they take 110 film.

srtviper15 · Jul 19, 2024

blee1996 said:
Last time I went to Tahiti, I took only one camera with me since it was a family holiday. That camera was a Nikonos III with 35/2.5 lens. I used it above water, in the water, and under water for casual shots. And the photos turned out nicely even if I have to guess distance and exposure.

I used to have Nikonos V, but eventually decided I like the Calypso-styled III more. I don't do deep dive stuff.

Awesome! Really looking forward to using it!

srtviper15 · Jul 19, 2024

dynachrome said:
It's a little off topic because this is the 35mm forum but I have a number of Minolta Weathermatic A cameras with all of the accessories. They are nice to use. The only drawback is that they take 110 film.

Nice! Are you planning on selling any? I’m probably interested. I shoot 110 also

eli griggs · Jul 20, 2024

Not analog, but Canon made a nice Lucite(?) case for the PowerShot G10, ( I don't know if other "G" models will work) and a used PowerShot and this case might be an affordable temporary fill-in for the V analog, for wet conditions and allows the flash to used effectively.

I have one I keep overlooking when out for short road trips and there are good reviews for its build quality.

srtviper15 · Jul 27, 2024

Sirius Glass said:
Get the Nikonos V and have the best version available to you. My Nikonos II needed a shutter repair, the parts are not available and the shop told me to go to eBay and get the Nikonos V body and use the lens that I had.

I got a V. Now I just need to fine the correct grease and o rings

eli griggs · Jul 27, 2024

If you're not able to find a vendor online, try dive shops.

srtviper15 said:
I got a V. Now I just need to fine the correct grease and o rings

Sirius Glass · Jul 28, 2024

srtviper15 said:
I got a V. Now I just need to fine the correct grease and o rings

I found the bags of o-rings on the internet. I look for the Nikonos grease made by Nikon.

Chan Tran · Jul 30, 2025

I used to have a couple of Nikonos V, an orange one and an olive one. I wonder why they don't make the same in digital. Sure they have some P&S but they are P&S and can't do very deep. Serious underwater photos are done with enclosures.

eli griggs · Jul 30, 2025

Yea...., Canon Powershot!!!!

loccdor · Jul 31, 2025

Many cameras can handle a single splash with a wave and keep on ticking as if nothing happened. My Olympus Pen D with UV filter did... I also went out in the rain a few times with my old Kiev-4 and nothing but a cloth rag to cover it and occasionally wipe it down, both working perfectly.

I think cameras designed to be submerged are usually overkill for mildly wet conditions. If you want to take underwater shots, disregard what I said.

hgernhardt · Aug 1, 2025

I learned the art of using a camera at the age of six with my Dad's Nikonos I. Because of that I learned very early on how to expose, how to use a light meter, what depth of field was, how to leverage the hyperfocal distance, and to an extent how to gauge the distance to a subject. Of course, being six, it really helped that the Nikonos was fairly bomb-proof…

Chan Tran · Aug 1, 2025

hgernhardt said:
I learned the art of using a camera at the age of six with my Dad's Nikonos I. Because of that I learned very early on how to expose, how to use a light meter, what depth of field was, how to leverage the hyperfocal distance, and to an extent how to gauge the distance to a subject. Of course, being six, it really helped that the Nikonos was fairly bomb-proof…

I found the Nikonos V lens has a very nice distance scale. While I can estimate distance quite well the distance marking on most lenses are very difficult to set accurately.

villagephotog · Aug 1, 2025

Chan Tran said:
I used to have a couple of Nikonos V, an orange one and an olive one. I wonder why they don't make the same in digital. Sure they have some P&S but they are P&S and can't do very deep. Serious underwater photos are done with enclosures.

They did make an underwater digital interchangeable-lens camera that was submersible to 49 ft. It was part of their ill-fated first mirrorless camera system, the "1 series", and it didn't make any kind of a splash (sorry) in the market. Not sure why. It was a pretty cool camera, and had the no-housing-required underwater digital game pretty much to itself. There just didn't seem to be a lot of buyers.

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-1-aw1

villagephotog · Aug 1, 2025

Some folks have mentioned a few underwater-capable point-and-shoots, so just for others who might read this thread in the future: Nikon made a very good one in the 1980s called the L35AF (Action Touch in the US). I knew a lot of people who owned them in the 80s and 90s, and they were very well-liked (and sold pretty well for the category, so probably a lot of them still kicking around).

https://casualphotophile.com/2019/07/10/nikon-l35aw-action-touch-review/

abruzzi · Aug 12, 2025

Chan Tran said:
I used to have a couple of Nikonos V, an orange one and an olive one. I wonder why they don't make the same in digital. Sure they have some P&S but they are P&S and can't do very deep. Serious underwater photos are done with enclosures.

I don't know what you consider deep. Obviously full enclosures are still made when real depth is needed (https://www.ikelite.com/), but Nikon did make the AW1, an interchangeable lens camera good down to 15 meters. It got a bad rep, probably because people were too cavalier and were careful to ensure the seals/o-rings were well maintained. I have two--not for SCUBA diving but being fully submersible I knew I could trust them in the rain and if I dropped one, it would likely survive better than other cameras, and if I threw one in the tail bag of a off road motorcycle they wouldn't mind the abuse.

M. Axel Wikstrom · 2026-02-11T13:35:50-0500

I had a Nikonos V that I took on an offroad motorcycle trip and it failed due to parts made of plastic. The rewind tooth broke off in the middle of the trip - had to wait until it was dark to unload the camera inside my sleeping bag. Upon return I got it fixed and sold it right away. Didn’t much like the camera because of its reliance on electronics and a few other things such as the viewfinder susceptible to a lot of flare etc.

Eventually got a Nikonos III that I like much better. Almost all metal, fully mechanical without batteries, and a really great viewfinder that’s about as clear and bright as my Leicas with frame lines for both the 35 and 80mm lenses - the two lenses that I find most useful on this camera. With the 80 I use a shoe mounted rangefinder. The camera also doesn’t attract as much attention as the V because it looks much more like a normal camera. And after getting used to the way the shutter release and wind crank works I much prefer it to the two separate controls.

I don’t use it underwater because the gaskets are very old, but do use it when I need something that’s rugged and weatherproof.

eli griggs · 2026-02-11T20:10:39-0500

It sounds like the camera you sold was already in need of repair, Nikonos are tough, in my experience and a broken gear, already cracked but in one piece might have been easily overlooked when you got it.

Imo, the III is a good camera, but I would give the V a second chance, if I were to buy one.

M. Axel Wikstrom · 2026-02-11T21:35:22-0500

eli griggs said:
It sounds like the camera you sold was already in need of repair, Nikonos are tough, in my experience and a broken gear, already cracked but in one piece might have been easily overlooked when you got it.

Imo, the III is a good camera, but I would give the V a second chance, if I were to buy one.

Think I’ll stick with the III. A better camera for me.

eli griggs · 2026-02-11T22:30:02-0500

M. Axel Wikstrom said:
Think I’ll stick with the III. A better camera for me.

That's the great thing about many different cameras, we each get to have our preferences on what fits us best!

Cheers!

blee1996 · 2026-02-12T00:56:49-0500

M. Axel Wikstrom said:
Think I’ll stick with the III. A better camera for me.

I know it's a personal preference, but I happen to prefer Nikonos III over V as well. I took it to a few hot wet and sandy holidays, got excellent photos home, and really bond with the camera. In addition, I prefer the original Calypso Styling as well.

Camera for Vacation - Nikonos

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