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James Montanus Photography |
| Photos by James Montanus, Rochester NY - Contact me |
Nikonos l Underwater Camera
Designed by Jacques Cousteau in the 60's
The
camera I used is an old Nikonos underwater camera that my Dad had
stashed away in his basement. Turns out it was the original Nikonos
camera released in 1963, which was designed with the help of Jacques
Cousteau.
With no exposure meter and manual focus, it is
challenging to guess the exposure and to try to get moving subjects in
focus. Since this was my first successful outing using the camera, I'm
going to have to refine my technique somewhat (my first two attempts at
UW
pictures with this camera failed due to operator error!)
Jacques Costeau, the famous French oceanographer, had long dreamed of the perfect underwater camera. His company, La Spiro technique, had been engaged for several years researching the means to create one. Somehow, however, the right optics kept eluding them.
Nikon got involved. Working together in a joint venture, Nikon and Spiro technique announced success in 1961. Sold at first in France under the name of Calypso, this revolutionary camera-the world's first full-fledged underwater camera-went on sale in Japan in 1963 as Nikonos 1 (discontinued in Oct. 1968). And what waves it created. Not only was Nikonos I the most compact underwater camera yet on the market (with no bulky housing), it also could dive as deep as 50m (165ft)) and withstand temperatures as low as -20°C (-4°F) all the way.
