From
Nikon | Imaging Products | Evolution of NIKONOS
The
Nikonos II is the successor to the original
Calypso underwater camera, licensed to
Nikon and re-introduced as the
Nikonos. The Nikonos II was made from 1968-1975, and aside from the
II markings beside the viewfinder, it adds a fold-out film rewind crank and an improved film pressure plate. A version branded as
Calypso/Nikkor II was sold in Europe.
The Nikonos II can be used at depths up to 50m (160 feet, 26.67 fathoms). It uses
35mm film for a 24x36mm image size, has a
focal-plane shutter with vertical travel and
X & FP flash sync options (highest X-sync is at 1/60), and offers shutter speeds of 1/30,1/60, 1/125,1/250,1/500 and Bulb. The viewfinder has 35mm coverage and
parallax correction marks for close-ups. The body is die-cast aluminium alloy sealed with O-ring gaskets.
The standard lens is a Nikkor 35mm f/2.5 with
zone focusing and a useful
depth of field scale. Unlike on the original Nikonos, the "II" version has a dual feet/meters distance scale and re-introduces the white lines from the
Calypso lens to indicate which knob controls which function. The protective planar glass front of the 35/2.5 lens permits its use both above and below water. (When submerged, the stronger refraction of water yields a field of view equivalent to a ~47mm lens on land.)
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