Nikonos V Review: The Ultimate Waterproof Film Camera for Outdoor Adventure

A huge blotch of rain lands on my shutter dial, lightly splattering my right cheek. Then another hits my eyelid—exposed to the elements as I face skyward, trying to catch a photo of the howler monkey above me. A distant, low rumble of thunder. The monkey slips out of view, taking shelter as the pitter patter of rain hitting foliage grows in intensity to a seemingly impossible volume. The heavens have opened, a deluge like I’ve never seen, leaving me instantly drenched. For a nanosecond, my heart stops. Then I breath a sigh of relief—in my hand is my trusty, waterproof Nikonos V, and NOT my usual daily shooter, a Nikon FM2. 

One of the most legendary 35mm film cameras ever made, the strikingly orange Nikon Nikonos V is a camera built for a specific purpose: to be used where other cameras will drown and die.

In this Nikonos V camera review, I'll dive deep into the iconic analog camera, share a bit on the background, pros and cons, pro tips based on my own experience as a professional adventure photographer, and of course, a ton of sample 35mm film photos from recent testing.

History of the Nikon Nikonos V

The brainchild of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, the Nikonos made its public debut as the world's first fully-fledged underwater camera at the 1963 Photokina Fair in Germany, where it was displayed submerged in an aquarium. Two decades later, Nikon released their final and most advanced version of the manual-focus camera, the Nikonos V. Though the Nikonos II and Nikonos III have their fans, the fifth-generation Nikonos camera is widely considered by film photographers to be the best of the Nikonos line. For decades the Nikonos V was the most successful underwater use camera that the Nikon corporation (or anyone else) made—pretty much all underwater film photography from the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s was shot with a Nikonos.

Still today, the Nikonos V has a deserved reputation of being the toughest and most durable film camera around, where for underwater use (it's rated to go as deep as 50 meters) or on land. But even if you never intend to use it underwater, because of its simple mechanics and rugged build, the Nikonos is an excellent all-weather travel companion.

For adventurous photographers who shoot on mountains, atop skis, in rain, snow, sleet, hail, mud, smoke, and of course water, the Nikonos is simply the film camera to own if you don’t care to be at the mercy of the elements when your shot is on the line.

[Check out more Nikonos series film photography from diving with sharks in the Maldives and in Hawaii with the Nikons IV.]

Nikonos V Review

Unlike my FM2, the Nikonos V isn’t precious, and is ambivalent about being chucked into the depths of a backpack. You don’t have to worry about hurriedly stashing it away when the skies open, either. It is, essentially, a watertight brick of metal that you can take anywhere. Because of this, I bring the Nikonos V and its signature 35mm f/2.5 lens on all of my most adventurous trips. Even decades after it rolled off the assembly line, the o-ring sealed baody still keeps my film safe from water, air, dust, dirt, grime, and other debris. (If you're planning to use it in salt water, I highly recommend giving it a tap water rinse after each use to prevent corrosion.)

Nikonos Features

The Nikonos is not an easy camera to shoot with. But the rewards of extra effort and practice are outstanding. A good number of smart features and impressive quiver of superb Nikonos lens options help, too. The Nikonos V, offers through-the-lens metering (different than the Nikonos IV), manual (and auto mode) control for zone focusing, and aperture-priority auto exposure capabilities. More on the construction and capabilities below.

Operating the Nikonos V

This camera takes some getting used to. Since you’re not looking through the lens to compose your photo like you would with an SLR, the viewfinder window is merely an estimate of what the camera sees, so you have to compose accordingly. (Leica users will feel more at home here.) There are definitely some additional nuances to the Nikonos, too.

Manual control aperture and focus are controlled by robust, twistable knobs extending out from either side of the lens. Reading the corresponding f/stop number requires flipping the camera upside down to look at it—a habit that can be a little frustrating to form. Focusing is one part experience, one part luck, while composing shots can be, at first, a maddening exercise of second-guessing and fiddling. But once you’ve broken it in and figured out these quirks, the Nikonos is a remarkably intuitive and simple camera.

Nikonos V Construction

The bright orange exterior, alongside being aesthetically stunning, makes it very easy to spot if you happen to drop it in the ocean (users beware: it doesn’t float!). Despite its heft (the Nikonos V weighs in at 873g), it isn't a cumbersome accessory like some cameras (I’m looking at you, Pentax 67). Well-designed rubber pads and a large anatomic grip give the user a great hold, which is especially useful underwater. The sizable shutter button and large advance lever can even be operated with wetsuit gloves on since there's no fiddly housing to navigate.

But this camera doesn't just shine in the water. As a scale focus 35mm camera, there is no rangefinder—nor a mirror—so the image composed through the viewfinder is at best an estimation of what the lens will capture. The lack of mirror also means that the shutter makes almost no noise and is thus perfect for unobtrusive street and travel photography. Although it requires batteries for aperture priority mode metering, the Nikonos has a mechanical release at 1/90 of a second as a stopgap if you experience unexpected battery failure.

Tips for Shooting With the Nikonos V

The Nikonos V also has the brightest, clearest viewfinder I have ever used—since it was designed with scuba masks in mind, it is very wide and can be viewed clearly from quite some distance. The simplicity of using the Nikonos V may be surprising to some, given that it’s such a specialized and purpose-built device. But the reality is that it’s less like a professional underwater camera and more like a high-grade point-and-shoot, if you want to shoot it as such. Think: user-friendly, submarine Leica.

The Nikonos also has an impressive quiver of lenses that don't leak when installed properly. These specialized underwater-only “UW” lenses are still regarded as the best underwater optics ever made. Bear in mind that the UW lenses are for use underwater only—they will not focus correctly unless submerged, as the front elements are designed to work in conjunction with the magnification index of water (brain exploding emoji). I used the W Nikkor 35mm f/2.5 (the standard lens). In this case, the “W” marking denotes that the lens is a waterproof amphibious lens, meaning that it will work equally well when used either above or below the water's surface.

After shooting a few rolls of film on my Nikonos, I came to understand the value of this truly exceptional travel companion. Street style, portraiture, macro, landscapes, underwater—this is the one camera to do it all. You need to feel the weight and ergonomics of it in your hand to appreciate how tough it is; this thing is built to survive the apocalypse. As Ken Rockwell put it: “Impervious to everything…If you're expecting trouble, this is the camera to bring… Anything that comes your way is more likely to kill you than kill this camera.”

I was also very pleasantly surprised with this camera’s ability to take portraits. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t very nervous—determining exactly how many centimeters Ben’s eyes were from the camera wasn’t easy and I wasn’t hyper-confident in the shot. The results came out better than expected.

The shutter speed of 1/90 produced some really pleasing results, allowing me to shoot fast-moving water without a tripod. And the amphibious lenses still perform very well underwater, despite tricky conditions. I can’t wait to see how the underwater-specific lenses perform in clearer water and good light though.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the trip, I was really impressed with the versatility of this camera. I love the 35mm focal length, and it excelled the most where I had the least expectations: in macro and portrait shots. Landscape shots are pleasantly uncomplicated, thanks to the infinity focus option, whilst the f/2.5 aperture still allows for excellent foreground blur. The enormous viewfinder meant I was able to compose quickly and efficiently, which is a rarity in the rest of my film camera collection.

The Nikonos V is the toughest Nikon ever built, and its renowned image quality combined with a durable build (not to mention a gorgeous steampunk aesthetic) massively outweigh the minor inconveniences of its bulk and operational nuance. Being a little haphazard by nature, I wasn’t worried about dropping it, spilling beer on it, fogging the viewfinder or even scratching the lens. Rugged, sexy, and outstandingly reliable, this beauty will likely accompany me on every trip until the end of my days, water or no water.

Make: Nikon
Release Date: 1984
Average Price on eBay in 2024: $275
Also Available from KEH Camera: $300 (body only)

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*Check out the Nikonos Project for more example film photography and to test a camera yourself.)