Nikonos in checked luggage – issues with pressure?

lukx

lukx

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Hi all,

in a couple of days I will embark on a nice little family holiday. I am contemplating bringing my Nikonos V with me. Due to lack of space in my hand luggage I consider putting the Nikonos in the checked luggage. But I wonder about the effects the lower atmospheric pressure might have on the (ideally) airtight Nikonos. Is this something to worry about? If the camera is closed, the pressure inside the body would be (much?) higher than the surroundings. The camera is built for inward pressure, not outward pressure from within. I don't want to have a Nikonos pressure bomb in my suitcase, or damage the seals. Leaving the back open is not an option, as it leaves the innards exposed, especially the shutter.

Maybe (probably) I am overthinking this.

What's your experience travelling with the Nikonos? Any Aerospace or nautical engineers around 😉?

Thanks!
 
Hi, in theory the luggage compartment is pressurized, as pets and live animals are carried there. The Nikonos V is rated for up to 50m water pressure from outside.
As you sae, pressure would be building from inside due to high altitude. Please correct me if I'm wrong. In theory aircraft were rated at about 1,500m above sea level atmospheric pressure, so if you fly, say at 7,000m (which would be roughly 22,000 ft) the inside pressure would be regulated at 1,500m (say 44,000 ft). That would be hanging the camera from your neck
The luggage compartment in theory should have the same regulated pressure.
But for peace of mind, if you want you can undo the flash socket or the battery cover a little bit (exposing the o rings) so the pressure changes would not affect your camera or blow the seals. But don't forget to do them again afterwards
Best regards and enjoy your holidays and your superb Nikonos
 
robertofollia said:
Hi, in theory the luggage compartment is pressurized, as pets and live animals are carried there. The Nikonos V is rated for up to 50m water pressure from outside.
As you sae, pressure would be building from inside due to high altitude. Please correct me if I'm wrong. In theory aircraft were rated at about 1,500m above sea level atmospheric pressure, so if you fly, say at 7,000m (which would be roughly 22,000 ft) the inside pressure would be regulated at 1,500m (say 44,000 ft). That would be hanging the camera from your neck
The luggage compartment in theory should have the same regulated pressure.
But for peace of mind, if you want you can undo the flash socket or the battery cover a little bit (exposing the o rings) so the pressure changes would not affect your camera or blow the seals. But don't forget to do them again afterwards
Best regards and enjoy your holidays and your superb Nikonos
Click to expand...
Thanks for the insightful reply. For some reason I assumed only the cabin is pressurised, but thinking about it, it makes more sense to build a hull that is completely tight, rather than having two separate spaces with different atmospheres inside one airplane. Opening the battery cover is a good idea to dissipate any remaining doubts.
 
In the eighties I had a Nikonos, but never used it underwater because a terrible backache forced me to give up scuba diving.
For a while I kept and used it.
It is very sensitive to negative differences of pressure, that is the pressure inside is higher than that outside.
I remember once taking it to a mountain in the vicinity of Rome. I took some photos and then I noticed that the lens was not sitting tight to the body. So I unmounted and remounted the lens.
Having said that I am not sure about a remedy. Perhaps pack the camera and the lens separately?
 
PaulDalex said:
In the eighties I had a Nikonos, but never used it underwater because a terrible backache forced me to give up scuba diving.
For a while I kept and used it.
It is very sensitive to negative differences of pressure, that is the pressure inside is higher than that outside.
I remember once taking it to a mountain in the vicinity of Rome. I took some photos and then I noticed that the lens was not sitting tight to the body. So I unmounted and remounted the lens.
Having said that I am not sure about a remedy. Perhaps pack the camera and the lens separately?
Click to expand...
I cannot recall what I did when I owned a Nik 5 (it was 30+ years ago). But in the light of what you say the answer sounds simple to me - leave the lens off. Or remove the lens' 'O' ring and leave the lens on. Either way it will equalize if that is required.
 
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Are the O rings still available? I recall inquiring some years ago and the consensus then was that they were not. Though some enterprising soul may have since stepped into the breach to make and sell them. Incidentally when I had my Nikonos 5 I never had any issues with leakage in the camera but then again I was absolutely obsessive about making sure the camera was flushed with fresh water after a dive, dried then the o rings checked and regreased if needed. But, I DID have an O ring failure on my SB 105 flash which I used with the Nikonos. And this was an O ring on the main switch which is not user serviceable. I did eventually have the flash repaired but it was a bummer which spoiled some of my photography on that trip overseas to the South Pacific. Fortunately I was covered by trip insurance so it was not really a financial problem for me.
 
I doubt if any camera/lens is hermetically sealed. There will a path, albeit small, from outside to inside or vice-versa. As the 'plane heads upward or downward, the pressures will equalize sooner or later. Exactly how much sooner or later is of course unknown but I doubt there would be an explosion or implosion.
 
xpatUSA said:
I doubt if any camera/lens is hermetically sealed. There will a path, albeit small, from outside to inside or vice-versa. As the 'plane heads upward or downward, the pressures will equalize sooner or later. Exactly how much sooner or later is of course unknown but I doubt there would be an explosion or implosion.
Click to expand...
A Nikonos is a diving camera, sealed to withstand 70+psi of water pressure trying to get into it.
 
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