Nikonos O-Ring Hunt

[FloridaGhostPhoto]

So I was killing time and boredom "playing the dangerous game" (as an RFF member once put it) on the dread auction site. I came across this Nikonos I where the opening bid was $0.01. I figured "what the heck," and I placed a $16.00 maximum bid...and lo! I I won for thirteen bucks. I figured that even if it didn't work, I could hang it from a nail on the wall for decoration. In fact, that's where I started with it.

But guess what? Of course I had to shoot it. I rolled out 10 exposures of Foma 100 this morning and took the Nikonos to the pier for sunrise. And it works. Well whattdaya know? The shutter speeds sound reasonable, and yeah, I love it!

Naturally, I now want to take it diving. (Sure, it's fine as an "all-weather" camera, but I have to push its limits. I had a scuba housing for a GoPro once, but that's it. I never used a film camera underwater back in the day. More of a spearfishing guy.) However, the auction site failed me--I can't seem to find a gasket or o-ring kit for it.

Does anyone here know where I can find some fresh ones and grease? I'm fairly mechanically inclined, and think I can get the job done. (Seems kind of silly to send a $13.00 camera out for a pro CLA.)

Thanks in advance...and check 'em out: it really works! Haha.

 

[GMOG]

The 'Bay is your friend again. I searched "nikonos o-rings" and came up with a few options. Not sure if what I saw applies to your version but it's probably worth taking a closer look.

 

[FloridaGhostPhoto]

The 'Bay is your friend again. I searched "nikonos o-rings" and came up with a few options. Not sure if what I saw applies to your version but it's probably worth taking a closer look.

Ha! Thank you, GMOG...looks like this listing might work, but it doesn't specify if they're for the I, II, III, etc...https://www.ebay.com/itm/22504746505...cAAOSw401in4G9 -- or they might be for the SB-102 flash, since those look similar too.

But now that I look closely at those, it's worth contacting the seller.

This is such great fun...like a treasure hunt, resurrecting something from the past.

I may have some dive pictures coming in before too long!

 

[keytarjunkie]

That's awesome! The Nikonos cameras are really cool and work well in normal and rainy conditions (though there are some super wide lenses that only work underwater!).

The W-Nikkor 35mm f/2.5 lens in particular is special, as it is nearly identical to the rangefinder lens from the early 50's. In my opinion that's one of Nikon's best optical designs of the 50's and 60's, some slight distortion but overall a really nice rendering. You can also get the 28mm f/3.5, which is similarly tied to the rangefinder lens, but you'll have to use an external finder for framing.

I see a vertical line where the exposure shifts on the very left side of the image you posted...it looks like it might be a shutter problem, or (less likely) related to developing or scanning. Or it could just be nothing, hard to tell from just one image. If you see it happening a lot, might be worth investigating.

 

[FloridaGhostPhoto]

The W-Nikkor 35mm f/2.5 lens in particular is special, as it is nearly identical to the rangefinder lens from the early 50's. In my opinion that's one of Nikon's best optical designs of the 50's and 60's, some slight distortion but overall a really nice rendering. You can also get the 28mm f/3.5, which is similarly tied to the rangefinder lens, but you'll have to use an external finder for framing.

I see a vertical line where the exposure shifts on the very left side of the image you posted...it looks like it might be a shutter problem, or (less likely) related to developing or scanning. Or it could just be nothing, hard to tell from just one image. If you see it happening a lot, might be worth investigating.

Thanks Keytarjunkie!

My favorite camera/lens combo is my Nikon S3 with that 3.5cm f2.5 W-Nikkor...I figured it was the same or very similar optical formula and it's hands down my favorite. It's just dandy. Followed by my old standby, an S2 with that awesome Nikkor-S 5cm f1.4. I guess I'm a bit of a Nikon fanboy, which is why I was so jazzed about this find.

Good eye on that vertical line...it's my highly crappy 35mm photo scanner...which I use for test shots. The real deal is done with wet prints in the darkroom. Maybe for the holidays my family will get me a decent negative scanner. I'll have to start dropping hints. (I first noticed that line on some test shots I took with a Canon VL2 and then scanned, and it drove me crazy until I just threw the negatives in the enlarger and discovered that yup! it's the scanner. But hey, it cost less than $10 on the old 'bay. haha And it's good for deciding which negatives to actually make prints of...my old eyes and magnifying glass on the light table aren't what they used to be.

Even if I don't find the right o-rings, this'll be a swell camera for adverse weather conditions where I dare not bring the S3. It was just such a happy find that I enjoyed sharing it on RFF.

Thanks all!

 

[maddoc]

I briefly checked Yahoo! Auctions (the popular Japanese auction site) but only found an o-ring set for a SB125 (underwater flash?). I have the Nikon's V and bought o-ring sets back in 2016. Yodobashi and BIC Camera online shops don't list the sets as available anymore. The o-ring sets contain the four user servicable o-rings for the back door, battery door, speed light connector door and lens mount plus a tube of silicon grease. I don't know if they also fit the Nikonos I. Problem with diving is that there is no easy way to check if the other 19 o-rings (Nikonos V) are still sealing.

 

[BernardL]

You do not need to find a Nikon original part. O-rings are available from mechanical supply outlets in a surprising variety of sizes. You need to know the minor and major diameters of the O-ring. Minor diameter needs to be spot-on.
I have myself used small size O-rings to substitute broken pulleys in the AF mechanism of a Sigma zoom. Being unsure about the elasticity of the O-ring material, I ordered three sizes and chose the best fit.

 

[FloridaGhostPhoto]

Thanks maddoc and BernardL! I'm thinking y'all are right...there's not going to be an easy out. I'll dig up the specs for the o-rings and see what I can find at the supply shops. I'm determined to take it underwater!

 

[Noserider]

Great find! I've had/have many of these, and I think you'll find that it might be tougher than you think. If you are only going in relatively shallow water you may not find the need to replace the seals; I know you *probably* should but really the only one (for this version of Nikonos) is the main large o-ring. I bought one way back in the 90's for cheap and used it for years as a surf/water camera in Hawaii and I never did anything other than check the main o-ring for sand, a bit of grease and in she goes. Besides, if you do get water into it the camera is basically designed to be rinsed and flushed. I shot many rolls in pounding shore break (Sandy's on Oahu) and while I lost a couple in the rough and tumble I never drowned one. I killed a few of those plastic Canon AF P&S before I stopped wasting my money on that camera, you sneeze too close to the camera and you've caused an electrical short. This design of Nikonos is really overbuilt and was designed to go much deeper than most people would consider, and if you were actually going to do diving with it then yep you better change the o-rings to be safe, but if you're going for a float down a river (uh sorry, "what's a River, Grandpa?") you run more of risk of dropping it on the rocks and cracking the front of the lens (did that!).

Fantastic black and white water photographer Wayne Levin uses/used them for his WW2 plane wreck diving shots and I seem to recall that he stated the older 2 and 3's were tougher than the 5 when going mega deep.

 

[FloridaGhostPhoto]

Thanks Noserider! I'll almost certainly keep it within one atmosphere...just a little light snorkeling down in Pennekamp and to splash around on the beach with. By the by...I did find (after today's very diligent searching) a body o-ring (for a Nikonos II, but I think it'll fit). For posterity's sake, here are the results of my research:

1. I found a repair manual for the Nikonos II located here: http://www.calypsonikonos.com/The_C...os_Repair_Manuals/Nikonos_Repair_Manuals.html

2. I found the part number from the manual: 9F2B-579.

3. I Googled the part number and found it listed at Camera Center of York here: https://www.cameracenterofyork.com/nikon-camera-parts-2?category=Nikonos (They also have the "safety lever" which is missing on mine...I might spring for it later if the Nikonos survives its first dive. Really, lotsa' good Nikonos parts there--looks like most are NOS.)

4. The lens o-ring is more common, and I found on on the auction site.

Once I grease these up, it'll get a test dunk in the pool...then off to the surf!

There are lots of other Nikonos parts and information on those two sites I listed above, so hopefully this might help others...heck, these cameras will still likely be snapping away long after I've ridden my last wave, done my last dive. Haha. There are also some Nikonos parts at US Camera https://uscamera.com/ -- but alas, not the ones I needed.

Thanks so much for the help and encouragement. This is a really fun little camera, and the lens is the twin of my favorite one on my S3. Can't hardly wait to get it wet!

Cheers!

 

[FloridaGhostPhoto]

I shot many rolls in pounding shore break (Sandy's on Oahu) and while I lost a couple in the rough and tumble I never drowned one. I killed a few of those plastic Canon AF P&S before I stopped wasting my money on that camera, you sneeze too close to the camera and you've caused an electrical short.

Ha! I know that feeling. I've been meaning to get back to Hawaii--last time I was there in 2017 I cracked three ribs when I missed my pullout on that nasty shore break on Big Beach in Maui. I'm getting the sense that this camera would have fared better than I did. It's about time for me and the Nikonos to go give that another spin!

Thanks again!