Having recently found a gem of a deal for a Nikonos V in a stellar condition I’ve been using it on swims every weekend. Living in San Diego I normally shoot surf photography. Problem was, this has been as flat a summer as I can remember.
Fortunately, the beginning of fall came with a fresh swell. I put a new roll of Portra 400 in the camera and hopped in the water.
A few things to note about using this sort of camera for surf- I’ve become accustomed to using a mirrorless camera with a high frame rate. This leads to shooting a few hundred shots in the span of an hour or two. No wave or moment is ignored no matter how mundane or bland. Of those few hundred shots, maybe ten to twenty are actually worth keeping.
This particular day had a nice blend of warm weather, little to no wind (keeps the water texture smooth and waves from crumbling), and 4-foot waves. Swimming with the Nikonos was easier than my larger digital setup. The camera is very easy to handle and actually feels like a camera when shooting! Modern water housings while great at their job, are bulky and add a layer of separation between you and the camera that just doesn’t exist with the Nikonos.
The 35mm lens uses zone focus which I set and forget at f8 with a range of 7-30ft. With surf photography, you normally want higher shutter speeds. I figured that aperture priority with f8 and iso 400 would stick to either 1/500 or 1/1000 because of the sunny conditions. The lack of motion blur in most of the roll confirmed this. That plus knowing where this wave breaks led to having a roll of mostly in-focus shots exposed correctly. A real treat.
Using the Nikonos I’m helped and hampered by the fact that I have 36 moments at most that can be captured. I also can’t take five to ten stills of a single wave like I would with a digital camera. This leads to a lot more thought regarding positioning, which wave is actually worth it, and what moment in the sequence to press the shutter. (I’m hoping that this sort of patience can translate to outings with a digital camera).
Add to that the home developing and scanning and you end up with a series of photos that feel much more personal and rewarding than others that are tack sharp photos of larger waves. So much of my digital post-processing is done to try and come close to the dynamic colors that a film like Ektar 100 or Portra 400 produces. So you can imagine how pleasing it is to be able to shoot these films in the water.
Moving forward I have no idea what system I’ll pick when we get the next 8+ foot swell and that shows just how impressed I am with the results of this perfectly imperfect camera.
Thanks for reading.
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davesurrey on 5 Frames in the Ocean with a Nikonos V on Kodak Portra 400 – By Luis Ortega
Comment posted: 31/10/2020
Thanks for this brief but very interesting article which exposes a different type of photography with different challenges from what most of us do. Plus you have some great shots there. I especially love the second one.
I just looked up Nikonos and found out they were developed from earlier co-designs by the famous Jacques Cousteau, a man before his time in terms of conservation. Plus I was amazed that it has interchangeable lenses.
I’d be interested to know what digital camera you use in the sea and what are the pros and cons.
Dave
Luis Ortega on 5 Frames in the Ocean with a Nikonos V on Kodak Portra 400 – By Luis Ortega
Comment posted: 31/10/2020
My main camera is a Sony a7iii which I chose because of frame rate and battery life. I had previously been using a Fuji X-T2 which I loved but had a much shorter battery life. Now I can stay out for 3 hours shooting constantly if I can handle the cold!
The Sony works great but does require more post processing than the Nikonos and Fuji to get the images where I want them.
eric on 5 Frames in the Ocean with a Nikonos V on Kodak Portra 400 – By Luis Ortega
Comment posted: 31/10/2020
Comment posted: 31/10/2020
Alex Vye on 5 Frames in the Ocean with a Nikonos V on Kodak Portra 400 – By Luis Ortega
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Alan M on 5 Frames in the Ocean with a Nikonos V on Kodak Portra 400 – By Luis Ortega
Comment posted: 01/11/2020
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Neil T on 5 Frames in the Ocean with a Nikonos V on Kodak Portra 400 – By Luis Ortega
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Castelli Daniel on 5 Frames in the Ocean with a Nikonos V on Kodak Portra 400 – By Luis Ortega
Comment posted: 01/11/2020
I’m jealous! We just had an early snow storm here in Connecticut and I’m reading & looking at surf photos. Shame on you! I love the perspective you present: in the water, surrounded by waves.
I looked up used Nikonos cameras on eBay and I’m surprised how little they go for. I might get a v. III for our New England winters.
A Nikonos story - my cousin was living the hippy life back in the late 60’s. She got married one warm summer day. In a field, flowers in her hair, sorta like a full costume rehearsal for “Hair.” They got some guy to ‘shoot’ the wedding...he showed up w/a Nikonos II! Shot the wedding with it. I remember b/cause he bummed a few folks of Tri-X off of me. They are still married! What a hoot.
Comment posted: 01/11/2020
Holly Gilman on 5 Frames in the Ocean with a Nikonos V on Kodak Portra 400 – By Luis Ortega
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Kenneth Rowin on 5 Frames in the Ocean with a Nikonos V on Kodak Portra 400 – By Luis Ortega
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Scott Gitlin on 5 Frames in the Ocean with a Nikonos V on Kodak Portra 400 – By Luis Ortega
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