The self-contained amphibious underwater Calypso
35mm 35 mm may refer to:
* 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film
* 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock
* 35MM 35 mm may refer to:
* 135 film, a type of still photography format ...
film
camera
A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with a ...
was conceived by the marine explorer
Jacques Cousteau (1910–1997), designed by
Jean de Wouters and manufactured by Atoms in France. It was distributed by
La Spirotechnique
Aqua Lung International (formerly La Spirotechnique) is a large and well-known firm which makes scuba and other self-contained breathing apparatus, and other diving equipment. It produced the Aqua-Lung line of regulators, like the CG45 (1945 ...
in Paris from 1960. The camera is rated to operate down to below sea level. The Calypso was sometimes advertised as the "CALYPSO-PHOT".
Nikon
(, ; ), also known just as Nikon, is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging products. The companies held by Nikon form the Nikon Group.
Nikon's products include cameras, camera ...
took over production and sold it from 1963 as the ''
Nikonos
Nikonos is the brand name of a series of 35mm format cameras specifically designed for underwater photography launched by Nikon in 1963. The early Nikonos cameras were improvements of the Calypso camera, which was an original design by Jacques-Y ...
'', which subsequently became a well-known series of underwater cameras.
History
de Wouters was a member of Cousteau's crew during the maiden voyage of the ; after discussing ideas for a camera capable of underwater use, de Wouters designed and built a prototype in 1957, which he called the ''Spiro''.
In order to reach a larger market the design was sold to
Nikon
(, ; ), also known just as Nikon, is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging products. The companies held by Nikon form the Nikon Group.
Nikon's products include cameras, camera ...
in Japan, and in 1963 released as the
Nikonos
Nikonos is the brand name of a series of 35mm format cameras specifically designed for underwater photography launched by Nikon in 1963. The early Nikonos cameras were improvements of the Calypso camera, which was an original design by Jacques-Y ...
, subsequently becoming a long-lived series of
underwater cameras, culminating with the introduction of the short-lived ''35mm''
SLR ''Nikonos RS'' in 1992.
Description
The Calypso is equally suitable for water and air environment photography. The body is covered in a grey imitation sealskin. Two carrying strap attachments, one on each side, are also used as opening levers.
Sealing
Assembly and disassembly underwater are not possible without flooding the camera.
There are three basic components to the camera: the internal mechanism, an outer shell, and the interchangeable lens. The camera body consists of two black enameled cast alloy parts; one piece carries all the camera parts (winder, shutter, and viewfinder), which is lowered into the outer shell to assemble the body. They are locked together when the interchangeable lens is mounted to the camera. The camera-to-shell and lens-to-camera joints are sealed by greased O-rings to form a watertight unit.
To open the camera for film loading or unloading, the lens is dismounted and the carrying strap attachments are hooked under the top protrusions on either side; when the strap attachments are forced downwards, the internal mechanism is lifted out of the shell.
Operation
The portion of the internal mechanism that protrudes above the outer shell contains the built-in optical viewfinder for the 35mm standard lens, the shutter speed selector and rewind knobs, the winding mechanism and shutter release, and an accessory shoe for separate viewfinders to suit various purposes.
The most unusual feature of the Calypso is the combined wind-on and shutter release lever. A small rocking lever in front of the accessory shoe serves to lock the wind-on/shutter-release; the lock is disengaged by sliding it to the left (when the user is standing behind the camera). When unlocked, the wind-on/shutter-release swings forward away from the body by 65 degrees and is operated by the index finger. Depressing the lever back towards the body releases the shutter; after the shutter releases, the wind-on/shutter-release it relocates to the 65 degrees standoff position. Depressing the lever again cocks the shutter and winds on the film.
At the base of the camera, a special
flash sync
In photography, flash synchronization or flash sync is the synchronizing the firing of a photographic flash with the opening of the shutter admitting light to photographic film or electronic image sensor.
In cameras with mechanical (clockwor ...
connector is protected by an aluminium plug that can be removed by a coin and is sealed by an o-ring. In addition, the automatic resetting frame counter is on the base, visible behind a glass window. No tripod socket is provided.
A small rewind knob at the left-hand top is extended for easy access and to engage the film transport mechanism. No rewind release facility is required; this function was later added to the Nikonos and marked R on the shutter-speed dial.
Inside the camera, the film cassette engages the rewind fork at the top, and it is held in place by a hinged retaining ring at the bottom. The film lead passes under the fixed black film-pressure plate on its way to the slotted large diameter take-up spool. The spool always rotates the same angular amount to advance the film without a sprocket wheel drive. Acceptable frame spacing is accomplished by the large diameter take-up spool that reduces the effect of increasing spool diameter as more film is wound onto it.
Lenses
The special Calypso lens mount is of the bayonet variety with an O-ring sealing. The lens locks in place when two pins engage corresponding slots in the periphery of the lens mount. The spring action of the O-ring keeps the pins engaged. The lens is released by first pulling the lens away from the body, then making a quarter turn in either direction.
The original lenses are listed below; however later ''Nikonos LW-, W-, and UW-Nikkor'' lenses use the same bayonet mount and are compatible.
* SOM Berthiot 1:3.3 f=28mm
* SOM Berthiot 1:3.5 f=35mm
* Angénieux 1:2.8 f=45mm
The standard ''SOM BERTHIOT FLOR 1:3.5 f=35'' (mm)
lens
A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements ...
can be used both underwater and above due to the
optical flat
An optical flat is an optical-grade piece of glass lapped and polished to be extremely flat on one or both sides, usually within a few tens of nanometres (billionths of a metre). They are used with a monochromatic light to determine the flatn ...
protecting front glass, but the lens has no filter thread at the front. Two large aluminium knobs either side of the lens provides
aperture
In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane.
An ...
and
focusing controls.
[
SOM is an acronym for Société d'Optique et de Mécanique de Haute Précision, which manufactured lenses branded as SOM-Berthiot for still and cinema cameras.]
Variants
The vertical running metal-plate focal-plane shutter of the original Calypso has speeds from 1/30 to 1/1000 second, but a year later that was changed to 1/15 to 1/500 second. The camera was very early on advertised, and possibly sold as, the ''Calypso Phot''.
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{{div col end
Underwater cameras
135 film cameras
Belgian inventions