If you have read my previous post you know that my man and I visited Curaçao and Bonaire this winter. One of our favourite things to do while in the Caribbean is snorkeling. And for some reasons I cannot really explain I have decided that film is my medium of choice for underwater photography. I have a Nikonos V, which handles beautifully when in good condition, with a couple of lenses: 15mm, 35mm and 80mm. My first Nikonos V got lost in the North Sea last summer, so this was the first outing with my new second-hand copy. It turned out not to be the best one, after a few days the film transport got jammed, which meant I had a lot of fiddling around to do under water to advance the film. In the end it got totally stuck, and I had to remove the last film in the changing bag at home. After opening the electronic chamber in the camera it became clear there was a lot of sand and/or salt inside the camera, probably causing the jamming. It’s a shame, but you know buying on eBay involves a bit of a risk.
Anyway, despite the jamming I made quite a few photos, which I want to share here. I have to warn you, the results are not there yet, I need a lot more practise (or: I need a lot more visits to the Caribbean 😉 ).
35mm lens
First a few results with the 35mm lens, the most convenient one for me:
I have had better results before with the Nikonos, but I believe there is another a couple of reasons why this trip was more challenging:
- Handling of the camera was not as smooth, leaving me more stressed than usual.
- There was a lot of wind, and consequently more waves and rough water.
- There were some overcast days, with less light.
- I am not that stable underwater (yet!). With snorkelling, the viewpoint is not always great, looking from above. So I am practising free diving to get closer, but I am not very good at it causing more waves underwater, air bubbles, and motion blur. I haven’t given up, I believe I will get better next time…
An example of the last point: the next two photos are taken from the same spot, one is covered with out-of-focus air bubbles, and one is rather clean. The air bubbles arise from me splashing around underwater to try to get down, and stay down. But I am improving, as you can see from the second shot. However in this specific case I think the air bubble effect is also quite pleasing.
80mm lens
The 80mm lens is a lens I have used before on the Nikonos, but not very often. It requires more light, which isn’t always available, and framing and focussing are harder. But when I get focus right, the results are rather pleasing as I can get more details from the fish.
15mm lens
The 15mm lens was new to me for this trip, and it takes some getting used to. For most occasions, it seems to be too wide. But the larger depth of focus is very convenient. I will have to think about how to use it best next time. It would help again if my freediving gets better, then I can get closer to the fish and coral and use the wider field of view to my advantage. But still some nice results:
Some results on Portra 800: what great colours!
To finish the post, the photo of my favourite encounter of the holiday, the sea turtle:
If you want to see more underwater photos taken with the Nikonos V, check the post on Greece here.
Thanks for reading!
Guys have it easier, they do not have so much built in buoyancy!
Hahaha, right! I do have a lot of buoyancy. Most of the time that comes in very handy though…
Hi Aukje, as someone who loves snorkeling in the same waters I love these photos. I’ve been considering getting a Nikonos 3 or 4. But I’m not sure what to do about light metering. I thought I could always overexpose by a stop or two and use films like Portra that can handle it well. But if I were to ever try slide film, I feel like I will need to get some actual light meter readings. How do you estimate exposure?
I wonder if putting a simple analog light meter into a small waterproof pouch (such as those designed for a smartphone) would be one easy way of bringing a meter with me.
Thanks!
Hi Ilya, thanks for visiting, and for your kind words. I choose the Nikonos V because of the light meter. There are waterproof light meters, but I found that too cumbersome, bringing something extra underwater. Also, the light can change rather quickly with clouds blocking the sun, or under rocks. And doing a reading for every shot is not always possible, specifically if chasing a fish :-). So for me, I decided that I would need the light meter in the camera.
I suppose you could use a waterproof pouch with a light meter, but it is not something I have tried. Do you snorkel with companions? I sometimes ask my man exposure values his digital camera uses to check the meter values of the Nikonos (as a check to see if the battery is ok).