Nikonos RS
Beginning with the original in 1963, Nikonos cameras had always been the standard for photographers who wanted to work underwater, or even just in very wet conditions. The Nikonos series of cameras proved their mettle with the likes of Jacques Cousteau and Vietnam war photographers. In 1992, when Nikon set out to make the Nikonos RS underwater camera, they definitely had a head start that other camera makers envied.
Far from being merely an update to the Nikonos V of 1984, the Nikonos RS was a completely new design. The first, and arguably the biggest difference between the Nikons RS and its immediate predecessors, is that it is a true Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. Whereas the other cameras in the Nikonos series had been viewfinder cameras with zone focusing scales on the fronts of the lenses, the RS offered the view through the lens. Thanks to this, Nikon was able to incorporate its already famous auto-focus system into the RS. Along with that system, Nikon released four new lenses ranging from prime 13mm fisheye, 28mm, 50mm f/2.8, and a 20-35mm f/2.8 zoom.
The camera's internals are housed in a cast aluminum body and protected by Nikon's orange o-rings. Rated for water pressures up to 100 feet, the Nikonos RS offers the opportunity to photograph in the most challenging of environments. While they provided great weather sealing when new, these o-rings tend not to age well and, without proper maintenance, will fail - leaving a camera with flooded film and electronics.
Despite the engineering, lens advancements, and brilliant controls, the Nikonos RS was not able to overcome the problems of taking sophisticated electronic equipment underwater. Even as Nikon discontinued the Nikon RS in 1996, after a brief four year production run, its simpler camera, the Nikonos V was still being manufactured into 2001. In the case of underwater cameras, it seems the wave of the past is closer to being the wave of the future.
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