Calypso (camera)

Lore & Background

Jean de Wouters was a member of Cousteau's crew during the maiden voyage of the RV Calypso. After discussing ideas for a camera capable of underwater use, de Wouters designed and built a prototype in 1957, which he called the Spiro. 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. The camera-to-shell and lens-to-camera joints are sealed by greased O-rings to form a watertight unit.

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. When unlocked, the lever 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 release, the lever relocates to the 65 degrees standoff position. Depressing the lever again cocks the shutter and winds on the film.

The original lenses included SOM Berthiot 1:3.3 f=28mm, SOM Berthiot 1:3.5 f=35mm, and Angénieux 1:2.8 f=45mm. The standard SOM BERTHIOT FLOR 1:3.5 f=35mm lens could be used both underwater and above due to the optical flat protecting front glass, but had no filter thread. Two large aluminium knobs either side of the lens provided aperture and focusing controls.

Reader's Guide

The Calypso camera represents a pivotal early step in underwater photography, directly leading to the Nikonos series that dominated the market for decades. Its design, born from the practical needs of Cousteau's oceanographic expeditions, introduced a modular approach with an internal mechanism sealed by O-rings within an outer shell. This allowed for reliable operation at depths up to 60 meters without complex housings. The camera's combined wind-on and shutter release lever was an innovative solution for gloved or underwater use. Although the Calypso itself had a relatively short production run, its bayonet lens mount proved forward-looking, as later Nikonos lenses remained compatible. The camera's legacy is primarily through the Nikonos, which continued the design lineage and became a standard for underwater photographers. The Calypso also demonstrates the cross-pollination between exploration and consumer technology, as a specialized tool for Cousteau's crew evolved into a commercially successful product line.

Did You Know?

• The Calypso was sometimes advertised as the 'CALYPSO-PHOT'.
• The camera body is covered in a grey imitation sealskin.
• No tripod socket is provided on the Calypso.
• The vertical running metal-plate focal-plane shutter of the original Calypso had speeds from 1/30 to 1/1000 second, changed a year later to 1/15 to 1/500 second.

From the Deck of the Calypso: Origins of a Pioneering Underwater Camera

Jean de Wouters served aboard the RV Calypso during its maiden voyage as part of Jacques Cousteau's marine exploration crew. It was during this period that the two discussed the need for a practical camera capable of functioning beneath the surface. De Wouters took on the challenge and by 1957 had built a working prototype, which he named the Spiro. The resulting design was a self-contained 35mm film camera rated for depths of 60 metres, manufactured by the French company Atoms and distributed through La Spirotechnique in Paris beginning in 1960. Cousteau, the renowned marine explorer who lived from 1910 to 1997, is credited with conceiving the project, while de Wouters handled the actual design work. The camera was occasionally marketed under the name Calypso-Phot. Its amphibious nature meant it was equally at home in air and water, a versatility that set it apart from earlier underwater photographic equipment. The grey imitation sealskin covering the body gave it a distinctive, almost organic appearance that suited its marine purpose.

Three-Part Architecture and the Art of Sealing

The Calypso's watertight integrity rests on a three-part architecture: an internal mechanism, an outer shell, and an interchangeable lens. The body itself is formed from two black enameled cast alloy sections. One section houses the winder, shutter, and viewfinder, and it is lowered into the second section to complete the assembly. The two halves are locked together only when the interchangeable lens is mounted, making the lens a critical structural element as well as an optical one. Both the camera-to-shell joint and the lens-to-camera joint are sealed with greased O-rings, creating a fully watertight unit. To open the camera for film loading, the photographer removes the lens and then uses the two carrying strap attachments—one on each side—as levers. Hooking these under top protrusions and forcing them downward lifts the internal mechanism clean out of the shell. The lens mount is a bayonet type with its own O-ring seal; two pins engage slots around the lens periphery, and the spring action of the O-ring keeps them locked. Releasing the lens requires pulling it away from the body and then a quarter turn in either direction.

One Lever, Two Jobs: Operating the Calypso

The most distinctive operational feature of the Calypso is its combined wind-on and shutter-release lever. A small rocking lever in front of the accessory shoe locks this mechanism; the user slides it to the left to disengage the lock. Once unlocked, the lever swings forward to a 65-degree standoff from the body, where it is operated by the index finger. Pressing it back toward the camera fires the shutter, and it returns to the 65-degree position. A second press cocks the shutter and advances the film. Other operational details reflect practical compromises: the flash sync connector at the base is protected by an aluminium plug removed with a coin, and no tripod socket is provided. The automatic frame counter sits on the base behind a glass window. Inside, the film transport uses a large-diameter take-up spool rather than sprocket wheels; the spool always rotates the same angular amount per frame, and its large diameter minimises the effect of increasing spool radius as film accumulates. The rewind knob at the left top is extended for easy access, and no separate rewind release is needed—a function that would later appear on the Nikonos.

The Nikonos Inheritance: A Legacy That Outlived Its Creator

The Calypso's story did not end with its French production run. To reach a broader market, the design was sold to Nikon in Japan, and in 1963 the company released it as the Nikonos. That single product grew into a long-lived series of underwater cameras that became one of the most recognised names in the field, ultimately culminating in the short-lived 35mm SLR Nikonos RS in 1992. The original Calypso's vertical running metal-plate focal-plane shutter offered speeds from 1/30 to 1/1000 second, though a year after introduction this range was revised to 1/15 to 1/500 second. The camera's bayonet lens mount proved enduring: later Nikonos LW-, W-, and UW-Nikkor lenses share the same mount and remain compatible with the original body. The standard SOM Berthiot 1:3.5 f=35mm lens, with its optical flat protecting the front glass, could be used both underwater and in air, though it lacked a filter thread. SOM, standing for Société d'Optique et de Mécanique de Haute Précision, had manufactured lenses for both still and cinema cameras under the SOM-Berthiot brand. The Calypso thus stands as the quiet ancestor of an entire lineage of underwater photography.

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