New York Times, "3 Days With Fidel" A Fascinating slide show well worth watching: Castro on tour in the Cuban Boonies, photographs narrated by the photographer, Richard Eder. One of the opening images shows him loading, maybe, a Nikon F or SP?
Check out the 1959 issue of Photography Annual published by Popular Photography. It contains several 1957 photos by Andrew St. George of the Cuban revolutionaries before they took control of the island. Tellingly perhaps, considering the subsequent course of events, the first photo (p. 15) depicts an execution. The accompanying notes indicate that St. George used a Plaubel Makina III for that shot, although the other photos in the series were shot with a Nikon SP. He also used Perutz Peromnia film. (I knew I'd have some use for that old photo annual if I just kept it around long enough!)
Yes, copake - check out photographer Roberto Salas' site or my friend, Jack Kenny who photographed in Havana in the 90's and up to a few years ago, pub. a book, 'Cuba' http://www.jkennyphoto.com/ Note: Jack has a portrait by Salas of Che using a Nikon hanging in exhibit now, also many vintage prints by Salas for sale.
I picked up some postcards of Che hoisting a few different old cameras during a recent vacation there. I'm not well versed enough in retro gear to be able to tell what they are.
Che and Fidel were apparently very media-savvy in those heady early days; I recall reading a few paragraphs from one of the many books for sale there about "The Motorcycle Diaries" that Che was quite an expert poser.