Nikon F and the vietnam war

[Paul Howell]

It would make sense as the SLR was rapidly replacing rangefinders, when a Leica was carried it was with a wide angle lens. I carried a Canon 7S or Leica IIIG wilth either a 28 or 35mm lens a second body until the early 80s when I replaced it with a second Nikon.

 

[mshchem]

I remember I turned 18 in 1973, I got a draft card, thankfully the US involvement was winding down as I wasn't called up. I bought a new Nikon F2S the same year, (I really hated the LED meter display) I have a couple F2 and F bodies today, with plain prisms

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

The view from the North:

Another Vietnam: Pictures of the War from the Other Side: Page, Tim, Cleland, Senator Max: 9780792264651: Amazon.com: Books

Another Vietnam: Pictures of the War from the Other Side [Page, Tim, Cleland, Senator Max] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Another Vietnam: Pictures of the War from the Other Side

www.amazon.com

Vietnam's Photographic History, Told by the Winners

An exhibit shows how North Vietnamese photographers documented their country’s bloody war, volunteering to risk their lives.

archive.nytimes.com

The North's PJ's were sent south to walk the Ho Chi Minh trail with a Praktica and one roll of film.

 

[Terrence Brennan]

My wife and I attended an exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Centre in—was it 1999?—about the photographers who were killed in the Vietnam War, and many of their their photographs were on display.

Most of the photographers killed were Vietnamese, but there were many others, notably Robert Capa; among the photographs on display were his last two images, one black and white and one colour, as the caption card indicated he had two camera bodies that day.

At the entrance to the exhibition was a composite image of all of the photographers who were killed, as well as a huge photograph of a Nikon F, which had a bullet hole right through the right side of the camera.

Years later, when I was a staff photographer at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, I attended an exhibition of the photographs of the British photographer, Don McCullin. He walked the crowd through the exhibition, talking about his photography.

At one point, he mentioned how he had had a Nikon F camera shot out of his hands; naturally, I thought if the photograph I had seen years earlier. When his walk through was ended, and he was taking questions from the viewers, I told him about what I had seen in Chicago, and asked if that was his Nikon F. He replied no, but said he was nearby when it happened.

I was also able to make some exposures when he was talking to the viewers, and I guestimated the exposure to be 1/30 @ f/2, for where he was standing, which was near the photographs he was talking about, but not under the lights which illuminated his photographs. I went back afterwards and measured the light with my Lunasix-3, and the exposure was correct for a film rated at ISO 800, and I had loaded my camera with HP5. However, his photographs on the wall were horribly overexposed.

 

[Arthurwg]

Photographers and writers had unprecedented access to the Vietnam war, something that never happened in the past and will likely never happen again.

 

[Terrence Brennan]

In the documentary, “Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War,” the author of the book the documentary is based on, journalist, Michael Maclear, he states, “Vietnam was the first war fought without censorship.”

 

[Tel]

I remember I turned 18 in 1973, I got a draft card, thankfully the US involvement was winding down as I wasn't called up. I bought a new Nikon F2S the same year, (I really hated the LED meter display) I have a couple F2 and F bodies today, with plain prisms

I bought my first F second-hand in 1974 and it was my only camera for the next 12 years. Sold it in ’86 in London to pay the airfare back to the States. My go-to 35mm SLR is an F2 these days, with the plain prism (I always meter off-camera) and a Micro-Nikkor 55. The years spent without a Nikon were stressful.

 

[Arthurwg]

And are you aware that Larry Burrows was the lab technician that fried Robert Capa's negatives from the D-Day landings.

Burrows always denied that.

 

[Arthurwg]

There is a great book that I hesitate to recommend because I just looked up the price on Amazon, but if you can find a cheap copy it is 'Requiem-By The Photographers Who Died in Vietnam and Indochina', lots of pictures of camera's as a side bar to the serious intent of the book. If not that you can make do with Dennis Hopper as the photojournalist in the film Apocalypse Now', plenty of Nikon's on show.

Steve

Just dug out my copy after not looking at it for several years. It's spectacular! Beautifully put together, truly great photographs, unbelievably moving.

 

[Paul Howell]

It was also made into a documentary shows up on cable from time to time.

 

[Pioneer]

I never seen anyone carrying a Leica on my tour. I guess the PJs that followed us around couldn't afford them. Several Nikons and lots of Spotmatics and Minoltas. I bought a Minolta after I left and later a Spottie.

 

[Paul Howell]

The Air Force was using M2 and 3, generally we were allowed to use either one or a Nikon F our unit commander did not see any reason to carry both on the same mission. My older brother is a tour in 1967, he was in the signal corps, he carried his own Spotmatic. He told me that the Army photographer was still using a combat Graphic until he ditched it for a Spotmatic he bought at the BX.

 

[chuckroast]

This thread brought this to mind - not just Vietnam but 100 best war pictures:

https://www.generatorjoe.net/html/entertainment/100GreatestMilitaryPhotographs.pdf

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Last photo at AP headquaters as Saigon fell. Interesting story of the key news reporters who reported the war from there and their photographers.

As communist troops streamed into Saigon, a few remaining reporters kept photos and stories flowing

They'd watched overnight as the bombardments grew closer, and observed through binoculars as the last U.S. Marines piled into a helicopter on the roof of the embassy to be whisked away from Saigon. O...

www.yahoo.com

 

[FriedLouisStudio]

I noticed this article in today's NYT. I didn't see any mention of Nikons, but there are some amazing images here.

How Photography From the Vietnam War Changed America

The images changed how the world saw Vietnam, but especially how Americans saw their country, soldiers and the war itself, which ended 50 years ago this month.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I noticed this article in today's NYT. I didn't see any mention of Nikons, but there are some amazing images here.

How Photography From the Vietnam War Changed America

The images changed how the world saw Vietnam, but especially how Americans saw their country, soldiers and the war itself, which ended 50 years ago this month.

www.nytimes.com

I bought a Nikon F Photomic T in 1965 in Japan when I was in the service during the Vietnam war. At the time, Nikon was the lead camera maker of SLR's and Nikon F series was the top model.

 

[Arthurwg]

This thread brought this to mind - not just Vietnam but 100 best war pictures:

https://www.generatorjoe.net/html/entertainment/100GreatestMilitaryPhotographs.pdf

Wow! Thanks for posting. Reminds me of my first encounter with war photos as a small child. Edward Steichen edited a large soft-cover book of WWII US Navy war photographs that my father brought home. Really freaked me out. Sold for 10 cents a copy.

 

[Ben 4]

I noticed this article in today's NYT. I didn't see any mention of Nikons, but there are some amazing images here.

How Photography From the Vietnam War Changed America

The images changed how the world saw Vietnam, but especially how Americans saw their country, soldiers and the war itself, which ended 50 years ago this month.

www.nytimes.com

Thanks for linking this. The b&w images just look right—they're very evocative. The color (there are only a few) not so much. I don't know whether it's the way they've aged, or my own expectations of news photos from that time, but the color images look…unnatural.

 

[Arthurwg]

I noticed this article in today's NYT. I didn't see any mention of Nikons, but there are some amazing images here.

How Photography From the Vietnam War Changed America

The images changed how the world saw Vietnam, but especially how Americans saw their country, soldiers and the war itself, which ended 50 years ago this month.

www.nytimes.com

Thanks for posting. This didn't show up on my digital feed for some reason. Had to search for it.

 

[John Wiegerink]

I have stayed out of this because my memory isn't the best. I was in. Vietnam in 1969-70 and from what I saw most of our Marine photog's carried Nikon F's with plain prisms. I remember seeing more that one with the 105mm Nikkor. When I was back at the rear on Hill 55 we had a ceremony when Defense Secretary Melvin Laird visited the Hill and I think I remember either Speed Graphics or Koni-Omega cameras, but I'm not sure. I, myself, carried my trusty, sexy Miranda Sensorex with 50mm.

 

[pentaxuser]

I bought my first F second-hand in 1974 and it was my only camera for the next 12 years. Sold it in ’86 in London to pay the airfare back to the States. My go-to 35mm SLR is an F2 these days, with the plain prism (I always meter off-camera) and a Micro-Nikkor 55. The years spent without a Nikon were stressful.

I've never had one so imagine how stressful I feel

pentaxuser

 

[Paul Howell]

I have stayed out of this because my memory isn't the best. I was in. Vietnam in 1969-70 and from what I saw most of our Marine photog's carried Nikon F's with plain prisms. I remember seeing more that one with the 105mm Nikkor. When I was back at the rear on Hill 55 we had a ceremony when Defense Secretary Melvin Laird visited the Hill and I think I remember either Speed Graphics or Koni-Omega cameras, but I'm not sure. I, myself, carried my trusty, sexy Miranda Sensorex with 50mm.

From memory, folks I've talked and read over the years the Air Force, Marines and Army used Nikon F, the Navy used Topcon, the last being the Super DM, or later some air recon units were issued Canon F1. The Air Force still had Leica M2 and 3, which were phase out by the mid 70s. The Air Force had Speed and Super Speed for 4X5 along with Graphic XL that were unreliable and replaced by Konic Omega.

 

[John Wiegerink]

From memory, folks I've talked and read over the years the Air Force, Marines and Army used Nikon F, the Navy used Topcon, the last being the Super DM, or later some air recon units were issued Canon F1. The Air Force still had Leica M2 and 3, which were phase out by the mid 70s. The Air Force had Speed and Super Speed for 4X5 along with Graphic XL that were unreliable and replaced by Konic Omega.

When I was still in the camera dealing business I acquired two black Topcoats the were clearly stamped "Property of U.S. Navy". Like I said, I don't remember what the Marine Corps photographers were using for larger than 35mm. Being a branch of the Navy they might have been using what the Navy was.

 

[Paul Howell]

Navy Topcons are collectable, most were well used. In 73 or 74 I attended a Navy Sponsored photographer's seminar in San Francisco. During a general session the topic came as to why the Navy was using Topcons, The story that been going around was that someone in Navy Procurement thought because some were marked Besslser, that Topcon was made in the U.S. In those days American made equipment was by law given a priority. Which is why the Air Force bought the Graphic XL and had to justife buying Koni Omega. Well at the conferance the OIC in charge of Navy Photogrpahy procument, trainnging and best practice was there. He said that everyone knew that there were not American made 35mm SLRs that were prolevel. He said that the Topcon was chosen after extenswive testing. Unlike the Nikon F and F2 which had just come out, the Topcon's meter was built into the body, when using a waist level or sports finder the meter did not disappear. The lens tested as good or better than Nikon, the motor drive as more robust and Topcon came in with the lowest bid when body, lens, and motor drives were factored togeather.

For what ever reason Topcon never caught on and after marketing a K mount version of the RE dropped out of the market in 77 or 76.

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

Navy Topcons are collectable, most were well used. In 73 or 74 I attended a Navy Sponsored photographer's seminar in San Francisco. During a general session the topic came as to why the Navy was using Topcons, The story that been going around was that someone in Navy Procurement thought because some were marked Besslser, that Topcon was made in the U.S. In those days American made equipment was by law given a priority. Which is why the Air Force bought the Graphic XL and had to justife buying Koni Omega. Well at the conferance the OIC in charge of Navy Photogrpahy procument, trainnging and best practice was there. He said that everyone knew that there were not American made 35mm SLRs that were prolevel. He said that the Topcon was chosen after extenswive testing. Unlike the Nikon F and F2 which had just come out, the Topcon's meter was built into the body, when using a waist level or sports finder the meter did not disappear. The lens tested as good or better than Nikon, the motor drive as more robust and Topcon came in with the lowest bid when body, lens, and motor drives were factored togeather.

For what ever reason Topcon never caught on and after marketing a K mount version of the RE dropped out of the market in 77 or 76.

As they say in the infantry, never forget that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.