Vietnam War Cameras

[btaylor]

Wasn’t the Graflex XL the official military camera?

 

[chip j]

The regular, old olive-drab left-over Speed Graphics were the official US Army camera in Germany at that time. I was a US Army Still Photographer in the 97th Signal Battalion Photo Platoon at that time and that's what we were issued and had to use almost all the time. We had a M3 for 35mm slides.

 

[guangong]

As far as I can find online, Nikon F seems to be the most widely used camera for photojournalists.

humidity would be a real camera-killer down there, so I suppose a rugged, fairly cheap camera system would be a better and more common choice than the m3 (which was also used, it's rugged, but it was also very expensive).

Nikons were not given away. Back then they were also very expensive. Choices between Nikon and Leica had more to do with personal preferences than cost. Also, news agencies often supplied cameras so cost wasn’t a factor.

 

[bdial]

Wasn’t the Graflex XL the official military camera?

Depends on the exact time, and which branch. I was an Air Force photographer, and XL's were the standard for the Air Force, but were a relatively new standard in 1972, we had Nikon F's for 35mm work (mostly slides).

 

[summicron1]

Wasn’t the Graflex XL the official military camera?

I"ve seen stories of photographers "accidentally" losing their XLs out the window so they could switch to a Nikon. The government bought the Graflex on contract -- it was a buy-american thing -- but anyone could see a 35mm camera was vastly superior for combat work.

 

[btaylor]

I"ve seen stories of photographers "accidentally" losing their XLs out the window so they could switch to a Nikon. The government bought the Graflex on contract -- it was a buy-american thing -- but anyone could see a 35mm camera was vastly superior for combat work.

Yes, I have read that too. I just got one of those XL's. I have wanted one since about 1970. The promise seems so great, Zeiss lenses on a rugged American-made Graflex body. Apparently they were much disliked by the photographers who were assigned to use them. The idea of using it in a combat situation just seems ludicrous, it is fairly large, unwieldy, only takes a few frames per roll and has no interlocks between the shutter and film advance-- primitive compared to the Nikon F.

 

[Dennis-B]

In 1969-70, I was assigned to a public affairs office in the Navy. While we had a number of Photographer's Mates at Quonset Point NAS, we had some Mamiya C-3's, a couple of Speed Graphics, and some Nikon F's without metered prisms. I often used my own Pentax Spotmatic, since I was familiar with it, and I also had my own Minolta Autocord for medium format. I didn't like the Speed Graphics because they were so big, and the Mamiya's were always checked out by the CPO's.

Over at Quonset Point, they had a very well stocked camera shop, since they also did a lot of portrait work for officer purposes.

 

[GRHazelton]

Somewhere I have a copy of a USN manual for Photographer's Mate. I seem to recall that, in addition to much valuable material, a sequence taken with a 4 x 5. probably a Speed Graphic, of a carrier landing gone amiss. Since I've used a 2 x 3 Speed Graphic I can only imagine that the unnamed shooter either was using a film pack, or was incrediably dexterous. He would have loved to have given a motor drive camera of any make!

 

[btaylor]

"In 1969-70, I was assigned to a public affairs office in the Navy. While we had a number of Photographer's Mates at Quonset Point NAS, we had some Mamiya C-3's, a couple of Speed Graphics, and some Nikon F's without metered prisms. I often used my own Pentax Spotmatic, since I was familiar with it, and I also had my own Minolta Autocord for medium format. I didn't like the Speed Graphics because they were so big, and the Mamiya's were always checked out by the CPO's."

That makes a lot of sense. The C3 is a great camera to use, and rugged. No wonder they were checked out. By 1970 the Speed Graphic had long been overtaken by the convenience of the TLR. Your Spotmatic with the built in meter and great lenses was a sweet spot at the time and affordable. I had one back then, it was my first "good" camera. A nice one came up on the classifieds recently and I bought it for old times sake. That M42 mount is so versatile. I like using even today!

 

[Dennis-B]

"In 1969-70, I was assigned to a public affairs office in the Navy. While we had a number of Photographer's Mates at Quonset Point NAS, we had some Mamiya C-3's, a couple of Speed Graphics, and some Nikon F's without metered prisms. I often used my own Pentax Spotmatic, since I was familiar with it, and I also had my own Minolta Autocord for medium format. I didn't like the Speed Graphics because they were so big, and the Mamiya's were always checked out by the CPO's."

That makes a lot of sense. The C3 is a great camera to use, and rugged. No wonder they were checked out. By 1970 the Speed Graphic had long been overtaken by the convenience of the TLR. Your Spotmatic with the built in meter and great lenses was a sweet spot at the time and affordable. I had one back then, it was my first "good" camera. A nice one came up on the classifieds recently and I bought it for old times sake. That M42 mount is so versatile. I like using even today!

I traded the Spotmatic in for a Nikkormat in 1973. But, last winter I bought a Pentax Spotmatic ESII and and SPII. I love using them!

 

[bdial]

Guys complained about the rangefinder accuracy on XL's, also they were a little slow to use since the film advance and shutter cocking were separate. Early on, I had a chance to switch over to a Rollieflex TLR, and I didn't use XL's all that much. Later the AF settled on Koni-Omegas, which were a big improvement.
AF photogs weren't in on much ground combat, so small cameras weren't such a priority, though guys flew in the back seat of RF-4's and in larger combat aircraft using those XL's. Even Nikon F's can get pretty heavy at 4 or 5 G's.

OTH, the still photographers had it pretty easy compared to the motion picture guys who were toting Arriflex 16 mm movie cameras around, XL's are lightweights in comparison.

 

[CMoore]

Guys complained about the rangefinder accuracy on XL's, also they were a little slow to use since the film advance and shutter cocking were separate. Early on, I had a chance to switch over to a Rollieflex TLR, and I didn't use XL's all that much. Later the AF settled on Koni-Omegas, which were a big improvement.
AF photogs weren't in on much ground combat, so small cameras weren't such a priority, though guys flew in the back seat of RF-4's and in larger combat aircraft using those XL's. Even Nikon F's can get pretty heavy at 4 or 5 G's.

OTH, the still photographers had it pretty easy compared to the motion picture guys who were toting Arriflex 16 mm movie cameras around, XL's are lightweights in comparison.

An excellent perspective.....Thank You

 

[Photoguy365]

There is an excellent book called "Requiem" that came out in the late 90s early 2000s, that documented several Vietnam photographers who wee killed in action. The images are hauntingly beautiful. I am constantly reminded that as technology has advanced, photographers have gotten lazier. Once upon a time, photography was about capturing a moment. There was an art to it. Now we just blow 100 shots and pick the best one in the camera.

 

[faberryman]

I am constantly reminded that as technology has advanced, photographers have gotten lazier. Once upon a time, photography was about capturing a moment. There was an art to it. Now we just blow 100 shots and pick the best one in the camera.

Speak for yourself.

 

[Photoguy365]

Speak for yourself.

It was a generalization. Most new photographers don't understand the fundamentals of photography. Or know the smell of fixer..lol!

 

[faberryman]

It was a generalization. Most new photographers don't understand the fundamentals of photography. Or know the smell of fixer..lol!

Much as people around here want it to be true, knowing the smell of fixer is not a prerequisite to being a good photographer.

 

[btaylor]

The funny thing is, when you look at it, great photography hasn't gotten "better" over the last 150 years. Can we document more things in more different ways than ever before? Yes. But great photographs are just that, great. Just because we have more technologically advanced equipment and materials than a hundred years ago the creation is in still in the vision of the eye and mind of the photographer.

Did painting "improve" with the development of acrylic paints?

 

[chip j]

I suppose an argument could be made that better materials have led to lousy art in all fields.

 

[faberryman]

I suppose an argument could be made that better materials have led to lousy art in all fields.

Yeah, you can argue just about anything. How convincing you would be is an entirely different matter.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

"In 1969-70, I was assigned to a public affairs office in the Navy. While we had a number of Photographer's Mates at Quonset Point NAS, we had some Mamiya C-3's, a couple of Speed Graphics, and some Nikon F's without metered prisms. I often used my own Pentax Spotmatic, since I was familiar with it, and I also had my own Minolta Autocord for medium format. I didn't like the Speed Graphics because they were so big, and the Mamiya's were always checked out by the CPO's."

That makes a lot of sense. The C3 is a great camera to use, and rugged. No wonder they were checked out. By 1970 the Speed Graphic had long been overtaken by the convenience of the TLR. Your Spotmatic with the built in meter and great lenses was a sweet spot at the time and affordable. I had one back then, it was my first "good" camera. A nice one came up on the classifieds recently and I bought it for old times sake. That M42 mount is so versatile. I like using even today!

The Spotmatics are still a "sweet spot", I have a yardsale SPF, an SP1000, and an H1a - although I'm pretty heavily committed to Nikons as a system, I'm putting together a basic Pentax outfit because they're so nice to use, my favorite is the 1000.

 

[CMoore]

The Spotmatics are still a "sweet spot", I have a yardsale SPF, an SP1000, and an H1a - although I'm pretty heavily committed to Nikons as a system, I'm putting together a basic Pentax outfit because they're so nice to use, my favorite is the 1000.

There are 3 or 4 Pentax 35mm i would Love To Own.
But i have a similar Problem/Issue as yourself.....Lots of lens and bodies for Nikon...and Canon, Oly and Minolta.
I am almost 60 and do not give enough play time to the cameras i own now.

 

[Jim Jones]

Many of the best of old photographs have survived to become icons of their era. They certainly look good when compared to most of today's infinite selection of images. The best of the nearly 100.000 photos I've taken with Nikon DSLRs over the past 7 years are perhaps a little better than the best of ten thousand film photographs accumulated over the previous six decades. However, the average of the digital images is poorer. With the DSLR I sometimes bracket because it is faster than analyzing a histogram. I also take more photos of trivial subjects.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

There are 3 or 4 Pentax 35mm i would Love To Own.
But i have a similar Problem/Issue as yourself.....Lots of lens and bodies for Nikon...and Canon, Oly and Minolta.
I am almost 60 and do not give enough play time to the cameras i own now.

I have the Nikons, once my only 35 was an F with lenses, a working outfit at one time. Now, 5 Nikon bodies and a couple more focal lengths, they're cheap, sometimes free. A Kiev/Contax rf outfit, with 2 Kievs and one Contax & lenses from 35 to 135. Then a couple Rolleis, a Standard & an Automat, both free. A 4x5 and an 8x10, which were nowhere near free. All of the preceding get used regularly, some more than others, lately the rfs and the Rolleis getting the most use. The other 35 or so cameras get used when the mood strikes me, 5 or 6 are about to be given to a nearby community college though, all K-mounts.

 

[CMoore]

Again, i have a similar problem with the Canon A-Series..... they were fine cameras, but i could not put them to use...just too many other 35mm bodies.
Even with a 100 dollar CLA and 30 dollars of shipping, i could not get 80 dollars for an A-1 or AE1-P. I donated one of each to my local college as well. I still have one of each model remaining.
I guess i will try soothing real cheap...maybe 60 bux with shipping included and see if i can find the other two a good home, with a member on APUG.

 

[AgX]

A few hints at conditions and techniques

''We had limited amount of film.''
''A single roll, 70 frames, for the duration of the war.'' (a hint at half/format)


https://mashable.com/2016/02/05/another-vietnam-photography/#aIS2ySHscGqW