Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/12/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I have just bought the above book in very good condition from the local library sale for £2 ($3.20). I was interested to read in the photo information that all shots (1951) were taken on a Leica IIIC but Duncan comments: "Every photograph ... was taken with a Leica camera but fitted with Nikkor lenses ... made in occupied Japan. Horace Bristol, former Life and Fortune photographer ... began experimenting with a new line of Nikkor lenses ... and found to our utter astonishment that their three standard lenses for 35mm cameras were far superior ... to any standard 35mm lenses available on the open market - British, American or German. Except for our wide angle and extreme telephoto lenses - above 135mm - we ... re-equiped with only Nikkor lenses. The Nikkors that we found best were 50mm f1.5, 85mm f2 and 135mm f3.5. As the Korean war progressed ... the reputation of the new lenses spread until, in a matter of only three months, there was scarcely a photographer working out of Japan who was not using Nikkors on his cameras." The photographic detail runs to a full page of close type in the book, and is very interesting reading. Duncan goes into detail of film type and developers, together with individual lens choice, aperture and shutter speed for some of the work. To have remembered such detail after such traumatic shooting is quite remarkable! A very interesting £2's worth. Gerry Gerry Walden (UK)