What Would Bresson Shoot?

chris00nj said:
For everyone speculating he'd go digital: he would hate the shutter lag.

He brought the camera up and clicked in a quick smooth motion. That wouldn't be possible with the 0.5+ second shutter lag on digital p&s cameras. A DSLR would be way to big a bulky.
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I'm sure there are generics and bargain-basement Kodaks, etc, that still have this issue. But their cheapie film zoom equivalents do too. I haven't shot a quality digital P&S in four years or more that had any more shutter lag than my FED-2. Myth, myth, myth.
 
Small point-and-shoot digital perhaps? I suppose the shutter lag might steer him clear. I'm thinking he'd go the smallest, least expensive DSLR. And he wouldn't use Photoshop!
 
I kind of think the GRD II with external finder, set to "snap mode" to eliminate shutter lag, might be a contender. The DP2, if it speeds up over the DP1, might be possible as well.

Come to think of it, who knows! The man loved quality equipment used over time, equipment which became an extension of his eye. He very well might be using a nice blacked out M8 with a C-Sonnar 50 or a 35 Summicron 🙂

Kent

ps- Bottom line... I am sure that regardless of the equipment his talent would show through.
 
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Al Kaplan said:
"If it ain't broke don't fix it!" His last M3 would probably still be functioning just fine and he probably wouldn't much care what the hell his lab man was using as long as his prints had that light silvery glow to them. They might well be digital prints nowadays. HCB was a shooter. His lab guy was a printer.
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Good point Al.

Kent
 
Someone like HCB today? Someone coming from painting wanting portability, high-quality, anonymity and money no object?

To start with, a small Rebel or a little Nikon D wearing a Tamron 17-55/2.8 because of its size. He'd tape over the logo.
 
I couldn't imagine him using anything less than the 'Safari' M8.2 ... with shoes and a cravat to match! :angel:
 
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If he still had a nice cosey relationship with Leica, I suspect a 0.85 MP/M7 with a slowish 50mm lens. Maybe a M8, but I am not so sure.
 
if i was born in the 70s, independently wealthy, and at the forefront of contemporary photography, i would be shooting a mamiya 645afdiii with a phase one p65+ back. different sort of camera for a different sort of time.
 
While I've never considered the question directly, I know his last camera was a Contax T, and I remember thinking years ago that the Canon SD10 was something of a modern day Contax T... fixed 38mm lens, pocketable, and an attention to fashionable design. I was sad that Canon never updated that camera in the "right" ways.

But I agree... shutter lag would have killed him. A worthwhile question: if shutter lag were no problem, would he compose on LCD / use liveview?
 
Bobfrance said:
Here's one for you guys. 😉
Along the same lines as 'what would Jesus drive?' This question occured to me when agonising over my next bout of GAS.

If HCB was alive and in his prime today, what camera do you expect he'd use?

I know we all love rangefinders here, but although my knowledge about the man is pretty patchy I seem to recall that he chose the Leica primarily because of it's portability and quality, and as a well off young man money wasn't an issue. I also heard that in later years he carried a Contax T around with him.

So fast forward to the 21st century - what would a young Bresson have in his hand today?

I'll kick off with something like a top end compact such as the Leica D-Lux 4.

Your thoughts folks?

Bob.
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an M8.... or maybe something else. it does not matter really.
 
If he were alive he'd probably still be shooting film - he wouldn't have to worry about the darkroom stuff or the cost - its what he would know. The question is, what would a young up and coming (potential HCB) photog shoot today. Someone who has been brought up with digital or at least has no hang ups about the film vs digital debate. The answer might be found by looking at some of the younger more recent Magnum "graduates". For instance, Alex Majoli, who, at least until recently was using relatively old Olympus digital P&S. It might ultimately depend on who is financing the gear acquisition.
 
I am confident that he would be using a Canon 5DmkII with 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM zoom. He would use them exclusively to shoot pictures of owls, then employ a Wacom Intuos-3 tablet and stylus to draw mustaches on them in Photoshop.
 
Al Kaplan said:
So true! That famous shot of the guy jumping over a puddle might have been a shot of the guy laying face down in the middle of the puddle.
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That is funny.Shutter lag ? What is that about? Reminds me of an IT chap who was trying to impress me about the merits of a graph writer," it can write so small that you cannot read it ".Shutter lag. Isn`t that missing the whole point?
 
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