Vietnam War footage: Cameras observed

G

_goodtimez

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Hi Folks,

I'm quite interested into looking at the various aspects of the Vietnam War, not that I loved it or hated it; I just enjoy watching what happened in this era.
On the following movie, around time 05 mn 30 s, several cameras can be observed. 2 of them are Nikonos 3 hanging from the neck of one of the soldier.
There is another one just before that action, can't tell what type though.
Interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDy0Z3HSkTE

I've watched carefully and there are cameras at the following times:
2:11, 2:39, 4:03, 4:09, 4:30, 5:30, 7:15, 7:25
 
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According to this page (I just found via google), the photographer (at around 5:30) seems to be Sgt. William L. Dickman. Unfortunately there are no more pages than this one.
 
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From actual footage and magazine photos I remember, journalists carried two types, Nikons and Leicas. I never ever saw anything else.

One man recounted how he had multiple Leica M and they were cycled back to Japan for CLA almost monthy for check out and clean up. The humidity, dirt, moisture, & general rough treatment was pretty hard on them. It was a war you know and more than one journalist was killed.

The Leicas were fitted with wide to normal lenses and Nikons normal to tele. The single exception was a photo a Japanese journalist did of a refugee swimming across a river and it was a 135 2.8 on Leica.
 
Larry Burrows shot Nikon F or Nikkormat SLR's and Leica's:

burrows.jpg

I recently went this route with my camera's. The Nikkormat with portrait lens (mine is a 105mm) is a great center-weighted meter, the top read-out of the meter is really useful.

EDIT: the book to read is this one:
LostOverLaos.jpg
 
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I started to watch the Youtube clip but didn't make it to the end ... the concept of war really freaks me out as do the guns and any other device made specifically to end human lives.

The importance of war photographers can't be over emphasised though IMO ... they are there to bring this horror to the rest of the world and maybe cause people to think a little harder about man's inumanity to his fellow man.

Not an anti war rant, sorry ... I just find this type of footage really confronting!
 
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Another great book, Requiem, filled with images by and of photographers who lost their lives in Vietnam and Indochina.
 
EDIT: the book to read is this one:
LostOverLaos.jpg
[/quote]

I ordered this book second hand from amazon. I'm longing to receive it. Thanks for the advice.
 
On the same subject another book to look at is "Shooting Under Fire: The World of the War Photographer" by Peter Howe, artisan Press 2002. On a more personal note I had a cousin who was a war photographer. He was killed over Europe during WWII.
 
xayraa33 said:
I am amazed that they still used M1 carbines and M3(grease gun) sub machine guns in 1968.
Click to expand...

I think they were left over from earlier times, or were "smuggled" in by people who believed them superior for whatever reason. The 30-30 round of the carbine would have been a better leaf cutter by a little. The military .45 round was greatly over rated. I saw carbines, but not many. Often I think they may have been liberated from VC. The grease gun was fun to play with. However, the M-16 was superior in all respects for Vietnam and most other combat. That's true but hard to say for an old M-1 sharpshooter and afficionado.

DanOnRoute66 said:
The U.S. Army used the M1 carbine until 1973 and the M3 submachine gun until 1992. Some forces around the world are still using them.
Click to expand...

I was not aware of that. They may have been in the inventory, but I would not have thought they were used for anything but arming indigenous troops in various parts of the world, or for special ops trying to disallow any connection with the USA. If you know different I would be interested in hearing more, because most troops from mid-60s were using M-16s.
 
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