Cartier-Bresson, which Leicas?

[landsknechte]

There's so much made of Cartier-Bresson using Leicas. Out of curiosity, what do we know about the specific models and lenses he used?

 

[edho]

I think he used a black paint M3 (or a chrome M3 masked with black tape?)with 50mm summicron. See the picture attached.

 

[varjag]

His most used lenses apparently were Elmar 50/3.5, Car Zeiss Sonnar 1.5/50, and collapsible Summicron. He was known to use other lenses (even in other focals than 50 *gasp*) on and off.

 

[tomasis]

IF I remember right, his lens has painted black line on scale 2 meter or so. it is for that he could quickly rotate the lens back for quicker focus later.

 

[rolleistef]

he also used a leica standard at the beginning (I posted a photo of it quite a while ago), he had bought it in marseilles when getting back from his trip in central-africa because of mosquito flu (paludism?), then a III, IIIc (not sure) IIIf, M3 and then I don't know.
He didn't like Doisneau's Rolleiflex because "you're eye is supposed to be on your head and not on your belly". However, the flex was the safest camera when making reportages during the war in Spain because there was fewer risks for your camera to be mistaken with a weapon than with a RF( old story, cameras and guns, Betacams and bazookas....)

 

[varjag]

Photographing with Rollei would make you a better target though.

 

[Michael I.]

black IIIg and some kind of bottomloading canon

 

[hopelion]

He used every leica from Leica I to M6. Almost all lenses from 35mm to 90mm.

 

[tom_f77]

That was all a long time ago. In the end he only used a minilux I think. With a 40/2.8? They didn't make those when he started out 🙂

Tom

 

[rich815]

I remember reading somewhere that he mostly used his special-made Leica-mount Carl Zeiss Sonnar 1.5/50.