Robert Capa and a Rolleiflex an unlikely combination.

[Guest]

Sure some of you will find this an interesting read, I know I did, enjoy.


https://www.dw.com/en/wwii-photographer-robert-capa-debunking-the-myth/a-54852196

 

[Pentode]

The debates regarding his D-day photos and Falling Soldier have raged for years.

I think the article sums it up pretty well. Whether or not he was a man of integrity, he was certainly a great photographer. I'm happy to leave the integrity bit for others to argue.

 

[Mark C]

Robert Capa made great photographs of D-Day; nothing to debunk about that.

I know he sometimes used a Rollei, as did a large percentage of photographers of the era, but I don't see any discussion of that in the article or your post. Did I miss something?

 

[Guest]

Well in the image where he is alongside a soldier and Ernest Hemingway, he has a TLR around his neck !!!

 

[aizan]

TLRs were press cameras. Robert Capa was a press photographer. This makes sense!

 

[rolfe]

In the book "Capa in Color", most of the color images were shot with a Rolleiflex. He also used Contax and Linhof cameras. Nothing terribly surprising there...

https://www.amazon.com/Capa-Color-C...&keywords=capa+in+color&qid=1599682206&sr=8-5

Rolfe

 

[steveyork]

I read somewhere that he used a pair of Contax II and a Rollie for much of his wartime photography. Similar to Jack Birns in China in this regard. Lots of pictures of Capa during the war holding a Contax II, and we know he shot the D-Day pictures with the Zeiss Ikon cameras, because he says so in his book.

 

[DRSummi]

"when the legend becomes fact, print the legend"
From director John Ford's Western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

 

[Mark C]

Well in the image where he is alongside a soldier and Ernest Hemingway, he has a TLR around his neck !!!

I saw it. Just wondering why you'd think that unlikely. These were extremely popular cameras for reportage. Small, light, and convenient compared to a Speed Graphic.

 

[DownUnder]

Maybe Capa did use a Rolleiflex to make photographs. Maybe he didn't.

What exactly is the point of all this yap-yap?

Look at his images. They speak for themselves. The issue of which camera did what is mere GAS...

 

[johannielscom]

Robert Capa shooting his Rolleiflex at Mont St. Michel around 25:30 in this youtube video, narrated by the original cinematographer who shot footage from D-Day to Berlin

https://youtu.be/8dXDl60fLdo

 

[Rob-F]

The Rollei would seem not to be the best camera for war photography. Reloading after every 12 shots is bound to get old.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

The Rollei would seem not to be the best camera for war photography. Reloading after every 12 shots is bound to get old.

In the days when Speed Graphics ruled reportage, 12 frames would seem a luxury. Joe Rosenthal made a few images we remember with one.
Now I want another 4x5 press camera, but I don't want to climb Mount Suribachi with it.
I almost took a Crown Graphic to Iraq in 2004 but decided against it.
Phil Forrest

 

[Mr_Flibble]

From photos of Capa he used at least two different Rolleiflexes during World War 2.
In the photo with Hemmingway in France he is carrying an Rolleiflex RF111a or Automat and in the photo of him at the start of Operation Varsity in 1945 he is carrying an Old Standard.

"The last soldier to die" shots appear to have been made in both square medium format and 35mm

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Robert Capa shooting his Rolleiflex at Mont St. Michel around 25:30 in this youtube video, narrated by the original cinematographer who shot footage from D-Day to Berlin

https://youtu.be/8dXDl60fLdo

George Stevens and the Special Coverage Unit (SPECOU). Capa was not part of that though. 😉

Capa was an accredited civilian correspondent and hence would've had to acquire his own cameras and film.

 

[gaheris]

Having read his book, my observation is that he used his Rolleiflex a bit more when he was not in a hurry — some samples you could see were pictures of people after the battle of Naples, Normandy and Paris. These two photos of captured German soldiers, I feel, have the rolleiflex look (and angle).

Look at his Naples photos now, I miss the Rolleiflex 2.8F that I sold earlier this year...😱

 

[Guest]

The Rollei would seem not to be the best camera for war photography. Reloading after every 12 shots is bound to get old.

Exactly, seemingly from comments on here that does not seem to be crossing many minds. Owning three of these cameras, they would be my last choice of camera in a war theater. That is why I thought I would share the article.
Last time I am sharing any articles on here, find them yourselves from now on.

 

[oftheherd]

In the days when Speed Graphics ruled reportage, 12 frames would seem a luxury. Joe Rosenthal made a few images we remember with one.
Now I want another 4x5 press camera, but I don't want to climb Mount Suribachi with it.
I almost took a Crown Graphic to Iraq in 2004 but decided against it.
Phil Forrest

Ref the bolded text, I think they may have had the film back that held 6 and/or 12 sheets in septums, but I am not sure. Maybe somebody who knows more can confirm or deny.

Ref the underlined text. Weight would indeed make a difference. I doubt Capa or many war photographers didn't have that as the first thing they used in making a decision on gear to use if there was a choice. And to a war photographer, the difference between between MF and LF just wouldn't have been a decision game changer. Between 35mm and MF, more likely, depending on what they expected to be exposed to (no pun intended) and how much they expected they would gain with MF.

One other thing for consideration is that even with 35mm format, I doubt they accepted the concept machine-gunning their shooting. It wasn't how photographers were trained when film was not a 5 minute trip to the corner drug store.

Any way, interesting article. Thanks for posting the link.

 

[raydm6]

Thank you for sharing the article.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Ref the bolded text, I think they may have had the film back that held 6 and/or 12 sheets in septums, but I am not sure. Maybe somebody who knows more can confirm or deny.

Perhaps the independent civilian journalists used miniature format cameras, but the cameramen of the US military used mostly 4x5 press cameras. They would have to carry at least one or two extra single shot film holders, since the Grafmatic septums are easily bent. They also carried a Corona 3 typewriter, a roll of paper, a couple ribbons and basic tools (pliers and a screwdriver), on top of the extra film, bullets, rifle, (or carbine, depending upon their company and position in their platoon), and grenades. They wouldn't have carried all this daily, but they would have had to pack it all up and hand carry if necessary, which would have been a regular occurrence with moving battle lines.
Phil Forrest