What Would Bresson Shoot?

[Bobfrance]

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.

 

[maddoc]

Ricoh GR Digital ... 😀

 

[Kozhe]

Lomo Holga?

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

I think he would have embraced digital......but RFF?....maybe he'd ask which gear to take on his next trip! 😉
Dave.

 

[Hiyawaan]

DP1 and DP2

 

[Peter_Jones]

He could post a pic of his camera. 🙂


EOS 5Dmk2 with a HUGE "L" zoom and a speedlite with quantum battery (that'll stir things up)

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

He could post a pic of his camera. 🙂


.....and bore us with the test results from his collection of 50mm lenses!😀

 

[Bobfrance]

interesting suggestions guys.

Personally I get the feeling he'd want the latest technology to enable him to take more pictures in diverse environments. So probably not film.
I do wonder if he would consider a DSLR too bulky despite the flexibility it gives. I also think the M8 is a bit of a big beastie compared to what else is available.

Any Bresson experts out there? Surely he must have shot other cameras during his lifetime?

 

[Peter_Jones]

I've changed my mind - he'd have a Fed2 with Industar-22 🙂

Or more likely a panasonic G1

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I can see HCB with a red G1. Seriously, it seems like the kind of camera he might use.

 

[capitalK]

It's widely known that he generally didn't make his own darkroom prints, so my question is... who would be his Photoshopper?

 

[sniki]

Sigma DP 2 rigorously with optical viewfinder mounts VF-21 - obviously!

 

[taxi38]

M7 but Im sure hed have a DP2 but wouldnt use it.

 

[Kevin]

I also heard that in later years he carried a Contax T around with him.

I heard it was a Minilux!

If he were still alive and shooting film he would have upgraded to a CM.
If shooting digital then he would be still be searching for the right tool.

 

[sirius]

I think he would choose a big stick to run around and smack people with who kept asking him about cameras.

 

[Ronald_H]

Another vote for the Panasonic G1 and it's kin. Small, hi-tech and very good picture quality.

 

[Al Kaplan]

"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.

 

[cysasam]

Probably one of those dslrs with swivel type screens - small and light. Panny G1 probably, or the Oly E30.

 

[chris00nj]

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.

 

[Al Kaplan]

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.