Capa's cameras.....

Has anyone ever heard what happened to Capa's two cameras after he

was killed?? As near as I can tell he was carrying a Nikon S or S2

and a Contax IIa. I wonder if they went back to Magnum or to his

brother or were stolen??? Anyone have any info. ???

They must have survived, because both of the last shots he took have been published -- one in color and a similar one in B&W.

Who was Capa?

It would really be impressive if the cameras did survive after Capa stepped on a mine. Unless, of course, he didn't have them on him.

Alberto: Who was Capa? Find here!

 

www.photo-seminars.com/Fame/capa.htm

I don't know about Capa's cameras, but it is perfectly possible for a camera to survive his owner stepping on a mine. Indeed it is rather uncommon for someone to step on a mine and die. I don't want to go into gory details here but this is exactly what anti-personnel mines are designed to do - maim, not kill.

Ezio, Robert Capa jumped on a mine that was certainly less "refined" than the last series ones - so, no "surgery" hit - but death.<p>

 

Alberto, Robert Capa is just a major part of the legend of the contemporary 35mm photography. FYI click <a href=http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00CB94>on this thread</a> and then get some Robert Capa books <i>asap</i>.<p>

 

James : just send an e-mail to Magnum Photos to ask them for, the cameras might be in their archives - as well can they be in Cornell Capa's cupboard.<p>The Bibliotheque Nationale de France (French National Library) just released at the end of 2004 a big retrospective exhibition dedicated to Bob Capa's work, the cameras might have been presented to the public then - no idea - ; the chief curator of the exhibition Mrs Laure Beaumont-Maillet might have some answers to that question though (laureDOTbeaumont-mailletATbnfDOTfr). If you get some piece of news regarding that topic I would learn them with great interest.

According to Richard Whelan in "Robert Capa - The definitive colection", after the blast, the Contax was in his left hand, clutched, but the Nikon was blown several feet away. I didn't know the color film inside the Nikon survived the blast, is this picture available on-line?

Robert Capa's black and white last shot can be seen in several books, for example in "Robert Capa : photographies", edited by Richard Whelan, published in French by Sylvie Messinger.

 

I have found it on the web, alas it's a bad scan - but at least will you all have an idea.

 

Robert Capa's Nikon S was shown during the 2004 convention of the Nikon Historical Society - I attach a picture of it too.<div></div>

Thanks Nicolas, but I mean the color pictures. The last B&W ones are on the 'The Definitive Colection'.

It's said to be almost the same than the B&W as he was shooting silmutaneously in color and black and white in this battlefield.

 

I never saw it. Ask Bill Mitchell for where he saw it if he did.

 

Well at least we know that Robert Capa's Nikon S has not been lost as it was in Tokyo for the 2004 NHS congress.

 

Cornell Capa is certainly the resource person who can answer these questions.

Way late to the party here, but I have a book of Capa's color photos that had been "asleep" for 60 years. This includes his last color photo at Indochina, among others including Japan scenes, Hemingway and sons, etc. Just letting you know it exists...