Nikon F that took a bullet - saved a life

Don McCullin’s Nikon F camera, damaged by a Khmer Rouge AK47 bullet at Prey Veng, Cambodia, 1970. (DM 8_1)

The war in Cambodia was particularly savage. Cambodian communist forces, known as the Khmer Rouge, made no distinction between military and civilians, including journalists. In 1970, 25 journalists died in Cambodia. At Prey Veng, Don McCullin barely escaped with his life when the Vietnamese forces he was accompanying were ambushed twice within a few days. On the first occasion, McCullin was saved from injury by his Nikon F camera which stopped a bullet aimed for his head.

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Imperial War Museum North > Shaped by War : Don McCullin image gallery

Wow, that's incredible

wow....this...the mud....Nikon is the Chuck Norris of cameras!

I just love stories like this, makes me proud to be a Nikon user.

I bet it is still to this day functional too! Not to mention Don probably could have clubbed the guy that shot at him in the head with it and then took a picture of him laying out cold...

Nikon F cameras will be around for many many years to come because they were so well designed and built...

Eye-level said:

I bet it is still to this day functional too! Not to mention Don probably could have clubbed the guy that shot at him in the head with it and then took a picture of him laying out cold...

Nikon F cameras will be around for many many years to come because they were so well designed and built...

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Quoted for truth they will outlive the film they were designed to shoot and probably everyone that ever ran a roll of Tri X Pan through them. Absolutely indestructible machinery and a monument to design and manufacturing. I am amazed when I read stories like that. The F was substantial in every way though. I would not feel unarmed if all I had was a Nikon F . rofl... not only shoot good photos , but hold off angry attackers...

We are not joking folks! If you ever get to hold one of these cameras in your hands one of the first things you will realize is that you could easily knock someone out (perhaps even kill someone) with one good clock to the head...and then take a picture of the victim!

Those were the days. You could spot a pro, because he had two wrapped around his neck. Boy, did things change over time.

And, I am not sure Nikon has learned anything from this experience.

Photowyzard said:

Those were the days. You could spot a pro, because he had two wrapped around his neck. Boy, did things change over time.

And, I am not sure Nikon has learned anything from this experience.

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The problem is it is hard to produce something better when you essentially produce the best that there ever was with no peers your first time out of the gate. That is exactly what Nikon did when the F was released to the public. They did manage to refine the F and improve it in the F2 and that is the amazing part. From that point on everything else was not really an improvement in manual 35mm cameras. I have firmly said that Nikon could have skipped the F3 and kept producing the F2 and not have been hurt by the decision.

Its really hard to improve upon perfection... Really hard.

Photowyzard said:

Those were the days. You could spot a pro, because he had two wrapped around his neck. Boy, did things change over time.

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No no no, the pro had an assistant with one that he was loading while the pro was shooting. DAHIK.

Marilyn was photographed and filmed by the best equipment in the world at the time. Guess what she shot with...??? Personally I really like her stance.

Jeff, personally, I just like HER!

Great images!

SamSpade1941 said:

The problem is it is hard to produce something better when you essentially produce the best that there ever was with no peers your first time out of the gate. That is exactly what Nikon did when the F was released to the public. They did manage to refine the F and improve it in the F2 and that is the amazing part. From that point on everything else was not really an improvement in manual 35mm cameras. I have firmly said that Nikon could have skipped the F3 and kept producing the F2 and not have been hurt by the decision.

Its really hard to improve upon perfection... Really hard.

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The problem wasn't improving on perfection, this stuff was OLD technology that may have been "perfect" by the time the industry was starting to move in a new direction... the DIGITAL AGE. When digital came, Canon grasped it and Nikon choked on their dust. It was this thinking that allowed Canon to leap ahead in the 80's and 90's with their autofocus technology while Nikon hung on to ancient thinking. This is when all the pro's jumped ship due to Canons fast autofocus technology while Nikon was trying to keep everything backward compatible.

Over two decades later, not sure yet if Nikon has recaptured what they once had or if it is even possible.

Kodak is who lost (funny that they make the sensors for the Leica M9 and the S2!) Nikon's abckwards compatibility is paying off in zen...hahaha Canon and Nikon both are saying we can do that too with micro sensors just because they can...and Madonna and Lady Gaga and Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears and Justin Beiber don't have sh!t on Marilyn or Elvis or James D!

Nikon is still firmly in control!

Now what?

Great post, Jeff!

Kodak is a whole other story! They were the first with Digital and sat on it to "study it further". This is what happens when executives get tired and fat.

You think they are firmly in control? I believe they have cutting edge product. I believe the D800 is a technology defining product. But I don't believe they are the premier brand. What was, in the 70's and 80's is gone. And, no one company may ever be that. Nikon gave that away.

This is a good thread. When you see old movies, like Full Metal Jacket, the "camera guy" has a Nikon. You expect to see it. It defined that era when it came to the image of the "pro". Not so any more.

You see more Canon glass in football stadiums and even at the Olympics than you do Nikon.

We saw images of the Photography room for Canon pros at the Olympics, did anyone see an image of the Nikon room? Was there one? Why wouldn't they show it and exploit it?

You could also easily make out the Canon guys without looking at the gear, they had blue towels around their necks with EOS Canon (that is what it looked like) or something like that embroidered on them.

I saw nothing to suggest Nikon and I looked hard. Canon still has their "A" game on. Not sure what Nikon has.

I was just on a cruise ship with like 5000 other people...Nikon outnumbered Canon 10 to 1 sir...believe it or not!

Canon may have the pros but Nikon has the consumers and that is where the money is at.

FWIW I think Nikon is fixing to take the pros back too.

I hope you are right. Around my parts, all I see are Canons in peoples hands. I typically run into fellow photographers in the nature areas of the city, looking for bird shots. I would say the most prolific brands are as follows, most popular first:

Canon
Nikon
Pentax
Fuji

The Canons come in all varieties. The Nikons I see are typically semi-pro models and typically with big lenses.

Glad to hear consumers are buying. As for taking the pros back....I wait to see how they plan to do that.

Photowyzard said:

Great post, Jeff!

Kodak is a whole other story! They were the first with Digital and sat on it to "study it further". This is what happens when executives get tired and fat.

You think they are firmly in control? I believe they have cutting edge product. I believe the D800 is a technology defining product. But I don't believe they are the premier brand. What was, in the 70's and 80's is gone. And, no one company may ever be that. Nikon gave that away.

This is a good thread. When you see old movies, like Full Metal Jacket, the "camera guy" has a Nikon. You expect to see it. It defined that era when it came to the image of the "pro". Not so any more.

You see more Canon glass in football stadiums and even at the Olympics than you do Nikon.

We saw images of the Photography room for Canon pros at the Olympics, did anyone see an image of the Nikon room? Was there one? Why wouldn't they show it and exploit it?

You could also easily make out the Canon guys without looking at the gear, they had blue towels around their necks with EOS Canon (that is what it looked like) or something like that embroidered on them.

I saw nothing to suggest Nikon and I looked hard. Canon still has their "A" game on. Not sure what Nikon has.

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What you are seeing has a more complicated answer though than just Canon is edging Nikon. Going back decades and decades Canon had an edge on Nikon in making really clear BIG fast glass. So much so I know that back when everyone was still shooting film guys that could afford to do so often times would have one of those Big lenses adapted to his camera. The other part of it is while Nikon chose to pursue DX digital sensor technology Canon ultimately introduced a full frame digital sensor.

As much as I love Nikon cameras there is a HUGE difference in image quality. Its like comparing 35mm to Medium Format huge. Nikon is just now is getting into the Full Frame digital sensor game and their cheapest full digital sensor cameras are 4 times what Canon's offerings are. Having said all that I worked in Iraq and Afghanistan, and mingled with a lot of professional journalists.

Do you know how many I witnessed carrying Canon camera out into the field? None, oh there may have been a few, but without exception the vast majority I met all were carrying Nikon gear. Some had a Leica stuffed in their jacket or bag somewhere. The reason being is this Canon takes a $3000 sensor and stuffs it in a D40 quality body. Canon gear is great for shooting the olympics and football games , I personally don't know how well it would survive the desert and being kicked about.

The Nikon D2x, and D3 series are substantial Pro cameras and are tough. Even the Nikon Prosumer cameras aimed at the advanced amateur like the D300, D700 and such are not a push over. They are serious business camera that pros on a budget purchase. If I had more money than I am currently blessed with I would actually be shooting a Canon and a Nikon most likely as the 5D Mark I and II are coming down in price with the Mark III out on the market and I would not mind having one of those for landscapes.

Since I primarily shoot landscapes and architectural photography, I really would love to have the full frame image to work with. Then for everything else I would have a D2x most likely because I know the D2 is built like an Abrams tank and will stand up to the abuse of me taking it on hikes in my rucksack, going to car shows, and everywhere else I am going to take it. Canon Cameras are just more dainty and require more care and less abuse.

JMTC and YMMV.

Just found this post and after reading McCullin's bio, he story above is not that true (page 137/138, "Unreasonable behaviour", Don McCullin).

The bullet was not aimed at his head, he was shot while running for cover and the camera got a hit by a AK-47 bullet. And he was not ambushed, he decided to advance with Cambodjan troops while a south vietnamese officer told him not to move before the position was secure. i

And a AK-47 is not a sniper's rifle.