Dull afternoon in Paris, late 1960s.

[PeterW]

When I used to spend three or four days covering a Motor Show there was often an odd afternoon free with nothing doing till the press conferences started in the evening. One such day was in Paris in the late 1960s, so a fellow photog and I (his name was also Peter) decided to go out and look for a few pictures.

At lunchtime it was quite bright with a weak sun through light cloud, but within an hour it clouded over and started to spit with rain. Oh well, c'est la vie!

As I said in other posts, I'm sorting through and scanning in old negs, and yesterday I came across the roll I took that afternoon. The camera was a Zorki C with f/3.5 Industar, and the film was FP3. Thought you might like to see a few.


The Arc de Triomphe really is an impressive structure, but it needs better light to bring out the stonework detail.


I spotted this couple sitting on the base of the Arc. I don't know what they were looking at, but it took their attention away from me and the Zorki.


A slight brush with The Law. I've no idea what it was about but the gendarme didn't seem to believe them. Eventually they all moved off together.


The other Peter seems to be getting rather fed up with the way the light was getting worse, and soon after this it started to rain, so we retired for coffee and cakes. I never did see his shots from the afternoon.

PeterW

[doubs43]

A Zorki C? That's the one Zorki I'd like to have. Your pictures show it to be very capable too. I like the pictures.... especially the last shot of the other Peter who seems more interested in the scenery than taking pictures. Can't say that I blame him.

Do you recall what camera the other Peter was using? I can't make it out.

Walker

[John Parry]

Great shots Peter - you managed to keep the DOF despite the low light. I was hoping for another one like the gently kissing couple meeting (or saying goodbye) in post war France (Picture Post I think)

I suppose the nearest was number 3. Maybe the title should have been "The long, but mysteriously empty arm of the law"

Funny how fashionably all the ladies were dressed - 'la chic'. Of course, none of them could afford knickers....

I know - I'm wicked !!

Regards - John

[kiev4a]

I have a Zorki C and it takes very nice pictures but it has been described by FSU collectors as a "Zorki 1 that has been beaten with an ugly stick." I tend to agree as in order to add a pc connector for a flash they added a bunch of sheet metal that really wasn't necessary. Pretty much the same thing that happened to the beautiful Zorki 3 when they added sync and it became a taller, less -pleasing-to-look-at Zorki 4.

[PeterW]

Walker:

A Zorki C? That's the one Zorki I'd like to have. Your pictures show it to be very capable too. I like the pictures.... especially the last shot of the other Peter who seems more interested in the scenery than taking pictures. Can't say that I blame him.

Do you recall what camera the other Peter was using? I can't make it out.

I agree with Wayne that the Zorki C doesn't look as aesthetically pleasing as the earlier models which were, of course, modelled on the pre-war screw-thread Leica. But it does its job and it does it well.

Mine's a 1956 Russian home market model, everything in Cyrillic, and came to me in a rather roundabout way. I gather it originally belonged to a Russian photographer who gave it to a French photographer because it had jammed. This was in 1960-61 when they were both in Saigon covering the first US involvement in Vietnam - when JFK sent US military advisors to the South Vietnese, and helicopters, before US ground troops got involved.

I got chatting with the Frenchman in the press club in Paris sometime in 1965-66 who told me about it and said he still had the camera back at his flat. It was still jammed, and I could have it in exchange for a meal if I was interested. I was interested, and bought him a meal in exchange (which I duly claimed on expenses as 'entertaining to obtain background material' - and which he knew very well I would do).

I found it was jammed because some film perforations had torn off and jammed the shutter, quite common on these bottom-loading cameras if you don't trim the leader properly. It took about half an hour to clear it and lube the shutter spindle bearings, and it's performed faultlessly ever since.

I don't remember what camera 'the other Peter' was using. It's too small to identify even when I enlarge the original 1200 dpi scan. It was possibly a Pentax as it was about this time he switched from Pentaxes to Canons, and it doesn't look like a Canon.

He is, or was, a very competent professional photographer who won one Press Award and finished in the top ten of several more. He worked his cameras very hard in all weathers and situations. To him they were tools of his trade, and he carried two or three spare bodies, ready loaded with film, in his camera bag. If a camera gave problems he took another body out of his bag. He told me that he liked the Pentaxes, but on average they lasted less than a year before giving trouble. When he changed to Canons they lasted two to three years before needing attention. 'Nuff said.

PeterW

[herron]

Interesting pictures...even more interesting story behind them. Thanks for sharing, Peter. One of the few regrets I have is never pursuing my initial passion for photo journalism, back in the mid-to-late 60s.

BTW - I was surprised to see a Chevrolet and a Dodge on the streets of Paris!

[kiev4a]

When I first started collecting FSU gear a lot of commemmorative Cs and 2Cs showed up on Ebay--ones that had been awarded by the state to workers of members of the military for doing something outstanding. (a cheap way to give recognition, I suppose). The one I regret missing had been awarded to the commander of the Baltic Fleet for some reason. I think it ended up selling for about $35. It was sad to see folks selling their awards.

[doubs43]

Peter, that's a very interesting story about your Zorki C. It's history alone makes it worth owning even if it didn't take great pictures.

I'm a little surprised that your friend could work a new Pentax so hard that it required service in less than a year..... especially if it was a Spotmatic. They are very well built and durable IMO. But, Canon also went after the "Pro" and it's not surprising that they held up. I'm sure I've told the story before about the Canon salesman who - in a drunken moment - smashed a Canon F-1 against a wall twice to prove to a doubter that it was tougher than his Nikons. It worked as the fellow traded his Nikons in for Canons.

According to the Photo mags of the time, most Pros routinely had their cameras serviced once a year and companies such as Nikon, Canon and Leitz gave them special rates and expedited service.

Walker

Walker

[doubs43]

herron said:

BTW - I was surprised to see a Chevrolet and a Dodge on the streets of Paris!

The first thing that leaped out at me from the first picture was the Chevy....... a 1964 if I'm not mistaken.

Walker

[PeterW]

Thanks all for your kind comments on my Paris pictures.

Walker, you wrote:

I'm a little surprised that your friend could work a new Pentax so hard that it required service in less than a year..... especially if it was a Spotmatic. They are very well built and durable IMO.

Well, he managed it. I gather he had one Pentax which just stopped working, which he accepted with a shrug and carried on with the back-up body. But he had another that displayed uneven exposure, darker one side of the frame than the other, after less than a year's use.

What annoyed him more than the complete failure was that he didn't know it was happening until after the films were developed, and he'd shot four or five rolls before they were developed. After that he just didn't trust Pentaxes any more.

I don't know about Nikon and Leitz, but in the 1980s Canon's pro service was excellent. Valerie had her F1 serviced by Canon roughly once a year. She was registered with them as a professional Canon user. I don't remember now what the cost was, but it took about four days and Canon lent her a camera body while it was being done. Not a new one of course, their loan cameras usually looked a litle work-worn and rubbed, but serviced and working faultlessly. If she gave Canon a phone call before midday, the loan camera arrived next day by courier service. It was packed in a pair of polystyrene blocks inside a stout cardboard box and there was a return label inside with her name and reg. number on it as the sender. The courier waited while she swapped her own camera body for the loan one and then took it away. There was a phone call when her camera was ready, and the same thing happened. She paid by direct debit from our business account, and this took about a month to go through the system. No hassles, just good service.

PeterW

[doubs43]

peterw said:

Thanks all for your kind comments on my Paris pictures.

Walker, you wrote:

I'm a little surprised that your friend could work a new Pentax so hard that it required service in less than a year..... especially if it was a Spotmatic. They are very well built and durable IMO.

Well, he managed it. I gather he had one Pentax which just stopped working, which he accepted with a shrug and carried on with the back-up body. But he had another that displayed uneven exposure, darker one side of the frame than the other, after less than a year's use.

What annoyed him more than the complete failure was that he didn't know it was happening until after the films were developed, and he'd shot four or five rolls before they were developed. After that he just didn't trust Pentaxes any more.

I don't know about Nikon and Leitz, but in the 1980s Canon's pro service was excellent. Valerie had her F1 serviced by Canon roughly once a year. She was registered with them as a professional Canon user. I don't remember now what the cost was, but it took about four days and Canon lent her a camera body while it was being done. Not a new one of course, their loan cameras usually looked a litle work-worn and rubbed, but serviced and working faultlessly. If she gave Canon a phone call before midday, the loan camera arrived next day by courier service. It was packed in a pair of polystyrene blocks inside a stout cardboard box and there was a return label inside with her name and reg. number on it as the sender. The courier waited while she swapped her own camera body for the loan one and then took it away. There was a phone call when her camera was ready, and the same thing happened. She paid by direct debit from our business account, and this took about a month to go through the system. No hassles, just good service. PeterW

I can well understand why your friend would shy away from Pentax after that. I'd do the same if I had an experience like that..

So many amatures wanted to use the same cameras (make, if not the specific models) as the Pros that name recognition was a big deal to Leitz, Nikon and Canon so they provided special services to the Pros who used their equipment. The experience you describe shows that Canon valued your wife's business and did all humanly possible to keep her happy. That was good business.

Walker

[minoltaman]

Paris is a magnificent city to take photos. I actually like the shot of your friend standing in the middle of the Champs Elysee checking out the French girl walking by. Great shot!!