The Mystery of the Pentax and Leica Cameras That Captured the 'Napalm Girl' Photo

Nick Ut is often known for his Leica camera, but an AP investigation shows that the photo "Napalm Girl" was most likely taken with a Pentax. Photo: AP .

The photo "Napalm Girl" (official description: The Terror of War) has recently become the center of fierce controversy surrounding copyright issues.

The controversy flared up after the documentary "The Stringer," which premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival, claimed that a Vietnamese driver and freelance photographer named Nguyen Thanh Nghe, who worked for NBC and sold photos to the Associated Press (AP) at the time, was the real author of the photo.

On May 16, the World Press Photo organization announced that it would stop crediting Nick Ut with the photo.

Earlier, in early May, the AP news agency announced the results of its internal investigation. However, this investigation, despite considering many aspects, has not yet provided clear evidence, especially regarding the specific camera used to take the above photo.

What camera was used to take the photo "Napalm Girl"?

Veteran photojournalists Horst Faas and Nick Ut have both previously confirmed that the photo was taken with a Leica camera, a familiar camera to AP reporters working in Vietnam, including Ut. The Leica M2, which is believed to have captured the historic moment, was displayed at the Newseum in Washington DC in 2008.

AP said it borrowed the Leica M2 camera, thoroughly examined it, and took three test rolls of film to determine its unique characteristics. At the same time, AP also took dozens of test rolls of film using Leica cameras from the same period, Nikon cameras (which Mr. Ut often carried), and Pentax cameras (which Mr. Nghe said he used to take the photo).

AP carefully examined the corners and edges of the negatives to detect any distinctive features that might be associated with different camera brands. Slight differences in proportions between photos taken from certain camera brands were also carefully measured by AP .

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nghe with the Pentax camera he is said to have used that day. Photo: Sundance Institute.

Notably, while cameras are capable of leaving distinctive marks on negatives—and the AP compared many negatives during its investigation—the phenomenon does not occur consistently across conditions and circumstances.

Therefore, the AP ’s examination cannot be considered a professional examination. The agency also cannot find and view all the rolls of film that Mr. Nick Ut took while working as a reporter in Vietnam. The number of films is so large that this is almost impossible.

Additionally, the Leica at the Newseum is old and has been abandoned for a long time, and there is no documentation of its maintenance, so the AP believes the photo was probably not taken with this camera, at least in its current condition.

When informed of this, Mr. Ut said that the camera in the museum was the same model as the one he used in Vietnam. However, he added that several cameras had been stolen before the end of the war.

According to the AP report, after examining the film tracks, it appears that the photo was not taken with a Leica. It is also possible that the photo was taken with a Pentax camera. However, some Nikon cameras from that era also have similar features to the Pentax.

Mr. Nick Ut started working for the AP news agency in 1966. Photo: AP.

Responding to AP , Mr. Ut explained that he did not notice which camera took that photo. He recalled that on that day, Faas told him it was a Leica, congratulated him and said that the film roll was from a Leica.

He added that after the films were developed, he did not handle the negatives again. He also trusted Faas, who was a big fan of Leicas and made sure that AP reporters in Vietnam used them extensively, even though Nikons were the standard camera for AP reporters.

In previous interviews, Ut said he had brought two Leicas and two Nikons that day. When asked by the AP , he said he also used a Pentax camera. The AP found negatives in its archives taken by Ut in Vietnam that had characteristics of Pentax cameras.

Additionally, among the cameras Ut donated to the Newseum was a Pentax, although it also does not appear to have been used to take the photo.

Reconstruction efforts

Attempts to reconstruct the events that took place on the road in the past, based on existing documentary footage, will certainly not be perfect and will contain many potential errors.

AP faced several challenges in this process. First, the videos and photos were not timestamped, making any estimates of the timing and sequence of events approximate.

Second, the documentary footage itself is very limited, with undefined gaps appearing between shots as TV crews have to economize on film and only shoot when absolutely necessary.

The Leica M2 on display at the Newseum (2009). Photo: Mr.TinMD/Flickr.

Additionally, the lack of recognizable landmarks or objects of specific size in the frame makes it difficult to determine scale and distance.

Finally, the AP was also unable to determine whether the famous photo was taken with a 35mm or 50mm lens, adding to the ambiguity caused by the lack of visual reference points.

This has sparked much debate among experts and the public, as identifying the type of camera and related data could help shed more light on the author of this iconic photo.

Although AP still maintains its position of recognizing Nick Ut as the author based on the information and witnesses available, the lack of certainty about the camera has become one of the factors that made World Press Photo decide to temporarily stop crediting him as the author of the photo.

Source: https://znews.vn/vi-sao-may-anh-chup-tam-em-be-napalm-cua-nick-ut-gay-tranh-cai-post1554211.html