Brassaï (born Gyula Halász, 1899–1984), the famed photographer of Paris by night, used relatively simple but effective camera gear suited to his distinctive low-light, nocturnal photography. Cameras Brassaï used Voigtländer Bergheil 6.5×9 cm folding plate camera → This was Brassaï’s primary camera, equipped with a Voigtländer Heliar f/4.5 lens . → It used glass plates , offering large negatives (6.5×9 cm) that could produce high-quality prints with rich detail. Voigtlander Bergheil 6.5 x 9 Occasionally: Rolleiflex TLR (Twin-Lens Reflex) in later years Rolleiflex TLR Some sources mention he experimented with Leica for certain reportage-style work, but the Voigtländer was his iconic tool. Why the Voigtländer Bergheil? It was compact (for a plate camera), foldable, and portable enough for night walks in Paris. The Heliar lens provided a distinctive rendering, with beautiful tonal gradation and subtle softness in highlights—perfect for the atmospheric, moo...
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people to see without a camera" - Dorothea Lange