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Rambling With Resnick
Goodbye, Mr. Nikon
An ode to an unsung hero from the glory days of photojournalism
By Mason Resnick
Last month, I wrote about the beginning of a new era for this web site. This month I must report, with sadness, the passing of an unsung hero of the glory days of photojournalism.
News of his death came in a most impersonal manner: in the form of a press release from Nikon, which I reprint verbatum:
Al Levin, "Mr. Nikon," Dies New York, NY
Al "Mr. Nikon" Levin died of Alzheimer¹s disease at 80 years of age. Levin was a champion of 35mm photography in the 1950s and was credited with steering the Daily News away from its trademark Speed Graphic cameras and into the 35mm format.
A World War II bombardier, Levin joined Ehrenreich Photo Optical Industry after the war, which was at one time the exclusive U.S. distributor for Nikon. Levin was instrumental in changing the cameras that all newsmen carried with them in the 1950s, converting the Daily News photographers from the Speed Graphic cameras to the more compact 35mm format.
Levin is survived by his wife, Joan.
I knew Al in his later years, when I was the managing editor of a trade magazine called Photo Business and he often went to press conferences and corporate outings in the photo industry and delivered grip-and-grin shots of the participants. We ran them not because of their photographic quality, which was technically fine but not very inspired visually, but because the photos showed Important People in the industry, and helped grease the wheels for our advertising department. For a struggling trade rag, every little edge helped.
Al would frequent our offices, wearing a toupee which one could only describe as near-purple, and would hang around telling stories about anything and everything. Sometimes he got on our nerves, especially when we were busy trying to meet a publication deadline. Occasionally I'd have to drop a not-so-subtle hint that we were too busy.
But occasionally Al would show up when we had some down time, and we'd listen. When a person reaches a certain age, younger listeners should pay attention and learn from their life stories and experience. I knew he had once been a Nikon salesman, but I thought his stories of how he gave such-and-such a photographer his first Nikon were the exaggerations of a senile old man. While I was right about his senility--he was telling the truth.
Al spent some of his air force days keeping the peace in Japan, and with an interest in photography he explored the new cameras that were produced there after the war. It's not certain if he discovered the Nikon or someone else did, but one thing is for certain: he returned to the States armed with a suitcase of them, and sold them all. Al told us of his days talking to Margaret Bourke-White, Weegee and others and convincing them that it would be worthwhile for them to try this incredibly light 35mm camera. There was resistance--35mm quality would never beat that of rollfilm or large format! (Sound familiar?) But eventually everyone went to 35mm. (Have you seen any Speed Graphics at any presidential news conferences lately?)
If you look at news footage of photographers on the beat in the early 50's, you'd see Speed Graphics, Rolleis and the occasional odd Leica. Look at similar footage a few years later, and you can see Al's influence: there are mostly 35mm cameras, and most of them were Nikons. Remember that in the '50s, newspapers and magazines still held more sway with the general public than TV, which was still in its infancy. Photographers, therefore, had a lot more visibility and influence than they do now. Switching to 35mm format, with its interchangeable lenses and offering a new level of portability, changed the look and feel of newspaper and magazine photojournalism.
The camera of choice among photojournalists today is most likely a Nikon (although there are plenty of Canon's and Leicas around). Of course if Al hadn't discovered Nikon, someone else would have, perhaps a year or two later. But he did, and deserves the credit. Sometimes visionaries aren't the most obvious ones. Sometimes they're the guys with the purple toupee and the suitcase full of cameras.
Response
Shortly after this article was posted, I got this delightful email. It is being published here with the writer's permission.
Dear Mason,
Thanks for reminding me of Al (Mr. Nikon) with your story in B&W World.
I worked for Ehrenreich back in the early 70's, under Isabel Shirley and Dominick Bastello, and it was an exciting period. Having just come out of the Viet Nam zone where I worked as a photo-journalist, the Nikon mystique wasn't a mystery to me. The equipment had survived everything the young and not so careful put it through and kept on truckin'. Meeting the sales force, and particularly Al, was another new experience.
At camera shows in the City, he loved to put a 50mm on the floor and then stand on it; just to prove the superior strength inherent in the product. Always a showman, and often annoying, he was a legend in that time. Again, thanks for bringing back some good memories for me.
Sincerely,
Bruce Barrett
About the author: Mason Resnick is the editor and publisher of Black & White World and the community webmaster of PhotoHighway.Com, and is the proud owner of an official Al Levin "Mr. Nikon" pen. You can send fan mail to him at bwworld@mindspring.com.