Ihei Kimura
Henri Cartier-Bresson
PhotographerKnown for:
street and documentary photography; co-founder of Magnum Photos
Education:
Studied painting under André Lhote, Paris; Cambridge University (briefly); self-taught in photography
Henri Cartier-Bresson spent more than five decades photographing the world with a Leica rangefinder and a 50mm lens, accumulating work that spans the Spanish Civil War, the partition of India, and the streets of Paris. He was a founding member of Magnum Photos in 1947. His 1952 book The Decisive Moment described a philosophy of photography centered on the brief, unrepeatable instant at which form and content converge.
Henri Cartier-Bresson's Gear List(1)
Leica
Connection Source
MagnumphotosWebsite
Connection note
Used a Leica M rangefinder throughout his career; the M3 was his primary camera from the mid-1950s onward.
Product description
Introduced in 1954, the M3 was Leitz's first camera to use the M bayonet mount. Its combined viewfinder and rangefinder, with 0.91x magnification, set a standard for 35mm rangefinder design that every subsequent Leica M followed.
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Last updated March 20, 2026
