This project began some years ago when I was photographing a Spanish Civil War event using a Contax II. It was a multi-period event  and the  person standing next to me, in full WW2 US Airborne kit but carrying a professional quality DSLR with  long lens, auto zoom and auto focus, looked at the Contax and sniffed somewhat dismissively 'you won't get decent action shots with that'.  The Contax was the camera of Robert Capa, Bert Hardy and many others;  it was responsible for some of the most memorable images of the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War.  The following pages try to give an insight into the technology of the period, in the hope that we will better appreciate the skill, dedication and bravery of wartime photographers.