A LIFE-SAVING CAMERA

A rare titanium Nikon F3 Limited, which was sold only in Japan, saved Jeff’s life in Beijing

Jeff Widener almost died the night before he took ‘Tank Man’. After weeks of peaceful occupation of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, events became deadly. On the night of June 4, 1989, Widener was surrounded by a mob…

While photographing a burning armoured car, my flash was running low on battery power and I was restricted to one frame every 60 seconds. It was almost like a cruel joke: one of the biggest stories of the 20th century and all I could do was wait for a little orange ready light. The anguish was short-lived because a split second after raising the camera to my eye, a terrific blow slammed the F3 into my face. The world was spinning as I looked down at my blood-covered camera prism, which was torn off along with the flash and lens. A stray brick had smashed through the mirror and shutter curtain but the body remained light-sealed. Although I suffered a severe concussion, the titanium-clad F3 absorbed the blow, sparing my life. The film was later pried out of the camera with pliers. Had it been any other camera, I probably would not be doing this interview.”