Tag Archives: Exakta

need a Flektogon 25mm plus an Exakta?

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. The Exakta brand is well known in collector and user circles. Exaktas were the earliest 35mm (kine) SLRs and were available new into the 1960s. The Flektogon f/4 25mm lens made by Zeiss Jena was only made for about … Continue reading →

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a long shot

Posted on August 17, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. I saw this Exakta ad long ago. In fact, it was part of my mental background making me decide to go for an Exakta decades ago back before I was married, or a father.  The big selling point was … Continue reading →

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belly-button school of photography

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. Camera makers tried to categorize their products as having a better way to make photos. Using a waist level finder was one way – introducing the “belly-button school of photography” – a term of which I had never heard … Continue reading →

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roll your own

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. When film and 35mm cameras were all the rage, a significant savings could be realized by buying bulk 25, 50, or 100 foot rolls of 35mm film, In the darkroom, the film roll was placed in a light tight … Continue reading →

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der Leica farbig (the Leica in colour)

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Robert

Toronto. It was an exciting time for colour photography post 1945. 35mm colour slides were becoming common and more importantly, being accepted by professionals in the publishing industry. In the USA, Kodachrome was the most prominent slide film while in … Continue reading →

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‘ave you met M. Pierre?

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Robert

Toronto. A year ago this past spring, I did a post on the unusual lenses of Monsieur Pierre Angenieux of Paris. Surprisingly, this Paris, France optical company is still in business. The company was founded in 1935 by M. Angenieux. … Continue reading →

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John T Bock September 2018

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Robert

Toronto. I received a sad note today from Hans Bock to tell us his father had passed away last month. John first joined the PHSC in 1987 and has been a perennial table holder at our fairs. I will miss … Continue reading →

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Auto-Quinon f/1.9 55mm

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Robert

Toronto.  I chose this lens over a Zeiss Biotar for the standard lens of my late 1950s Exakta-VX IIa. The lens was a fast f/1.9, 55mm lens with full stop click-stops and an automatic stop down to the chosen f/stop … Continue reading →

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B&L BALTAR f/2.3 50mm

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Robert

Toronto. The Leica was marketed in 1925, catching Zeiss off guard. It responded in 1932 with the Zeiss-Ikon Contax. It had to better the Leica in every way possible: faster lenses, vertical shutter (faster curtains), metal shutter, longer rangefinder base, … Continue reading →

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the summer of ’69

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Robert

Toronto. “the summer of 69” is a line in the Bryan Adams song of the same name released as a single in 1985 (and on the album Reckless a year earlier). In later years, Adams took up the profession of … Continue reading →

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