Tag Archives: Exakta

Swiss knives and cameras

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. When the minicam bug took off in the mid 1930s, people traded size for resolution. Companies like Leitz touted the use of enlargers to make large images from the small negatives. And minicams proliferated. The cameras ranged from complex … Continue reading →

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Mack the Knife

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. In the days of film, there was colour, colour negative, or black and white films of various speeds and contrast curves. You could buy rolls of 20 (later 24 and 27) or 36 exposure. The more frames, the cheaper … Continue reading →

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slow down

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. by the early 1930s, the camera industry had settled on a slow shutter speed of 1 second. Anything slower could be taken using “bulb” or “time” settings. Leitz even offered an accessory called a HEBOO so those who bought … Continue reading →

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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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