Author Archives: Robert

an Exakta in my future

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. After a few months in Labrador, a few of us decided to buy a top quality camera. Many nights were spent discussing the pros and cons of various German makes, especially Exakta and Leica. A visitor had a IIIf … Continue reading →

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Montreal, Minolta, Marvellous

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Before heading north to Labrador, I spent a few months training in the old Salada Tea Building on St Lawrence in Montreal. To an Ontario boy, Montreal discounts were exciting. The best camera deals were said to be at … Continue reading →

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those were the days

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. As a kid I bounced between radio and photography. The first ‘real’ camera shop I ever entered was Vi and Joe Waterer’s CameraCraft in Barrie. The store was at one end of a long block. I had  joined the … Continue reading →

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an eclectic collection

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Some collectors seem to buy everything in sight. Others are very selective. Our past president, the late Bill Kantymir did both. Bill had a ‘bucket list’ – a list of every camera he wanted to own before he left … Continue reading →

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where there’s a will …

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. … there’s a way. This old chestnut came to mind when I saw George’s email showing the famous NYC store, Willowbys, advertising the anvailability of Hasselblad cameras. A couple of words of explanation: Willowbys was a block-long 5th ave … Continue reading →

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an inspiration for the Hassy?

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Bentzin made cameras in Görlitz, Germany beginning in the late 1800s. The firm collaborated with Zeiss over in Jena to make high end cameras to use Zeiss lens designs. Sadly, both Jena and Gorlitz fell in the Soviet sector … Continue reading →

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an unusual roll film camera from Germany

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Have you ever heard about or seen a strange camera from the 1930s called a Makina III? Originally designed pre WW2 (one may have been auctioned off last May in Ohio), sales and manufacture were interrupted by WW2. The … Continue reading →

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when is a brick not a brick?

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. When its an Argus C-4! The Argus C-3 was an awkward rectangular weighty thing loved by all. In 1951, Argus took a shot at replacing it with a C-4 camera but the C-3 lived on. This ad on page … Continue reading →

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going for gold – a Kodak moment

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The late Jack Addison and wife Marge were very active in the society, especially in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Jack was president, journal editor, CNE Exhibits coordinator, curator, etc. while wife Marge was membership secretary when I joined … Continue reading →

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a photographer’s magnifier

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Anyone wanting to see a magnified view of a small object would likely use a simple magnifying glass – just like Sherlock Holmes in the many Conan Doyle stories. Predating photography, a projector (magic lantern) projected an enlarged view … Continue reading →

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