Author Archives: Robert

after one and a quarter …

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Hard to imagine, but the PHSC executive held its fifteenth monthly meeting by ZOOM! We cannot get into our North York Memorial Hall venue before September. All events are in abeyance just now but there is real hope on … Continue reading →

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brave new world again

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Well into WW2, Kodak took this ad out in the January 1944 issue of Popular Photography showing how research by their labs resulted in lens technology that out performed the German industry and led to superior fire power when … Continue reading →

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Kalart saves the day

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. When I was a kid, I saw small ads in the American photography magazines of the day for a Kalart rangefinder to bolt on to a press camera. The strange name caught my eye. This particular ad is for … Continue reading →

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Kodak shows its mettle

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. I often make derogatory sounding comments about Kodak, but the company was a force in the industry and for many decades a true leader. Few others had the support and customer base to create new film sizes. In fact … Continue reading →

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a positive spin on WW2

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Ilex of Rochester NY ran this ad in the February 1944 issue of Popular Photography. The company bravely said, “When war clouds clear **look to Ilex”. The Ilex Optical Company in Rochester made “lenses, shutters, gunsights, and other precision … Continue reading →

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Leica in Peace and War

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Before and for awhile after the second world war, the Leica was the most popular high-end 35mm camera sold. As many readers know, before WW2, the German camera industry was the undisputed world leader. During WW2, German technology was … Continue reading →

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one camera’s wide angle …

Posted on May 29, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. … is another camera’s telephoto. Did you ever wonder why the tiny smart phone camera has an equivalent 35mm camera size? For example my iPod Touch camera has a 3.3mm, f/2.8 lens but images it takes are considered to … Continue reading →

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what’s in a name

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. In the early days of photographic lens design there was no established standard for the data recorded on the lens. Early lenses usually had the patent number and/or date shown, but what else was needed? The coverage of the … Continue reading →

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some thoughts on contrast

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The other day as I watched a 1938 movie with Boyer and Lamarr, I got to thinking about contrast. The movie I watched was a dark, contrasty,  flick called ‘Algiers’. Some scenes had inky black shadows, others nearly washed-out … Continue reading →

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having a blast with photography

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. For years our thirst for social media images has decimated the numbers and profits of serious professional photographers. The value of these ‘amateur social media’ recordings changed shortly after the huge blast on Beirut’s waterfront. On August 4th, 2020, … Continue reading →

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