Author Archives: Robert

down periscope

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The Corfield Periflex line fulfilled the post-war demand in Britain for  a quality 35mm camera. The cameras copied the old Leica screw mount bodies without a rangefinder or (initially) a viewfinder. Borrowing from the SLR world, a periscope and … Continue reading →

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Werra you been, my blue-eyed son?

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. After the Second World War, Zeiss and Jena ended up in the Soviet zone of Germany (East Germany). A western version of Zeiss was quickly moved to Oberkochen. The East German Zeiss continued to manufacture optical instruments. Cameras were … Continue reading →

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like a surgeon

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. A fitting title in this pandemic crisis we face today! The camera you see here is the Wirgin Gewirette v.1 manufactured by the Wirgin company in Wiesbaden, Germany. This particular camera predates the 35mm minicam revolution. It uses 127 … Continue reading →

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Dennis Cannon 1938-2021 age 83

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. I was saddened to receive an email late yesterday from Bob Lansdale. A mutual friend, Dennis Cannon died April 4th, 2021 at St. Joe’s, here in Etobicoke (the west end borough of Toronto). For many years, Dennis was a … Continue reading →

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a CHPF off the old block

Posted on April 11, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Back on March 22, 2021, I did a post on the CHPF photo contest. Tusday afternoon I heard directly from Nicole Plaskett on a new on line image facility. Nicole writes, “The Canadian Heritage Photography Foundation (CHPF) is excited … Continue reading →

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Photographic Canadiana Supplement 2-3 (April 2021)

Posted on April 10, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The PHSA’s  Northlight appears once again in our special members-only supplement, this time its first two issues from 1974. As a member of the PHSC, you received this supplement Friday, the 9th of April. Vol 2-3 was sent out last … Continue reading →

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future history

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The title of this post may sound like an oxymoron but it isn’t. The American agency, NASA, successfully landed an explorer and a tiny helicopter (drone) on Mars a few weeks ago. The helicopter, Ingenuity by name, has a camera … Continue reading →

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baker’s dozen

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. We held our 13th ZOOM exec meeting Wednesday evening. And once again, Celio deserves a huge thank you for arranging it in spite of his busy teaching schedule at post secondary institutes. The third wave has whacked Toronto into total lockdown … Continue reading →

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a photo’s back pages

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. In the dirty thirties, the FSA in the States was busy recording the impact of the severe dry spell and depression on farmers. Dorthea Lange was one of their photographers. She captured this iconic image of a migrant mother … Continue reading →

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a camera fit for a Queen

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The German optical firm of Ernst Leitz began as a maker of optical objects including microscopes. In the mid 1920s to keep its factory open and staff working, Leitz began the sale and manufacture of the 35mm Leica camera … Continue reading →

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