Author Archives: Robert

nearly as scarce as hens’ teeth

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Have you ever seen an authentic wet-plate camera in fine condition? No? Brass lenses from the wet-plate period abound at fairs like ours, but few cameras exist and even fewer unrestored ones in top condition. And there is good … Continue reading →

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spring bloomers, spring roomers

Posted on April 1, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Isn’t it great? Spring is here! Flowers! Grass! Bugs! Sunshine and showers! Kodak moments one and all. And of course rumours. Digital technology has had an horrific impact on the photographic industry. The landscape is littered with dead corporations … Continue reading →

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ZOOMin’ in on PHSC monthly meetings

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The ZOOM concept has opened our monthly Toronto meetings to a world-wide audience, not just those in driving distance to our facility at Memorial Hall in North York (Toronto).  Our Programme Director, Celio Barreto, has worked far beyond our … Continue reading →

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can you help us with this question?

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. As many of you may know, amongst other ideals, we are devoted to helping others with photographic history questions – especially Canadian. The other day we had a question from the curator of the Lennox-Addington Museum and Archives in … Continue reading →

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watcha doin’ Sport?

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Growing up, camera innovation seemed to be mostly German with a dash of other European and American tossed in. But Russian? Really? According to this article from BBC’s Future site, dated 18th May 2016, by Stephen Dowling, “How this odd-looking … Continue reading →

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a hidden ‘fingerprint’ in digital photos

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. For years professional photographers devised various means to identify date, subject, etc., data for each negative and print.  Amateurs were far less consistent, rarely ever marking negatives. Occasionally amateurs would use pencil or pen to annotate the back of … Continue reading →

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click, clack, clunk

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The most important part of any single lens reflex (SLR) camera design is its mirror box. This amazing idea allows the rays from the subject, through the lens, redirected, and focussed on a ground glass at full aperture. With … Continue reading →

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don’t give me the gears

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. A short time after moving back to Montreal, I joined the company Camera Club and offered a shutter and lens test. This was with good reason. My trusty Exakta VXIIa had shown a wavy anomaly in my fast shutter tests … Continue reading →

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deep thoughts developing

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. My thanks to Annex Photo here in the big smoke for the image illustrating today’s post. Give them a try if you are one of those folk determined to use film and film cameras. Ever since I was a … Continue reading →

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it doesn’t matter anymore

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. In the early days of digital photography, the size of the sensor was very important. The larger the sensor, the lower the noise and the higher the sensitivity. This led to compact digital cameras and then digital SLR cameras … Continue reading →

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