Author Archives: Robert

isn’t it ironic

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. As Alanis Morissette sings on her 1993 album “Jagged Little Pill“. The irony is that the camera with the highest Mpx in the house is a P30-Lite smartphone by Huawei with a 27mm (equivalent) ASPH f/1.8 24 Mpx rating. … Continue reading →

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Lenses in Photography

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. The late Rudolf Kingslake was born and educated in London, England. In 1938 he joined Eastman Kodak in Rochester NY as a lens designer. By the time he published this book in 1951, he was the Director of Optical … Continue reading →

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Karl goes digital

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. Mankind has always been fascinated with transportation: horses, trains, bicycles, cars, ships, aircraft, etc. As a kid I always thought Henry Ford invented the automobile. Not so! Ford adapted the assembly line to automobile manufacture and dropped the cost … Continue reading →

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le magasin des Galeries Lafayette de Paris en 1912

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. What a wonderful use of photography – and architecture! A 1912 photograph shows how the Lafayette Galaries (retail department store) used natural lighting at their flagship store in Paris with this beautiful dome. The new store opened in 1912. … Continue reading →

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a blast from the past…

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. … to borrow a line from a local radio station. Aires cameras were made in Tokyo, Japan. The Aires Camera Industries Company lasted less than a decade (1952 – 1960). While short lived, the company rode the wave of … Continue reading →

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double your pleasure

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. The “double your pleasure, double your fun” jingle may have applied to Wrigley’s Double Mint gum but it certainly did not apply to accidental photographic double exposures. In fact, camera makers went out of their way to tout their … Continue reading →

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the long and the short of it

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. Those photographers wishing to get closer to their subject than their camera allowed had two choices: an auxiliary lens could be added to the front of the normal lens, or if the lens was interchangeable, the lens could be … Continue reading →

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faster than a speeding bullet

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Robert

Toronto, No, it’s not Superman – it’s Super Anscochrome colour film. Anscochrome touted its film as being “faster than standard black-and-white film” on pp32-3 of the June 17, 1957 issue of LIFE. With ads like this, the Binghamton Brigade set … 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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CNE and Cinematographe

Posted on August 16, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. Cinema and Movies seem so passé these days of TV, streaming, and smartphones but over a century ago movies where the newest means of education and entertainment. The CNE was known as the “Toronto Industrial Exhibition” in those days … Continue reading →

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