Category Archives: events

holy Zeiss, Batman …

Posted on April 18, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. … said Robin. Discerning camera collectors realize that Zeiss sometimes licensed its designs outside Germany to avoid tariffs – and possibly expand manufacturing capacity in the short term for photographic products. The quarter (0.25 cents) sized Tessar F 35 … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on holy Zeiss, Batman …

lighting up the night …

Posted on April 16, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. A decade or two after Edison invented the first practical electric light and Westinghouse won the idea for electricity distribution, a world’s fair was held in Buffalo NY close to Niagara Falls – the prime source of electricity in … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on lighting up the night …

it’s light and sharp, said Bill …

Posted on April 8, 2026 by Robert

Toronto … as he showed me the Angular f/3.3 28mm screw mount Leica lens by Berthiot of Paris. We were at the March 19th, 1986 PHSC meeting. The little lens in a brass, aluminum coated mount, went on trips to … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on it’s light and sharp, said Bill …

taking a shine to things

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. Image collectors have a wide range of sources available for unusual old images. At left is what seems to be a tintype of a youngster polishing shoes. The image is tagged as lot 47 in the Capitol Gallery‘s Spring … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on taking a shine to things

cut ups

Posted on April 5, 2026 by Robert

Toronto. Camera collectors sometimes collect various odds and ends related to cameras such as plate and film holders. When film evolved late in the 1800s, for a time film rolls and film holders overlapped. Using a thicker base, cut (sheet) … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on cut ups

distant suns

Posted on June 26, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. For most of photographic history, photos were taken from about one metre to out as far as the eye could see. Double bellows extensions and other special accessories allowed photos of small objects to be easily taken with the … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on distant suns

about camera collecting

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Camera collectors look at the current values and think, “I wish I bought that model years ago”. When I started to collect back in the early 1970s, many old cameras turned up at relatively cheap asking prices. A bag … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on about camera collecting

a lighter shade of pale

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. In the days of film and plates, especially those of ultra slow media, photographers struggled to get correctly exposed and developed negatives and prints. Judicious use of  lighting helped with the slow and contrasty media. Both highlights and shadows … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on a lighter shade of pale

horse sense

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Robert

Toronto.  Photo collectors sometimes choose pet/animal photos like these farm horses. Others may collect special prints like this Kodak Autographic print marked “dinner time”. A little ‘horse sense’ goes a long way in deciding if a particular photo would close … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on horse sense

man of la mancha

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Photo collectors revel in well illuminated, correctly exposed and framed old photos from daguerreotypes to paper prints. In the 1960s, I had the pleasure of attending a performance of   ‘Man of La Mancha‘ at O’Keefe Centre here in … Continue reading →

Posted in events | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on man of la mancha