Category Archives: history

going for gold – a Kodak moment

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The late Jack Addison and wife Marge were very active in the society, especially in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Jack was president, journal editor, CNE Exhibits coordinator, curator, etc. while wife Marge was membership secretary when I joined … Continue reading →

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a photographer’s magnifier

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Anyone wanting to see a magnified view of a small object would likely use a simple magnifying glass – just like Sherlock Holmes in the many Conan Doyle stories. Predating photography, a projector (magic lantern) projected an enlarged view … Continue reading →

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out of the blue

Posted on October 17, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Journalists reporting battles in the Korean War came across a very high quality, professional camera made in Japan. A well known maker of microscopes in Japan, Nippon Kogaku, expanded into cameras post war and were selling them under the … Continue reading →

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si si d, doctor B

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Years ago, I discovered Bell Labs via the journal, Bell Systems Technical Journal. One issue in particular impressed me since it included a cardboard 78 rpm record of a computer singing, ‘A Bicycle Built for Two’!  Now-a-days computers are … Continue reading →

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another inexpensive German made camera

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Post war, the photographic industry was awash with inexpensive cameras made in Europe or Japan and sold by North American distributors. An example is the Iloca line made in Hamburg, Germany. In the April 1951 issue of Popular Photography … Continue reading →

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tiny, I can see you

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The makers of rangefinder cameras such as the Leica went to great lengths with accessories to allow the cameras to be used for any photographic project. On page 85 of the April 1951 Popular Photography magazine, Leitz NY ran … Continue reading →

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another one bites the dust

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. We were sorry to hear that we lost another magazine recently. PetaPixel carried an article on February 12, 2021 by Jaron Schneider titled, “Canadian Magazine Photo Life Has Shipped its Final Issue“. Photo Life was around for many years … Continue reading →

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Canadian Photography magazine

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Do you remember Canadian Photography magazine? It was a skinny magazine that survived for a few years around the 1970s against the thick American magazines which had a far greater range of advertisers available plus lots of writing talent. … Continue reading →

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aunt Tilly’s camera collection

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Robert

  Toronto. Back in the 1980s, Don Douglas and I put on a dog and pony show to represent the PHSC. I did a slide show on milestones in the history of B&W photography up to the roll film era, … Continue reading →

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how to make good pictures in 1936

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. 1936, what a great year! Mind you, I wasn’t around back then, but my dad upgraded his picture taking skills to a Kodak Junior Six-20. Kodak had reached the pinnacle of the photographic industry by mid last century – … Continue reading →

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