Category Archives: history

look back in anger

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Many of us come from British roots. We often think about the olden days when thinking about ‘over home’. Sadly, nothing rarely stands still. Like here and elsewhere, many old places give way to the new. Historians are constantly … Continue reading →

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a Mitchin great camera

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Did you ever see a movie in the days when movie scenes were captured on 35 or 16 mm film? Well the chances are a Mitchell camera was used! Mitchell Cameras took over from Bell & Howell a few … Continue reading →

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let’s try small …

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. … and aluminum, and made in America, and 35mm film. Sadly nothing worked, and the ‘Classic 35’ came out in 1948 and disappeared. Just another flop, but worth far more today for collectors – if they can find one!. … Continue reading →

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wild lights

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Okay, flash is “the next big thing” and you don’t have a flash socket (pc) or a hot shoe. So what can you do?? Welll, if you are Leitz of Leica fame, you could make a base and flash … Continue reading →

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time slicers

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. I often think of a shutter as a means to control speed and illumination. However when the image is framed and the shutter button pushed, it captures on film, a ‘slice of time’ in the subject’s life. I have … Continue reading →

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quirks and quotes

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Robert

Toronto.  The old bromide “a photo is worth a thousand words” was around when I was a kid. Petapixel built on this theme by offering an article “70 Inspirational Quotes for Photographers” by TAMMY LAMOUREUX back on  MAY 29, 2014. The … Continue reading →

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Photographic Canadiana Supplement 2-4 (May 2021)

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. This year, the PHSC sponsored a project by students in the Film + Photography Preservation and Collections Management Program at Ryerson University. The project will mount an exhibition of images from the Sovfoto Archive at the MacLaren Art Centre at … Continue reading →

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The Amateur Photographer et al

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Post WW2 we became very American-centric whereas we focused on Britain prewar and during the war years. Many of our books and nearly all magazines come from the States today and we seem to have forgotten the wealth of … Continue reading →

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not with a bang, but a whimper

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Talk about bad timing laced with bad decisions! Zeiss introduced the Contarex SLR just as Nippon Kogaku introduced it’s Nikon F. The Contarex was an engineer’s dream – a massive three pounds; over 1,000 parts per camera body; every … Continue reading →

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yikes! that’s big

Posted on May 2, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Around year 2000, digital technology took off with sensors only a few mega pixels in size. Look what the whiz kids have done about two decades later! Modern day smart phones use a 12 mp sensor plus a computer … Continue reading →

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