Category Archives: history

hey, hey, hey, it’s fat Elmar

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. In 1930, Leitz began marketing the tiny Leica with an interchangeable lens mount. According to Dennis Laney in his “Leica Collectors Guide” of September 1992, The medium telephoto 9 cm Elmar was one of the first three lenses added … Continue reading →

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ah! movies and cars- how great was that?

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. In the 1950s, I remember clambering in our car or a friend’s car and trundling off to the local drive-in to watch a movie outdoors and listen to a tiny tinny speaker hung on the widow. Sadly up here … Continue reading →

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keeping your head down

Posted on January 17, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Any enlarger I used was vertical in design. In fact, I never saw a horizontal enlarger until I visited the late Larry Boccioletti, one of the founders of this society. At the time, Larry was looking for an old … Continue reading →

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the RED button, aunt Tilly

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Late in the last century, past president Don Douglas and I represented the PHSC with a “dog and pony” show on the history of photography. Don used his camera collection to show the evolution of cameras while I showed … Continue reading →

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another KODAK moment

Posted on January 12, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Between colour media, and home movies, the post war amateur photography market blossomed.   It was often said that Kodak made its money selling film and other photographic consumables using their inexpensive cameras as a means to further sales. … Continue reading →

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it’s home to print we go …

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. For about the last half of the last century I enjoyed doing darkroom work and processing of both negatives and prints. In the 1960s and 70s, this included colour processing using paper and chemistry of the day. And beginning … Continue reading →

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a fine balance

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. I began to take photographs in grade school when someone gave me a simple box camera. In high school, I joined the camera club and began to print and process my own photos. Once I started working, I decided … Continue reading →

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All About Enlargers – Part B

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. What do you do when a photograph negative is too small? Enlarge it! You may be surprised to learn that enlarging apparatus came along well before the minicam revolution of the 1930s. In this special members-only supplement (vol 1-7) … Continue reading →

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they’re coming! they’re coming!

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. In this case, it was the Japanese camera makers who moved on to America and Europe after the Korean War. They slowly eliminated both American and most German makers of film cameras. In the latter part of the last … Continue reading →

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by the light of the silvery moon

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. From the very beginning of photography, the moon and photography have worked closely together. John William Draper made his daguerreotype of the moon in 1840. It is the earliest existing photographic image of the moon. A cleaned up version … Continue reading →

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