Category Archives: history

where have all the cameras gone II

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Short answer: to our spring fair, being held May 25th, 2025. Long answer: far more complicated. Cameras from dry plates on can be easily be found, especially at our events. Earlier daguerreotype and wet-plate cameras are much harder to … Continue reading →

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Hodgkinson & Butters Early Takers

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Graham Garrett, perhaps best remembers for his research on early Canadian Daguerreotypists, researched and wrote a number of articles for Photographic Canadiana. In issue 23-3 He wrote an article on the daguerreotype photographers Hodgkinson & Butters titled, “Hodgkinson & … Continue reading →

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… and a dash of flash

Posted on May 7, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Post WW2, many folk investigated ways to improve flash by incorporating Edgerton’s “Speed-light” concepts in a smaller container to allow electronic flash to compete with and eventually replace flash powder, bulbs, etc. Jim Miller of Downsview (now part of … Continue reading →

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home brew in 3D

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. From time to time we all want to leap on the 3D bandwagon and do some personal shots. In issue 23-3 the late Stan White shows us how he created a 5×7 3D camera. Stan’s article is titled, “Making … Continue reading →

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another view …

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Robert

  Toronto. Stereos have often been used to give a dimensional view to photos. In issue 23-3, Stan White announces a “Treasure Trove of Gorgeous Stereo Daguerreotypes Uncovered”. Stan wrote the article with ‘photographs and research by Bill Ivy’. The … Continue reading →

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great balls of fire

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Robert

Toronto.  In the column, “Image of the Month Series” by Robert Wilson, Bob chose a photo purported to have been taken by Alexander Galbraith. The photo is accompanied by a lengthy article titled, “Alexander Galbraith Began Long Career at Fire … Continue reading →

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a better view

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. In a recent post, I looked at the Visoflex  ‘chimney’ for the mirror box fitted between a Leica and its bellows. Even before the Visoflex series went to market, Leitz made mirror boxes like the PLOOT which came with … Continue reading →

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not up in smoke

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Leitz came up with a mirror box housing that converted its famous Leica rangefinder to an SLR for close-ups and telephoto shots. The first version (Visoflex I) came with the 5x vertical magnifier (LVFOO). A 45 degree 4x magnifier … Continue reading →

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one ringy dingy …

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Who can forget comedian Lily Tomlin and her hilarious send up of the telephone company? Leitz often separated the lens assembly from the focussing mount. To use the lens on the bellows, a ring would connect the lens (or … Continue reading →

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ye gads, a tryclopes

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. Greek mythology had the Cyclopes – a gang of scary giants with one eye in the middle of the forehead! Issue 23-3 uses a photo of an unusual “three-eye” turret device mounted on a Leica camera as its cover … Continue reading →

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