Category Archives: history

long, long, ago

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. As I mentioned many times before, museums, archives, and libraries often hold photographs which are a rich source of history. The museum in Riverdale, California, while far away is a case in point. Typical of their holdings is the … Continue reading →

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clowning around

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Taking a break from stills, my good friend, George Dunbar, found this ad for Castle Films. Most of our members are ‘stills’ professionals or collect still cameras and images. The occasional member is keen on movies as well (the … Continue reading →

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selfies galore

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Photographers both professional and amateur elect or are prodded to record groups – organizations, schools, military, bands, special events, etc. Some photographers even specialized and used special cameras (e.g. Cirkut) or extreme wide angle lenses (e.g. Zeiss Protars) to … Continue reading →

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creating a buzz

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. George Dunbar sent me an email recently regarding another source of photo-history. George writes, “Another unique online archive gallery here. The site uses eHive which is a CMS (Collection/Content Management System) like WordPress. In fact there is a plug-in … Continue reading →

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unintended consequences

Posted on December 14, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. In 1954 Leitz blazed a new trail in the minicam saga with the introduction of the M3 model Leica – Its first post war design, the camera had  features galore over the modest screw-mount line. Gone forever was the … Continue reading →

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shelter from the dust …

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. When Leitz produced the Leica, they used a removable base plate to replace films and help reduce the area open to air borne dirt and dust. This worked for models without lens interchangeability. When the model II gave way … Continue reading →

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not all that glitters …

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. .. is gold. Some camera makers did use a gold coating occasionally to sell a particular model to those with expensive tastes. For example, Leitz sold a Leica model it called a ‘Lexus”. It was made with typical Leica … Continue reading →

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après la pluie

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Landscape photos seem better when we add in some bad weather effects. This example shows not rain, but the effect of rain when it ends. Rainbows have traditionally meant that better times were ahead. For a photographer, a rainbow … Continue reading →

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a real brick …

Posted on December 10, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. We have commented on the famous Argus C-3 camera many times, but this beautiful ad was just too hard to pass up. Fondly known as the ‘brick’, the C-3 (C3) was by far the best selling camera of the … Continue reading →

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a cold winter’s night

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Nasty weather is the bane of a human’s existence – unless he is a photographer. For a photo, inclement weather can create a memorable exposure – witness Henri Cartier-Bresson’s “decisive moment” when a French commuter jumps a puddle and … Continue reading →

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