at the push of a button …

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Robert

1942 article on an electric
push button camera

Toronto. An article in the April, 1942 issue of Popular Mechanics touts that, “Pictures can be taken at the rate of one each second with an electric studio-type camera”.  A casual read suggests that the camera predates Edward Land by a few years, but not so.

Photographs are caught as usual on a wide roll of ordinary film requiring the usual negative processing then printing each frame to get the positive print.

Oh, well. Thanks to that inveterate photography historian, George Dunbar, for finding and sharing this tasty tale of an electric ‘push button’ camera. Great for taking pass photographs to protect factory operations during the war (ww2).

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the thrill of movies

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Robert

December 1937 advertisement for Ciné-Kodak cameras

Toronto. Kodak got into movie cameras and projectors in the 1920s to sell its amateur movie films. This ad from the December, 1937 edition of International Photographer shows a sampling of Kodak’s line-up of both 8 and 16mm cameras.

Kodak also offered processing including a bleaching bath so the original negative film came out positive and ready to view (with a Kodak projector, of course).

A thanks goes to my good friend, George Dunbar, for sharing this interesting Kodak ad from over 80 years ago.

 

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camera is cheap and a film for free

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Robert

ad for remaindered Twin Flex in 1942

Toronto. The Univex Corp set out to capture the low end photographic market in the States. The war in Europe caused a hiccup in their film supply. Univex used a custom style core on its “00” roll film with the film manufactured in Belgium.

Univex (Universal Camera Company) survived this situation after a near death experience. This ad claims the Twin Flex is, “A GENUINE PROFESSIONAL TYPE REFLEX CAMERA AT A LOW PRICE THAT YOU NEVER DREAMED POSSIBLE”. Even before the remaindered price of “$2.98 – film free), the retail price was a mighty $5.50 for “… The Type Camera
That News Photographers Use”. Skillful words that attracted the gullible in thousands.

This particular advertisement appeared in the July, 1942 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine. In 1940, near bankruptcy, the company found an American film supplier just before America leapt into WW2 as well – out of the frying pan and all that … A nod to my good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar for sharing this ad with us. And a thank you for the information in McKeown’s 11th edition regarding the Universal Camera Company.

Note, the title is a riff on the delightful Dire Straits song, “Money for Nothing“.

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in the briny deep

Posted on March 27, 2022 by Robert

Ambrotype recoved from a downed ship after some 165 year in the sea

Toronto.  The BBC News for March 26, 2022 has a story titled. “SS Central America: Haunting photos recovered [in] the ‘ship of gold’ wreck on ocean floor”. The photographs that that survived the watery grave were all cased images with well made cases and seals.

The BBC states, “It was a hurricane that sealed the fate for 425 people returning to the US east coast … .

” … some passengers were also carrying something of more personal value – photographs.

“Salvaged from the ship’s wreckage in 2014 were daguerreotypes, the first successful commercial form of photography – a one-off picture held on a metal plate – and ambrotypes, a type of glass plate photography.”

Visit the BBC site to see and read about the discovery. Thank you to my good friend, George Dunbar, for bringing this story to my attention!

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if you can’t beat them …

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Robert

1937 ad for new smaller cheaper model Speed Graphic camera

Toronto. Two events likely resulted in this version of the famous Speed Graphic. First the continuing depression and the need to economize; and secondly the success of the minicam and enlarging making smaller cameras very popular.

As advertised in the December, 1937 issue of the International Photographer, a new version of the Speed Graphic by the Folmer Graflex Corp in Rochester was advertised as featuring  “economy and versatility”. The film size was reduced to 2-1/4 x 3-11/4 while the camera offered interchangeable lenses, a built-in focal plane shutter and ability to add leaf shutter/lens combinations, some with flash capability.

The basic camera was sold with the focal plane shutter but no lens. My thanks to fellow PHSC member and avid photo historian, my good friend George Dunbar, for sharing this ad with us.

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Canada, eh?

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Robert

A Canadian story in the September, 1938 issue of American Cinematographer

Toronto. America is well known for its rather insular approach to us small fry. But occasionally the mighty country to the south goes out of its way to feature an article on a Canadian event.

This article, called, “Canadians Pack Sports Arena to see Duncan Little’s Film of Race” tells the story of a film shown in the new sports arena in the town of Shawinigan Falls, Quebec by New Yorker Duncan Little. The projector was the Bell and Howell model 130, designed for auditoriums. The projector used the then new 1,200 watt lamp.

A big ‘thank you’ goes out to our good friend and retiree, George Dunbar for sourcing and sharing this rare Canadian story in an American magazine, in this case the September, 1938 American Cinematography magazine.

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go big or …

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Robert

ad announcing Kodachrome for professionals

Toronto. For decades, I thought of Kodachrome as home movie or 35mm slide film. Journal editor, the late Ev Roseborough, corrected me as did another journal editor, the late Bob Lansdale. When Kodachrome was introduced (1935) it was limited to 16mm home movie film since the Kodak plant in Rochester had limited Kodachrome processing capability. The next leap was 35mm transparencies (slides).

But in November 1938 professional cut film up to 8×10 inches a sheet was announced. The ad here is from the November 1938 issue of American Cinematographer. Back then colour film had to be corrected for the principle lighting used – daylight, tungsten, floodlights, even fluorescents. Modern day digital users don’t realize just how much automatic ‘white balance’ has simplified things. Cut film Kodachrome for daylight use was in the near future.

The cut film version of Kodachrome was balanced for ‘clear Mazda lamps’. The film speed was about 1/3 that of Eastman portrait or SS panchromatic B&W film (pitiful speed today). To use it in daylight, or other kinds of incandescent bulbs, a filter on the lens was necessary.

My thanks to good friend George Dunbar for finding and sharing this ad with us.

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a question on some Canadian Photographs

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Robert

Les Burkholder awarded

Toronto. I often get interesting emails for the PHSC. For example, Mark Mackave wrote to the PHSC on behalf of his nephew, Cody Mackave about a photograph collection. If you can help Mark, please drop me a line so I can forward it to him.

Mark writes, “. I am contacting the Society on behalf of my Nephew, Cody Mackave, who owns the Burlin Studio negative archive and photo collection. The collection consists of +/- 150,000 negatives primarily in 5 x7 and 4 x 5 format. Additionally there is a collection of loose  photographs, and sample prints which are mounted and some are framed. Frederick (Fred) Mauritz Burlin owned the studio from +/- 1948-1972 Les Burkholder then owned it from 1972 -1992. The studio continued to operate under different owners until 1997.

“Fred Burlin and Les Burkholder were both award winning Canadian photographers and both received numerous awards and accolades including the Fellowship Jewel Award, the highest honour from the Professional Photographer Association of BC (PPABC). Please see the Flickr link immediately below to some of Mr. Burlin’s work. I have included a second Flickr link below to an interesting article on Mr. Burlin, which was published in the Ansconian Magazine in the March-April publication in 1955. I have also attached a PDF from a page of the Royal City Record of Mr. Burkholder receiving a Fellows

hip Jewel Award through PPABC in 1985.

“Burlin Studios – Photo Archive | Flickr 

https://www.flickr.com/gp/11908964@N08/063M84

“Mauritz Burlin – Ansconian Magazine Article 1955 | Flickr

https://www.flickr.com/gp/11908964@N08/3e8238

“I am curious if members within your group are familiar with the work of these two gentlemen and if they were members of the Society. My nephew Cody and I believe collection of negatives and photos has historical importance and we would like to see the collection preserved in its’ entirety. Cody is seeking potential buyers or historical associations who may be interested in acquiring this rich source of fine photography in the collection. We are seeking any information that senior members of PHSC could provide us which may assist us in our quest and would be very grateful for anything you could provide. Time is of the essence to achieve our goal and your earliest reply would be much appreciated.  Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or if you require any additional information.”

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what a pal!

Posted on March 22, 2022 by Robert

What a Pal to collectors!

Toronto. In the April, 1932 edition of the International Photographer, this strange camera called the PAL KO or PALKO was advertised. It was described as a post card sized folder that focussed on ground glass. Never heard of it. In fact the folder plus ground glass sounded like a phoney to me.

Not so! The camera apparently originated in Britain around 1918. A closer look shows a deeper bottom area for two film spools. An elaborate arrangement pulled enough film up for a shot, then moved it into the take up spool to let the ground glass drop in to the film plane for the next shot. And the film exposure size could be masked to a half or a third economizing on film.

The reason I never heard of a PALKO? They had a rather small production run over the years and those cameras remaining are very rare. The article on the Red Bellows site explains the history of this unusual folder and how two people on two continents were said to be the designers!

A big thank you to my good friend George Dunbar for spotting this interesting advertisement and sharing it with us,

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a good student

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Robert

1932 ad for Kodak’s European line of cameras headed for the USA

Toronto. I recently suggested that Kodak SIX-20 folders and their brethren were “too little, too late“. This ad two years earlier in the International Photographer in 1932 suggests Kodak was covering its bets with imports from the recently purchased Nagel factory in Europe to add a “European” flavour to its stable of cameras.

Featured is the Kodak Pupille camera with a great Schneider  f/2 lens (other lenses were offered too) and a decent Compur leaf shutter spanning the range from 1 second to 1/300th of a second – well suited to the rather slow films of the day.

But also mentioned in the ad’s sidebar are a number of other Kodak imports to North America from its German factory. This ad was found and shared by my good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar. Who says Kodaks were all folders or box cameras?

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