get a move on …

Posted on November 22, 2025 by Robert

MOTION – PhotoEd magazine #75 cover

Toronto. Our favourite editor is at it again! The latest issue of photoEd – the MOVEMENT edition – is out now. See Rita Godlevskis’s latest opus on newsstands now and read her latest photo posting here.

Some introductory statements (at the bottom you can see a short list of supporters including this fine ‘not for profit’ organization) :

MOVEMENT – “Every avalanche begins with the movement of a single snowflake, and my hope is to move a snowflake.” – Thomas Frey

Movement. Community, momentum, motion. 
Our 75th edition in print celebrates photography with forward-facing momentum.
This issue features:

  • Xavi Bou & nicholas x bent: Motion in Frame by Corinna vanGerwen

  • Isabelle Hayeur & Ruth Kaplan: Border Stories by Alan Bulley

  • Stuart Robertson: Peace in 10,000 Hands by Craig D’Arville

  • Lori Ryerson: Quiet, noise, and moving in between by Rita Godlevskis

  • Crip Trip: Reframing Disability by Gladys Lou

+
PORTFOLIO FEATURES

Lorena Zschaber, Amy Heller, Yasser Alaa Mobarak, Roland Ramanan, Nika Belianina, Xiatong Cai, Ed McDonough, Peter Dušek, Julia Nathanson, Jonny Silver, Paul Mitchnick, Lesley Nakonechny, Ashot Harutyunyan, János Lakatos, Andre Conceicao.

AND…

  • Change Made with JAYU by Sid Naidu

  • Mattie Gunterman: Playful Pictures by Cassandra Spires

  • Thinking Outside the Cube: SPAO Photo Walk by Alan Bulley

  • Tilly Nelson: Authentic representation by Hazel Love

  • Book recommendations by Alan Bulley

  • Protest is a Creative Act:  Resistance and tides of change in Australia.

Our cover features a detail from Xavi Bou’s  “Ornithography #24.”

Yellow-legged gulls at sunset in El Prat de Llobregat, Catalonia. Xavi Bou is represented by The Cardinal Gallery in Toronto.

photoED magazine is also available as digital replicas for readers worldwide on Press Reader and Flipster platforms.

 This edition could not have been made possible without the support of:

Tamron, Nikon, The Photo Historical Society of Canada, Beau Photo, Harcourt House, GuruShots, a very generous anonymous private donor passionate about supporting Canadian women in photography, our Patreon Patrons, Downtown Camera, B3K Digital, Front Row Insurance, Professional Photographers of Canada, and Total Image Works.

 

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when the winds of November come calling …

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Robert

PHSC President Clint Hryhorijiw

Toronto. November has arrived, just in time for Exec meeting #63. The meeting was held via ZOOM on Wednesday, November 5th. Exec meeting #62 in October missed being posted.

Treasurer, John Morden, sent out his report before the meeting  reporting that the Fall Fair was well received. Many more exhibitors are using PayPal.  John continues to discuss some form issues with the Federal Government.

Financial Controller, Jeri Danyleyko,  discussed our GIC status and related issues.

Membership Secretary Lilianne Schneider provided a membership report by email. She will be taking charge of the MailChimp updating function in December.

For those choosing to buy or renew a membership, please remember our journal is now  in ‘pdf format’ only, so an email address is essential. A MailChimp notification is sent to all member emails when each journal pdf is produced and uploaded.

If you are a member but HAVE NOT seen any notification for Photographic Canadiana since you registered or renewed, please email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca.

Celio reported the October Halloween program is now up on Youtube.

Newsletter editor Patrick Gunn  sent in a written report before the meeting. The October newsletter will be issued in early November after some details regarding the November auction are resolved (since issued).

The fall auction was  hosted on Sunday, November 9, 2025. It was a well received estate/museum auction in spite of the snowy weather.

The RESEARCH menu item link to the free pdf version of Mr Garrett’s index to Canadian Daguerreotypists was corrected and is now available.

David and Louise report that the journal issue 51-2 has been issued to members.

Social media editor, Ms Markovic provided a written report for instagram which shows a continuing enthusiastic interest in this media (15,000 views and 1022 followers by October month end).

Robert issued a monthly web report before the meeting and selected highlights were reviewed at the meeting.

Note: The post title is a riff on a line in Gord Lightfoot’s iconic ballad, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald“.

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a game changer

Posted on November 20, 2025 by Robert

the little game changer. photograph © Leitz Photographica Auction and is courtesy of José M. S. Esparza, Madrid, Spain

Toronto. When 35mm movie film ‘ends’ were common, various cameras using the ends were sold, but failed to gain traction – until a century ago when a little German camera from a optical house specializing in microscopes introduced the Leica and the saying “small negative, big picture“.

Until that time, for the most part a camera size would be chosen so the negative could be contact printed to see the final positive image. A decade later minicams and enlargers had taken off and photography was for ever changed.

Recently we received an email from José Manuel Serrano Esparza in Madrid, Spain. In the email,  José says in part, “The reason to send you this email is because a few weeks ago, Alexander Sedlak (Managing Director of Leica Camera Austria and Leica Camera Classics) and Dennis Iwaskiewicz (Head of Sales of Leica Camera Classics), two world-class experts on analogue Leica cameras, lenses and accessories, as well as featuring many years of experience in this highly specialized scope, imparted a milestone lecture at the Leica Store Madrid (Spain), presenting the upcoming 47th Leitz Photographica Auction, which will be held on November 22, 2025 inside the Imperial Hotel in Vienna (Austria), as gold brooch of the Leica Centenary Celebration, and will be highly probably the most important one ever celebrated in the world.”

José offered the following link to a blog that Heinz Richter posted in late September titled, “PRESENTATION OF THE 47TH LEICA AUCTION CLASSIC VIENNA AT THE LEICA STORE MADRID (SPAIN)“.

The auction is in Vienna this coming Saturday. It’s also on line if a trip is out of the question.

 

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Ja, das ist gut!

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Robert

Mr Tubbs’ 1977 book on the famous Zeiss-Ikon cameras

Toronto. After WW1, Germany faced high inflation and had a serious need for foreign funds.  Mergers and consolidation within German industries was in the air! For example, its camera industry was a conglomeration of relatively small firms who spent their time competing domestically with far too many similar cameras and far too scarce domestic resources.

To rationalize the industry and foster foreign sales, the mighty Zeiss organization of Jena was brought in and amalgamated many firms (amalgamation was underway for decades, even before WW1). Zeiss reduced the number of competing camera models, and named the new company Zeiss-Ikon based in Dresden.

Looking beyond WW2, in the latter part of the last century, there was a flurry of camera collectors world-wide and many books were published to cater to the group. In the case of Zeiss-Ikon, D.B. Tubbs wrote about the iconic firm from its formation to the start of WW2. The book (first edition) was published in England  in 1977 by Hove Camera Foto Books.

An even rarer (and massive) book was written decades later by the late Larry Gubas of Las Vegas (about 400 copies). It was called “Zeiss and Photography” and printed in 2015 by Friesens of Manitoba, Canada (known as a printer of school annuals). Larry was well known to many through Zeiss Historica.

Our 2025 Events have come to a close, but the 2026 PHSC Events are just around the corner. They will be listed in the right-hand side bar of this site (date and location when known) and posted as each event nears. You may find Zeiss-Ikon information, and certainly many models of Zeiss-Ikon film cameras at our events.

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a lasting memory …

Posted on November 18, 2025 by Robert

2nd edition (1983) of Hove Foto Book’s book devoted to Nikon RF collectors

Toronto. When the military returned from the Korean war, some US reported brought along a new and challenging professional camera made in Japan- a Nikon SLR. In time Nikons became one of the two makes preferred by professionals. The other is Canon.

In 1981 a book on Nikon rangefinders was written by Robert Rotoloni and published by Hove Foto Books in England. It was a time of enthusiastic interest in cameras and old photographic images and processes. A more comprehensive second edition 1983 (shown at left) and the massive third edition c2007 fulfil the Nikon Rangefinder collectors dream.

Our 2025 Events have ended now and our 2026 Events will soon begin. Watch the RH sidebar as the events are planned. A post and poster will be added to this site as we get closer to the event date showing details.

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you could shoot a cannon …

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Robert

a 1985 book by Hove in England on Rangefinder Canon cameras

Toronto. … at sunset down the street … ia an old expression to describe a sleepy town. Slightly mis-spelt, Canon is one of the two significant camera makes currently preferred by professionals.

Like many makers, Canon digital cameras were preceded by film rangefinders and SLRs. In 1985 Peter Derchert’s book on the 1933~1968 rangefinder cameras was released by Hove Foto Books in England.

Camera collectors with an interest in Canon rangefinders would do well to track down a copy.

Our 2026 Events will be listed on the Right-hand sidebar of this site as dates and places are firmed up. As we get close to hosting each event, a poster and a post will provided the details.

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speaking of curiosity …

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Robert

an Academic Press 1989 history of the photographic lens

Toronto. … did you ever wonder about the old film/plate lenses in your collection?

In 1971, I spotted Kingslake’s 1951 opus. “Lenses in Photography” used and bought it.

In 1989 Kingslake released, “A History of the Photographic Lens”. Published by Academic Press in London, England, and San Diego California. Up here Academic was represented by Harcourt, Brace & World (HBW).  I called HBW here in the big smoke only to be told they did not import this title. Worse, Academic in California would not ship to a Canadian address …

Fortunately a member had a USA mail drop and all was well. Years later looking at the titles in a junk store, I spotted Sidney Ray’s, “Applied Photographic Optics 2nd Ed” put out by Focal Press in 1988 and bought it.

Of the three, the one shown here (Kingslake’s 1989 book) is the most useful It covers many old lens names, designers, and design group. It would be a very good addition to your collection of old lenses!

Our 2025 Events are over and shortly we will announce our 2026 PHSC Events. As dates and locations are named the events will appear on our Right Hand Sidebar. Watch for them – you may find an interesting book on photo lens history or other goodies for your collection and education!

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curiouser and curiouser …

Posted on November 15, 2025 by Robert

Kodak’s 1957 book on Photo Chemistry

Toronto. The good reverend Dodgson (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll) was both a photographer and author (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland , anyone?). He was a  contemporary of  Julia Margaret Cameron, who he took in a portrait. Unfortunately, few of his photographs survive.

Old photo collectors who want to learn  more about the chemical basis of photography are in luck these days with both books and the internet ready to offer instruction and videos on  how our favourite items are created,

Long before Daguerreotypes and photography, the effect of light on silver was well known. By mid last century we were blessed with books detailing the photographic processes both in layman’s terms and in very scholarly works.

In 1957 Kodak offered is soft cover text “Photo Chemistry” which clearly explained the photographic processes and offered commonly available formulae. It is a simple and well written 124 page book that sold for $1.25 back in the day. You can browse the web – or find an old book like the one shown here to discover the roots of photography before the digital age dropped in on us.

You may even find a text at one of our 2026 events which will be posted in the right hand sidebar as dates and locations are confirmed.

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medal worthy?

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Robert

the famous Kodak Medalist II from a post war brochure

Toronto. When the USA joined WW2 in 1941, it lost access to German cameras. Local manufacturing tried to plug the gap. Kodak provided a bulky “120” size camera in 1941 that lasted to 1948. The monster (about three pounds!) had an excellent Ektar f/3.5 100mm lens but no flash synchronization. The camera used Kodak 620 roll film, similar to 120 roll film but on a wooden-core spool.

Post war, the Medalist II was released with an upgrade to add flash synchronization, a coated lens, etc. The Medalist II was made from 1946 –  1953 when German cameras regained their prestige and Japanese cameras began to be introduced.

Our latest newsletter, PHSC News 25-10, has a fine article on the Medalist II. The article recommends a CLA before use (clean, lubricate, and adjust). Year ago, past president of the PHSC, Bill Belier, mentioned that Medalist cameras had finicky shutters and when they were collected years later, the cameras often suffered mechanical issues.

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Dektol the halls …

Posted on November 13, 2025 by Robert

escape in D.D.O.

Toronto. Just past mid last century, I used Kodak’s Dektol developer to process prints. Those who are frugal and wish to “roll their own” can use the D-72 formula in the old “Photo-Lab-Index” (not the compact one) or just browse the internet.

Under the safe light you can see the image pop up in the developer tray in minutes. Flip the paper to the stop (slightly acidic) bath for a few seconds and development stops instantly. Next use the hypo (fixer) solution to clear off the unused silver halides so the image doesn’t shift tone over time (especially with light exposure).

A lengthy water wash removes all chemicals and hanging to dry gives you the final sparkling print (hopefully).

If you are into film technology, visit our 2026 events for cameras, darkroom gear, lenses, and more. As the events unfold, I will post details here and stock pile them in the right hand side bar replacing the 2025 events.

The hamsters? We had pair at one time and I popped them in a Dektol tin – in this shot they tried to escape the tin.

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