Schneider lenses for the cognecenti

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Robert

Schneider Kreuznach Super Angulon lens on a Linhof board

Toronto. Schneider Kreuznach has been around as an optical house for many years – in fact over a century going back to 1913 when the firm was founded as the Joseph Schneider Optical Works in Bad Kreuznach, a small town in the Rhineland area of Germany.

I first came across this firm when I bought a used Durst M35 enlarger that came with a high calibre Schneider Componon lens (F/4 50mm) made before -s series  and apo- designs were available. In the late 1950s – early 1960s the company made a Super Angulon 21mm lens for Leitz in an M-mount. This complemented the Zeiss 15mm Hologon and the Leitz 28mm lenses of the era.

Our estate auction coming this month features a number of Schneider Kreuznach lenses, in Linhof Technica boards. Be sure you set aside Sunday, November 17th to join in this exciting estate auction with loads of quality user gear for the enthusiast.

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just imagine yourself on Nov 24th

Posted on November 8, 2019 by Robert

PHSC Image Show on Elm Street

Toronto.  Okay, hold the excitement if you can! Just imagine yourself on Nov 24th at our IMAGE SHOW. Yep, just like last year, the PHSC will host its popular image show downtown on Elm street in cahoots with the Arts and Letters club.

Just click the icon at left for a large, printable poster celebrating our Show and giving the time, date and address (don’t tell anyone, but admission is FREE)! Come on down and see what you can add to your collection or complement your home!

NB. A big Thank You to Sonja Pushchak and John Morden for their humorous and appealing posters here and on Facebook & Instagram!

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Charlie’s camera

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Robert

Charlie the Tuna

Toronto. In the third quarter of the last century, toy cameras that took photos were popular. Some were used as marketing props – send a few dollars and some labels from the product and you received a camera advertising the product. Charlie the Tuna was one such camera. It used 126 cartridges and flash cubes. This mascot-shaped box camera took both outdoor and indoor pictures.

Some typical toy cameras are in our auction on the 17th. including a Charlie the Tuna camera. Come on down and enjoy the outing, You may just get another item for your collection, or even a piece of user gear to add to your working photographic tools.

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CAMERAMA Show November 10th 2019

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Robert

CAMERAMA show Nov 10, 2019

Toronto. Gary Perry has his latest Camerama coming up this Sunday, November 10th at the usual locale. Drop by this Sunday and see what you can find to add to your collection or user gear!

If you need more information, or have a question, you can email Gary at cameramashow@gmail.com or call him at 905-550-7477. Meantime be sure to drop by and enjoy the show (click on the tiny poster icon at left for location, times, prices, etc.).

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goldilocks camera – not too big and not too small

Posted on November 5, 2019 by Robert

B&H Filmo Auto Load Speedster

Toronto. Bell and Howell came out with this lovely Filmo Auto Load Speedster 16mm movie camera (this example is equipped with a Japanese telephoto lens). The camera uses a standard magazine invented by Kodak who also made 16mm cameras.

16mm sits between the size up (35mm cameras) and size down (8mm and super 8mm cameras). Perhaps the best known 16mm cameras are Bolex once made is Switzerland.

This one is in a lot at our estate auction on the 17th. It comes with a carrying case, film cassettes, and instruction books for it and a prewar Filmo 70 16mm camera. Come out and join in the fun even if you don’t collect or use 16mm cine gear.

 

 

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I spy with my little eye …

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Robert

Minox B with case and instruction book

Toronto. … a cluster of Minox cameras and Minox things at our estate auction on the 17th of this month. The tiny Minox was famous as an early subminiature spy camera in and after WW2. The instrument was precision crafted and originally made in Riga, Latvia.

If you don’t own one yet, come along to our auction this month and bid for one of the models offered. I bought my two late in the 1950s. One was lost or stolen in the mail when I sent it in for repairs – I dropped it about ten feet to the floor. The other and all the Minox darkroom gear I traded in years later for a screw mount Leica with an Elmar lens.

If I forgot to mention it in an earlier post, the snake chain that attaches to the camera has bumps matching the closer distances on the focussing scale so the user can measure the distance quickly, set the lens for that distance, frame, and snap a photo – just like a 1940s/50s spy might do!

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boxed in for Guinness

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Robert

Ryerson students and a telephone booth in 1959

Toronto. 1959 was a simpler time. No personal computers or smartphones. The head of IBM famously said a few years earlier that there was room for about 100 computers in the world since the massively slow and puny brutes were so expensive only very wealthy governments and businesses could afford them.

None the less, university students (mostly male) world-wide found ways to be entertained and entertaining. A then current fad was cramming an excessive number of students in a phone booth. The lead essay in the March 30th, 1959 issues of LIFE magazine was titled “Riots, Girls, Fads – Spring’s Ode on Campuses” and on page 15 it featured a photo of Ryerson Tech students crammed in a downtown phone booth. The students managed to tie the official Guinness winner of record at 19 students (briefly), to be later surpassed by St,  Mary’s in California with 22 students. The telephone booth cramming fad only lasted through 1959.

Like most essays in LIFE magazine, this one relied heavily on photographs to tell the story. Thanks to George Dunbar who spotted this photo of Ryerson students while investigating photography in magazines of the era.

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cheap and practical

Posted on November 2, 2019 by Robert

Konica C35

Toronto. Not all lots are high end gear at our estate auction coming on the 17th of this month. When my kids were young, I bought them Konica C35 cameras. My youngest daughter even took her blue camera to Europe. She lost the case in Spain to a snatch and run kid – her Konica wasn’t in its case so it survived to return back home.

Konica later merged with Minolta and in turn, Minolta was bought out by Sony when that company decided to forgo massive viewfinder cameras like the F828 and enter the DSLR market then owned by Canon and Nikon.

Join us on the 17th for the thrill of getting another item to use or collect. Some, like this C35 were well build and inexpensive too.

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easy peasy

Posted on November 1, 2019 by Robert

making a mask for Halloween

Toronto. The other day my grand daughter sent me this photo of her brother having a halloween mask made at home. She is eight years old and took this image with her iPad camera, which has a 3.3mm f/2.4 lens and auto corrects everything.

Currently she is saving up for a “good” digital camera, such as those likely to be auctioned off on the 17th at our estate auction or offered at our spring fair next year. I included her photo to show just how far we have come since 1839. Today, even a child can take a technically sound image. But it takes a trained and experienced photographer to choose the correct location, subject, lighting and framing to separate the snap-shots and family mementos from serious photographs.

With her studious and detailed approach to things around her today, I can see her becoming that kind of trained and experienced photographer in future.

Note the original was saved as an HEIC file – Apple’s latest chosen standard for smartphone photos. I converted to JPEG so it is viewable on more computers (the latest release of Windows 10 reads HEIC but earlier versions do not, nor does my old iPod Touch on iOS 9.3.5). HEIC saves stills like JPEG and short animations like GIFs which is how Apple smartphones save stills and very short videos combined.

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a Brawny super 8 …

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Robert

Braun Nizo Integral 7 sound super 8 home movie camera

Toronto. The German company Braun won many design awards. Decades ago I bought a Braun KM32 mixer in Montreal. I used a Braun coffee machine for years. And the Braun Hobby electronic flash was very popular in its time.

At our Estate Auction November 17th, one lot has a Braun Nizo Integral 7 sound super 8 camera. This model was made and marketed only for a brief time (about 1079-85). If you fancy home movie gear here is a chance to augment your collection.

The Nizo and many other cameras and photographic items go under the hammer at our estate auction. Come on down on the 17th of November and join in on the fun!

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