Nikon One sells at auction for 384,000 Euros

Posted on December 15, 2016 by Robert

Nikon One

Toronto. Remember when Japanese cameras were dismissed as German knock-offs? Stephan Musil of Westlicht Auction in Vienna sent me this press release a few days back.

A Nikon One rangefinder camera sold for 384,000 Euros at auction was initially estimated have a value of 90,000 Euros going into the auction.

The Nikon One was made in 1948. The total number manufactured was about 750. The camera was a rangefinder design and sold with a Nikkor 50mm f/3.5 or f/2.0 lens. This lens could be focussed by a wheel near the shutter release. Other interchangeable lenses in bayonet mount were offered but did not use the little wheel to focus. The camera was an odd mix of Contax and Leica design elements.

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Beginning of the digital camera era

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Robert

Steve Sasson of Kodak

Toronto. Do you remember Steve Sasson? No? Well you should! Steve was working for Kodak when he created the first digital camera. The massive gadget’s minuscule .01 mpx  B&W image saved on an audio tape belied the impact digital would have on film, virtually devastating it just a few decades later.

My friend George Dunbar writes. “Was browsing through an old magazine (Invention & Technology, winter 2010) and was surprised by this sidebar in an article about cellphones. The brief story of Steve Sasson and his building of the first digital camera almost ignores Kodak’s involvement — only a brief mention that the lens was “made by Kodak.”

“I’m left wondering why we’re told: ‘…he was assigned to build a camera…’, without the Company’s name being mentioned as an instigator of the project.

“Odd, isn’t it?” Continue reading →

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Graflex Journal Issue 3 for 2016 published

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Robert

Graflex Journal Issue 3 2016 small boy and big camera…

Toronto. Ken Metcalf does a terrific job of finding and publishing articles on Kodak’s famous Graflex line of cameras from the giants used by professionals decades ago to the more personal 35mm cameras, based on designs once made by Ciro. His wonderful journal was recently published.

Our Photographic Canadiana editor, Bob Lansdale, sent me this issue the other day. You can download issue 3 of 2016 here and enjoy the many pages of articles and information.

N.B. The little boy and his big Graflex camera are featured as a logo (upper left corner of first page).

Continue reading →

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Remember the Japanese Internment in WW2?

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Robert

Japanese-Canadian families in BC forced to move during WW2 (LAC C-46350)

Toronto. During the second world war (WW2) after Hong Kong and Pearl Harbour were  attacked and Japan entered the war on the side of Germany, Many Asian Canadian and American families on the west coast were relocated inland.

A deadline seems to have been reached this year since many organization have reported the sad internment beginning in 1942. In the USA, people like Dorothea Lange were hired to show the efficient move of California families to inland detention camps. Apparently Lange el al were more sympathetic to the people moved than the government of the day so their photographs were not used at the time.

Continue reading →

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Airplane Photography in 1919

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Robert

Frontispiece – Airplane Photography by H E Ives (Lippencott 1920)

Toronto. My friend George Dunbar seems to find many fascinating sites on the internet. He sent me a note on Thursday, last about Airplane Photography. The topic is covered in a book by  Herbert Eugene Ives (1882-1953) published by Lippencott and long out of print.

The preface by Ives is dated November 1919 while the book is copyright 1920 – now in the public domain. It is on the site archives.org which is the Way Back Machine mentioned here before. The physical book is in the Robarts Library at the University of Toronto.

George says, “A wonderfully comprehensive discourse on the art of ‘Airplane Photography’ by Herbert E. Ives, published in 1920. Contains complete descriptions of cameras, films and processing in great detail”.

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My Toronto – Review of PHSC Presentation

Posted on December 10, 2016 by Robert

Geoffrey James by Robert Lansdale

Geoffrey James was named Toronto’s first Photographer Laureate. Tonight Mr James moved quickly through a slide show titled My Toronto. Professing a lack of understanding of Photoshop and its like, he prefers to use a modern Leica digital camera and a single 28mm lens. Lightroom was used to balance colour, and fine tune tonality and exposure before presentation here. The slides give a remarkable view of the city through his eye. 

I found many shots arresting in the choice of topic and framing used. There was a nice mix of street scenes, architecture, found objects and people. The slides gave a rich colour and tapestry to our city. Once viewed it was easy to see why Mr James was chosen to be our first Photographer Laureate. Continue reading →

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19th C Photographic Cases and Wall Frames

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Robert

Toronto. The Daguerreian Society sent me an email yesterday advising that the 3rd edition of Paul Berg’s book on 19th century cases and frames is now available. You can get the details and an order form here.

If you collect daguerreotypes and other cased images, you will find this book very helpful in dating the photographic cases used to protect the images.

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PHSC Meetings 2016-7

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Robert

PHSC Meeting Program Nov 2016 – June 2017

Toronto. Programme Chair Les Jones has done his usual superlative job lining up our Toronto program right through to June of this year and our celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary.

Les mentioned to us at our February executive meeting that the May 2017 program will be Edwin Haynes: Rediscovered Toronto Photographer presented by Lizz Hodgson at our Memorial Hall location.

At a time  and date to be posted later, PHSC members will be invited to The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presentation titled “The Family Camera“. The ROM plans to allocate over 5,000 square feet to a display of both family cameras and family prints.

Click on the icon at left or here to see the events by month. The special layout of the meeting schedule was created by Sonja Pushchak of the PHSC.

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Neil Leifer, Sports Photographer

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Robert
The great Gordie Howe by Neil Leifer

Gordie Howe by Neil Leifer

Toronto. The great sports photographer Neil Leifer‘s greatest photographs have been sold at auction.

His work was reviewed in this  Globe article December 1, 2016 just a couple of days before the photos were auctioned off down in New York City.

To learn more, visit Neil Leifer’s web site here.

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Lost America Found

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Robert
Portrait - from a Glass Plate found c1960 outside Camera Craft in Barrie.

Portrait – from a Glass Plate found c1960 outside Camera Craft in Barrie.

Toronto. Today we have a multitude of old photos – nameless people and places, Some faded, some still pristine like the sample at the left.

When I was a kid in Barrie, Joe Waterer had a camera store downtown called Camera Craft. One day (c1960) I noticed stacks of glass plate negatives by his store next to his garbage bins. Needing a small strip of glass for something I was building, I took two home with Joe’s approval.

Although a bit soft as was the fashion back then, the plates had such good contrast that I kept them. Either Joe or more likely his predecessor had exposed the plates in a studio setting. In another century (this one) I scanned the plates and reversed them to show the positive view of the young gentleman in the portrait.

If you are fascinated by old images, have a look here at a site my friend George Dunbar discovered. The site is called  Lost America Found and is managed by Alan Radecki of California on Google’s blogsite.com which seems to be replicated here on Google’s Canadian blog site, blogspot.ca.

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