YAR (yet another rangefinder)

Posted on October 23, 2023 by Robert

a novel rangefinder for the Graflex ‘Pacemaker Graphic’ camera line

Toronto. Graflex had a great line of large format cameras, ruggedly made, and very popular. Many professional news and street photographers used one of the cameras day or night.

One perceived shortfall was the lack of a means to focus accurately in poor light. An add-on rangefinder solved the issue and gave an optional means of gauging camera – subject distance.

To counter the use of an add-on rangefinder, Graflex came up with this illuminated version. Basically, two light breams were projected on the subject and by focussing the lens, the beams could be merged. An ad in the June, 1955 issue of Popular Mechanics describes the way the rangefinder works.

The concept of using battery powered light beams seems to have been somewhat short lived. Most rangefinders I have seen or used relied on the photographer’s eye to merge the desired subject. My thanks to good friend George Dunbar for spotting and sharing this bit of photographic history.

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catch the wave II

Posted on October 22, 2023 by Robert

a 1955 ad for the Delta Stereo by Lennor in Chicago.

Toronto. A recent post, “catch the wave“, spoke of Kodak’s technique to ‘monetize’ the latest popularity of stereo in the 1950s. A brief (very brief) competitor emerged in 1955 – the Delta Stereo by Lennor Engineering Co in Illinois.

The company’s product line targeted the same population as Kodak. However, instead of promoting the line, this ad in the October, 1955 issue of Popular Mechanics addresses wanna-be salesmen and distributors. Sadly, the call seems to have fallen on deaf ears. McKeowns lists the Delta Stereo in its 11th edition as a 1955 offering and suggested the price in 2001 was about the original 1955 value – more if the viewer was included.

Like Kodak, Lennor touted (colour) stereo as the ‘newest craze’. Lennor omits any mention of the earlier rise in the stereo fad, stereo’s history before and after photography was announced (1839), or even details of its products. Instead Lennor focusses on its ‘powerful new kind of selling program’ and encourages replies from the marketing side of the line.

Thank you to good friend and fellow history buff, George Dunbar, for finding and sharing this moment in photographic history.

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.. and the kitchen sink

Posted on October 21, 2023 by Robert

all – except the kitchen sink –  is a Kodak product

Toronto. In the mid last century, Kodak was a giant in the photographic industry. The Feb 1955 Popular Mechanics ad shows just how all encompassing mighty Kodak was here in North America.

The ad offers many darkroom tools that amateurs can even use in a temporary darkroom like the kitchen! The ad shows dad helping his child in the kitchen darkroom thanks to all the tools and ideas from Kodak (the days before it was not politically correct to suggest gender was male only).

A big thank you goes out to my good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar. George discovered and shared this Kodak ad with us. For those like myself who both shot photos and did the darkroom work, this ad brings back memories. In my case, most of my darkrooms had no running water since it was available a few steps away. Beside which, it is hard to imagine my mother back then letting a KID use her kitchen as a darkroom …

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attention film fans

Posted on October 20, 2023 by Robert

Help save 120 roll film

Toronto. A note from Birgit Buchart of Lomography fame announces a price cut for 120 roll film to spark sales of their medium format films.

So if you use the old technology in 120 roll format, please dig into your pocket now before all 120 rolls go the way of Kodachrome …

For the rest of us, remember 120 film was used for professional cameras like Hasselblad, Rollei TLRs, etc. and gave great oversize square transparencies (2 1/4 in per side).

 

 

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history in 50-100 years

Posted on October 19, 2023 by Robert

Add-on lenses for the iPhone camera

Toronto. The vast majority of photos taken today seem to be taken with a camera in the ubiquitous smart phone.

Professionals and advanced (experienced) amateurs migrate to DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. Software makes the technical aspect of photos almost perfect.

This leaves only the critical focus, lighting, and framing as the domain of pros and advanced amateurs. To complement the smart phone cameras, Reeflex and others offer a variety of add on lenses. Have a look at the articles by Brian Matiash such as his latest one, “Mobile Photography Evolved“.

Brian is a Florida-based professional photographer favouring Adobe products for his lectures. He confesses to using Reeflex products on his own iPhone camera.

This article addresses digital photography (around for two going on three decades as a serious shift in photographic technology). The traditional plate and film  media have steadily faded to the past as digital technology rises to the forefront. Camera collectors as well as niche film users favour the old film gear so often available at our shows under PHSC EVENTS on the right hand side bar.

While we are an historical society in both name and spirit, the occasional post like this one hopefully becomes history in the future while in the meantime serving our member interests.

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catch the wave

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Robert

ad April 1955 for the Kodak Stereo Camera line – a far less expensive option for stereo slides

Toronto. As mentioned many posts back, stereo has a surge in popularity about once every half century as new technology improves the images. In the 1950s another surge hit with toys, cameras, books, articles, movies, slides, colour, viewers, and projectors all offered in stereo versions.

In 1955, Kodak placed the black and white ad at left in the April issue of Popular Mechanics. While the ad announced the company’s Kodak Stereo Camera and hand viewers, it reminded every reader of Kodachrome colour transparency film and how easy it was to use, especially in their stereo cameras.

Interestingly, the bulk of the ad is taken up with an explanation of stereo as if it is a new phenomenon and not over a century old. In this century, we have seen TVs and movies  use the stereo idea and while there is less eye strain (at least in movies) special glasses were still needed to separate the two images for our brain. So fade out again …

My thanks to my good friend and fellow photography historian, George Dunbar, for spotting this historical ad and sharing it with us. Well done George!

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remember Stanley?

Posted on October 17, 2023 by Robert

A load of tourists visiting Stanley park and the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront  walkway

Toronto. As a kid in grade school, I remember a photo in my geography book. It was taken in Stanley Park, BC and showed a huge fir tree trunk with an early automobile and people nestled inside at the bottom.

Near the end of the last century, my wife and I spent a rainy afternoon and early evening wandering around the park and taking in its charms while on holiday in the Vancouver and Victoria areas.

You folks who collect images may have some depicting the park and its huge Douglas Firs. In any case, be sure to visit this site and see the glorious history of Stanley park in vintage photographs.

The site, Rare Vintage Photos, has many other collections of photos all carefully grouped for online viewing. Have a look – you may find some that are in your collection – or similar to them!

And a warm thank you is in order for my good friend, George Dunbar, for discovering this site and its charming photos and sharing them with us.

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Vieux Montreal

Posted on October 16, 2023 by Robert

Old Montreal c1900 in the Shorpy collection

Toronto. George Dunbar writes, “Plenty of wonderful archived images for viewing and sale at this site: https://www.shorpy.com/. George used the photo at left of Jacques Cartier Square c1900 in Old Montreal as an example of the interesting and historic photos available at Shorpy.

You photo collectors need to browse Shorpy to see what they have that fits your collection.

When my family and I lived in Montreal, we visited Jacques Cartier Square and I took a photo from about the same spot! Of course the vehicles were all more modern by then. The monument and buildings looked about the same. Legally, Quebec is under the Napoleonic Code while the rest of the provinces follow the British Common Law.

In 1900, Montreal was by far the largest city in Canada. Many Canadian maps of the time were marked as drawn by a contact in Montreal. A wave of head office moves out of Quebec and Montreal took place mid last century hastened by a Francophone emphasis. Today the charming city is dwarfed by Toronto and Vancouver.

PS. If you plan to visit Montreal and its old world charm later this month, be sure to take in the Montreal Camera Show on October 29th!

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a golden moment

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Robert

Barrel Racing by Colleen Walden     Langley Camera Club

Toronto. CAPA, one of our exchange members in their current newsletter (October 2023) shows the winners of their recent photo contest.

Colleen Walden of the Langley Camera Club out in BC won the GOLD with the shot at right. She names the photo as,”Barrel Racing” – “Dangerous Yes But What a Rush”.

Congratulations to Ms Walden. By the way, today is the day for our FALL FAIR so close your computer and scoot down to the fair! We are open from noon to 5:00 pm. Remember the fair is a great place to see old friends; find new collectables; and even find usable gear – either film or digital.

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king of the heap

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Robert

Jan 1956 Kodak Home Movies ad

Toronto. A game we played as kids was “King of the Castle”. The young kids struggled to get on the top of the pile – the others were all  “dirty rascals”. The idea of the game applied to many industries, including photography. For most of the last century, Kodak reigned supreme in North  American photography. Movies, films, cameras, books, darkroom, studio, etc. –  Kodak had it all.

In Quebec, Kodak and camera were synonymous. Any camera was a “Kodak” regardless of make. Ironically, in the 1970s, a Kodak wizard developed the first feasible digital camera. Unfortunately Kodak made its money at the time selling film so the concept of a digital anything lacked traction.

Sticking with film technology, Kodak was seriously affected as the last century wore on. By late in the last century Kodak Park in Rochester was flattened as was much of the Kodak campus here in the Mount Dennis area of Toronto as Kodak struggled to survive. And by the early 2000s, Kodak had long since seen the error of its ways and was busy transforming itself to a digital powerhouse as described by Peter Little in his March 2004 PHSC talk, “The Move to Digital“.

A few years later, in September 2007 Gordon Brown spoke to the PHSC in a talk he titled, “BC and AD – Photography before computers and after digital“, In his talk, Gordon noted that the Kodak wizard I mentioned above was engineer Steve Sasson. Sasson made the  first working digital camera in 1975 using the Fairchild 100 x 100 pixel CCD sensor – making an incredibly tiny image by today’s standards.

Shown above is a typical advertisement by Kodak in the days when the company and film were “top of the heap”. My thanks to good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar” for finding and sharing the above January, 1956 Popular Mechanics ad.

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