Tag Archives: film

it’s not easy being green

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. … sang Kermit the frog in his famous 1970 song on Sesame Street so many years ago. This apparently applied to a film called “Anken” too. The film was orthochromatic and, according to the ads, available in the most … Continue reading →

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slipping into history

Posted on July 5, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Post war, nomograms were great marketing tools. Arel, Inc. of St. Louis took it a step further creating an actual slide-rule, not with the traditional A, B, C, D, etc. scales but with calculation scales of interest to serious … Continue reading →

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Canadian, eh?

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. For the most part, Canada is a nation of immigrants. When I was a kid, we were part of the British commonwealth (to the dismay of Quebecers).* Many of us could trace our roots back to the UK or … Continue reading →

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Kodak shows its mettle

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. I often make derogatory sounding comments about Kodak, but the company was a force in the industry and for many decades a true leader. Few others had the support and customer base to create new film sizes. In fact … Continue reading →

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Leica in Peace and War

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Before and for awhile after the second world war, the Leica was the most popular high-end 35mm camera sold. As many readers know, before WW2, the German camera industry was the undisputed world leader. During WW2, German technology was … Continue reading →

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one camera’s wide angle …

Posted on May 29, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. … is another camera’s telephoto. Did you ever wonder why the tiny smart phone camera has an equivalent 35mm camera size? For example my iPod Touch camera has a 3.3mm, f/2.8 lens but images it takes are considered to … Continue reading →

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some thoughts on contrast

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The other day as I watched a 1938 movie with Boyer and Lamarr, I got to thinking about contrast. The movie I watched was a dark, contrasty,  flick called ‘Algiers’. Some scenes had inky black shadows, others nearly washed-out … Continue reading →

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sink, sank, sunk

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. years ago a friend of mine dropped off a camera. Inside was a roll of mostly exposed film. The kicker? The camera was recovered from the glove box of a car that sunk through the ice on a local … Continue reading →

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a Mitchin great camera

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Did you ever see a movie in the days when movie scenes were captured on 35 or 16 mm film? Well the chances are a Mitchell camera was used! Mitchell Cameras took over from Bell & Howell a few … Continue reading →

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let’s try small …

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. … and aluminum, and made in America, and 35mm film. Sadly nothing worked, and the ‘Classic 35’ came out in 1948 and disappeared. Just another flop, but worth far more today for collectors – if they can find one!. … Continue reading →

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