Tag Archives: Leica

doing it better (sometimes)

Posted on September 19, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. On page 31 of the March 1950 edition of Popular Photography, an advertisement touts the Zeiss-Ikon Contax-S camera at whopping price of $475USD with the coated Zeiss Biotar lens. The model S was briefly sold while later models were … Continue reading →

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look-a-like-a-leica

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. After WW2, the world was inundated with Leica lookalikes. Some were  flat out copies like the Russian FED and Zorki models; some were copies of Leica features like Canon; and some were marketed as improvements on Leica like the … Continue reading →

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eye of the storm

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. It was ‘the best of times and the worst of times‘ between the world wars. After the first war, pent-up demand blossomed into unprecedented wealth in the first decade, followed by the worst depression ever in the next (world … Continue reading →

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fire sale

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Photography introduced the average person to events of the day and to history. Over 60 years ago, I was seconded to our office in Midland, Ontario to lend a hand. Imagine my surprise on that chilly Monday morning, March … Continue reading →

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B B B

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Some decades back, my VP elected to meet with very junior staff. To break the ice and ease the tension of the many level spread between VP and computer staff, he wore a T-Shirt emblazoned with this alliteration: “Bullshit … Continue reading →

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cross purposes?

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. On page 9 in the April 1946 issue of Popular Photography, a company called De Mornay-Budd based in NYC, took out a large advertisement for an unusual Leica/Contax series of viewfinders. The viewfinder mounted on the camera’s accessory shoe … Continue reading →

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a photograph to remember

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The other night, my wife and I were watching an old 1933 movie featuring James Cagney called, “Picture Snatcher“. The flick was about a NYC hoodlum who wanted to go straight by being a reporter. He was hired by … Continue reading →

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wild lights

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Okay, flash is “the next big thing” and you don’t have a flash socket (pc) or a hot shoe. So what can you do?? Welll, if you are Leitz of Leica fame, you could make a base and flash … Continue reading →

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just like a Leica

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. When we were first organized in the 1970s, Leicas, Zeiss-Ikons and other old cameras were everywhere at reasonable prices. We had red curtain Leicas, K (German for ball bearing) stamped curtains (these shutter worked reliably under very low temperature … Continue reading →

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if not for you …

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. … my lens would unscrew. Photographers know that the infinity focus setting sets the lens at its closest to the film/sensor plane. For close-ups, the lens is extended further from the film/sensor plane. Box cameras for film often had … Continue reading →

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