Tag Archives: movie

we have a winner!

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Sometimes a low price and great hype pay off. This combo paid off in spades for the Universal Camera Corporation in the late 1930s through the very early 1950s when its Univex 8mm movie cameras introduced a huge number … Continue reading →

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the Graflex of movie cameras

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Professional camera men in Hollywood for the most part used Mitchell cameras. The Mitchell was to Hollywood cameramen like a Graflex camera was to newshounds – Fully professional and a sturdy work horse. In 1922, when silents were still … Continue reading →

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the jig’s up

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. My good friend, George Dunbar, spotted this 1947 ad by Kodak portraying Mr Hitler dancing an inappropriate jig in 1940 during the fall of France. George high-lighted one line in the advertisement which proclaimed, “with unique reality and objectivity”. … Continue reading →

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will that be 8 or 16?

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Bell & Howell was a respected name in Hollywood movie equipment. For home movies, they used the “Filmo” brand. In the March 1940 issue of Popular Mechanics, B&H advertised both the 8mm and the 16mm versions of their Filmo … Continue reading →

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to the victor …

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. … go the spoils (well, most times). Do you remember the Victor 16mm movie gear? The majority of their products suffered from very small sales. A government contract during WW2 was far more promising as was their knockoff of … Continue reading →

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a neater meter

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. One area of photography that absolutely demanded consistency in exposure was movies. Any unexpected exposure shift between scenes or reels was obvious and annoying to theatre goers, especially those who paid hard earned money for the movie experience. Weston … Continue reading →

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anchors aweigh!

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Those were the heady days of home movies when people lugged out the heavy projector and its awkward screen. Today, we call such marvels ‘boat anchors’ – not much value to a camera collector, and only good if you … Continue reading →

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daylight blues

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. In the mid last century, one could buy daylight or tungsten transparancy (slide) film. The difference was in their white balance. Incandescent bulbs would have a colour balance around 2700 degrees kelvin and a special blue filter on the … Continue reading →

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how to introduce a new revolutionary product

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Leitz, a few years earlier, taught photographers the virtues of an enlarged small negative to introduce their novel little camera with small negatives. Traditionally, much larger cameras were used. The camera size determined the size of the final print … Continue reading →

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De Cry of a desert victory

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. When America joined in against the Axis in WW2, the Hollywood studios and British studios made movies to support government involvement (and keep some actors at home).  The scene at left is a still promoting the movie “Desert Victory” … Continue reading →

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