Tag Archives: Rochester

jimmy’s back in town

Posted on April 6, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. In issue 22-5, Part 1 of Dr Reichstein’s article on James Inglis appeared. Issue 23-1 continues the story with Part 2. Part 2 begins, “The decade of the eighties [1880s] was to be one of extraordinary activity for Inglis. … Continue reading →

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rock of ages

Posted on March 26, 2025 by Robert

Toronto. One of the first old cameras I acquired was a lensless field camera made by the Rochester Optical Co. I was given a lenses (in a shutter) later in Montreal which I added to the camera using a home-made … Continue reading →

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bulls eye!

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. In issue 38-3 we reproduce Frank B. Mehlenbacher’s well researched tale of the world’s largest camera manufacturer and its connection with Kodak in Rochester. The manufacturer, Brownell, was born in Ontario and moved to the States when he was … Continue reading →

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you’re stringing me on …

Posted on May 13, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. … a comment that may have entered the mind of an 1888 photographer seeing Eastman’s ad for his new camera. Before the Kodak was offered, cameras were mainly large, heavy devices that took only a few shots at most. … Continue reading →

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when Kodak was King

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. For much of the 20th century, Kodak and photography were synonymous. By the mid 20th century Kodak was among the biggest – if not the biggest – in the industry, world-wide. Home base was Kodak Park in Rochester. George … Continue reading →

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king of the heap

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Robert

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, … Continue reading →

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the sky is falling …

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. … or so said Chicken Little in the Children’s fable (I learnt the English version … ). For many years film and glass plates were basically insensitive to blue light (orthochromatic) so clouds and sky exposed for the landscape … Continue reading →

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all things to all people

Posted on October 25, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Mid last century we called Kodak, “The Great Yellow Father”. Kodak was everywhere. To think photography was to think Kodak. Sure other companies touted their photographic wares but Kodak was photography to so many of us. The above advertisement … Continue reading →

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a Kodak challenge in 1934

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Robert

Toronto.  This challenge may simply spark curiosity or indifference with the smart phone crowd, who shoot full colour indoors and out; be it sunny or gloomy; on subjects close and far (and all things in-between) then casually send the best … Continue reading →

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too little, too late

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. In this June, 1934 advertisement in Popular Mechanics, Kodak announced its new SIX-20 folder. The camera had lots of features but ignored the growing ground swell of minicam sales. My dad bought a simpler version of the SIX-20 a … Continue reading →

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