Tag Archives: shutter

… and everything nice …

Posted on March 19, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. From the earliest days of photography to the invention of dry plates, shutter speeds were unnecessary – the media were far far too slow. A simple hat or lens cap (and verbal counting) served as a shutter. As to … 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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fleet of foot, with fully adjustable slow speeds too

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. In 1935, advertisements pointed out how a particular camera or maker was different. Was superior to the rest. Was a far better buy than the competition. This was especially noticeable in highly competitive America. For example, Leitz NY would … Continue reading →

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a positive spin on WW2

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Ilex of Rochester NY ran this ad in the February 1944 issue of Popular Photography. The company bravely said, “When war clouds clear **look to Ilex”. The Ilex Optical Company in Rochester made “lenses, shutters, gunsights, and other precision … Continue reading →

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time slicers

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. I often think of a shutter as a means to control speed and illumination. However when the image is framed and the shutter button pushed, it captures on film, a ‘slice of time’ in the subject’s life. I have … Continue reading →

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like a surgeon

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. A fitting title in this pandemic crisis we face today! The camera you see here is the Wirgin Gewirette v.1 manufactured by the Wirgin company in Wiesbaden, Germany. This particular camera predates the 35mm minicam revolution. It uses 127 … Continue reading →

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don’t give me the gears

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. A short time after moving back to Montreal, I joined the company Camera Club and offered a shutter and lens test. This was with good reason. My trusty Exakta VXIIa had shown a wavy anomaly in my fast shutter tests … Continue reading →

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somethin’ flashy

Posted on January 25, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Did you ever hear of the ‘National Vulcanized Fibre Company’ (NVFC)? Neither did I. However, parts using that company’s products played a key role in the use of flash in photography. A number of companies in the early 1940s through … Continue reading →

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what’s leaves got to do with it

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Falling leaves. Cold. Damp. Windy. November in the city and winter is about to rush in. As I write this post on the 1st, we are seeing our first snow flurries of the coming season. Leaves have a lot … Continue reading →

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faster than a speeding bullet

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. When photography was invented, exposures were measured in minutes. Between then and the end of film’s popularity something happened: Speed. The light sensitive media and lenses through research and innovation became much faster. In fact, after dry plates arrived, … Continue reading →

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