George adjusts my SB100 receiver (breadboard at left) in the 1950s
Toronto. It all began shortly after WW2 when three Bell Labs scientists created the first commercial transistor. Little did we know digital technology would revolutionize photography just over a half century later.
The early transistors were relatively low frequency. Design technology was rapid – for example, Philco came out with the surface barrier technology. Its SB100 transistor could detect amateur radio signals on the 10m band, well above the popular AM radio band of the day.
Solid state technology evolved rapidly and by the 1980s we had personal computers for a thousand or so dollars. Meantime, photography also evolved, dominated by film technology, mainly Kodak and Ilford in North America with a sprinkling of Agfa/Ansco and Fuji plus lesser folk.
Massive corporate empires were built on the film technology. But late in the last century there appeared seeds of disaster. Around 1970, a Kodak scientist created the first digital ‘camera’. It was ignored by Kodak in favour of film technology and its revenues.
The CMOS sensor was invented and by the beginning of this century many digital cameras were offered exceeding 1 megapixel in file size. So called JPEG compression offered good resolution at an even smaller file size. One of our members calculated that the sharpest Kodachrome image needed at least a 3 megapixel file/camera – far smaller than today’s cameras offer. For example, my personal digital phone creates up to a 48 megapixel image!
Film crashed and the massive factories that made the films, papers, chemicals, etc. were no longer. Film camera sales were in free fall as digital technology took over. Today, many have never used film. Instead relying on their ever present smartphone and its tiny camera module to create technically perfect colour photos and videos to be sent world-wide in an instant if desired.
Our events feature film and digital technology for both collectors and users. The 2026 events are well underway. Up next on July 12th is our famous outdoor event (rain or shine), the Trunk Sale. This year it is on the grounds of Legion Hall #101 in Long Branch (southwest Toronto). Familiar? Of course, as we hold auctions in #101! See Clint at fair@phsc.ca for reservations or if you have questions.
