{"id":31150,"date":"2025-04-04T01:03:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T05:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/?p=31150"},"modified":"2025-04-04T16:06:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T20:06:55","slug":"cameras-cameras-everywhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/cameras-cameras-everywhere\/","title":{"rendered":"cameras, cameras, everywhere …"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

SENECA No.9 5×7 plate camera with reversing back, double extension, drop bed and front standard rise and shift.<\/p><\/div>\n

Toronto<\/strong>. … and not a print in sight. Shades of smartphones. Last century, when film was in its prime, people argued which camera maker or model was the best and who made the best lenses. As Don Douglas put it for a sober second thought,”the best camera; the best lens, are the ones in your hand as you see something to photograph.”<\/p>\n

For me today, that is the tiny 8 mpx camera module on my iPod Touch. Today’s smartphone owners do not care who<\/em> made their phone’s camera module but rather that there is one ready to go on demand!<\/p>\n

In issue 22-5 (spring, 1997) Stan White wrote a captivating article titled, “An <\/span>Amateur Camera of <\/span>the Early 20th Century” that shows a typical camera many amateurs chose to use. The article begins, “O<\/span>n<\/span>ce t<\/span>h<\/span>e dr<\/span>y p<\/span>l<\/span>at<\/span>e arri<\/span>ved <\/span>in <\/span>th<\/span>e 1<\/span>880s t<\/span>h<\/span>e l<\/span>ast <\/span>hur<\/span>dl<\/span>e t<\/span>o p<\/span>r<\/span>acti<\/span>cal <\/span>ph<\/span>ot<\/span>ograph<\/span>y f<\/span>or <\/span>th<\/span>e am<\/span>at<\/span>eur <\/span>was\u00a0cl<\/span>ear<\/span>ed<\/span>. It <\/span>onl<\/span>y r<\/span>em<\/span>ain<\/span>ed f<\/span>or <\/span>th<\/span>e st<\/span>and<\/span>ard <\/span>of <\/span>li<\/span>vin<\/span>g <\/span>t<\/span>o imp<\/span>rove f<\/span>or <\/span>p<\/span>h<\/span>ot<\/span>og<\/span>r<\/span>aphy <\/span>t<\/span>o b<\/span>e aff<\/span>ord<\/span>ab<\/span>l<\/span>e t<\/span>o th<\/span>e midd<\/span>l<\/span>e\u00a0cla<\/span>sses and <\/span>even<\/span>tua<\/span>ll<\/span>y t<\/span>o th<\/span>e w<\/span>ork<\/span>in<\/span>g cl<\/span>asses.<\/p>\n

“A<\/span>s <\/span>a\u00a0re<\/span>sult <\/span>th<\/span>er<\/span>e w<\/span>as a ma<\/span>ss of p<\/span>h<\/span>ot<\/span>ogr<\/span>aphi<\/span>c equipm<\/span>ent\u00a0<\/span>m<\/span>ark<\/span>et<\/span>ed <\/span>fr<\/span>om <\/span>1<\/span>890 to <\/span>1<\/span>920<\/span>, <\/span>sp<\/span>ecif<\/span>i<\/span>call<\/span>y f<\/span>or <\/span>th<\/span>e\u00a0a<\/span>ma<\/span>t<\/span>e<\/span>ur.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Ca<\/span>me<\/span>ras d<\/span>i<\/span>f<\/span>fe<\/span>re<\/span>d wildly <\/span>in <\/span>so<\/span>phis<\/span>tic<\/span>atio<\/span>n a<\/span>nd <\/span>price\u00a0<\/span>but <\/span>wer<\/span>e diff<\/span>er<\/span>ent <\/span>from <\/span>pr<\/span>of<\/span>essi<\/span>on<\/span>al <\/span>equipm<\/span>ent <\/span>in <\/span>a\u00a0numb<\/span>er <\/span>of w<\/span>ays: m<\/span>an<\/span>y were n<\/span>ot <\/span>s<\/span>u<\/span>ffi<\/span>ci<\/span>entl<\/span>y ru<\/span>gged\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>o stand <\/span>u<\/span>p <\/span>t<\/span>o th<\/span>e \u00a0rig<\/span>our<\/span>s of da<\/span>y-t<\/span>o-d<\/span>ay u<\/span>se; d<\/span>esi<\/span>gn<\/span>s oft<\/span>en f<\/span>ell <\/span>sh<\/span>ort <\/span>of\u00a0<\/span>minimum <\/span>pr<\/span>ofession<\/span>al <\/span>r<\/span>equir<\/span>em<\/span>ent<\/span>s, and <\/span>sin<\/span>ce <\/span>th<\/span>ey wer<\/span>e\u00a0m<\/span>ad<\/span>e fo<\/span>r <\/span>a pri<\/span>ce, l<\/span>en<\/span>ses\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>nd s<\/span>hutte<\/span>r<\/span>s <\/span>w<\/span>e<\/span>r<\/span>e\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>t<\/span>en <\/span>of m<\/span>od<\/span>est\u00a0s<\/span>tanda<\/span>rd<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

“R<\/span>o<\/span>ll <\/span>f<\/span>il<\/span>m <\/span>w<\/span>a<\/span>s s<\/span>till\u00a0<\/span>exp<\/span>en<\/span>si<\/span>ve and <\/span>p<\/span>l<\/span>at<\/span>es (5<\/span>0\u00a0<\/span>ce<\/span>nt<\/span>s <\/span>a d<\/span>oze<\/span>n <\/span>4<\/span>x5<\/span>) <\/span>wer<\/span>e\u00a0c<\/span>h<\/span>ea<\/span>p, <\/span>fl<\/span>a<\/span>t a<\/span>nd co<\/span>uld be <\/span>l<\/span>a<\/span>r<\/span>ge;\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>dva<\/span>ntages, <\/span>in <\/span>a<\/span>n e<\/span>ra o<\/span>f ques<\/span>ti<\/span>o<\/span>n<\/span>a<\/span>bl<\/span>e <\/span>le<\/span>ns <\/span>de<\/span>finitio<\/span>n\u00a0and <\/span>grain<\/span>y emul<\/span>s<\/span>i<\/span>on<\/span>s, so it i<\/span>s l<\/span>ogi<\/span>cal <\/span>th<\/span>at <\/span>th<\/span>e d<\/span>rop<\/span>–b<\/span>ed\u00a0<\/span>f<\/span>oldin<\/span>g p<\/span>l<\/span>at<\/span>e cam<\/span>er<\/span>a b<\/span>ecam<\/span>e a <\/span>f<\/span>avou<\/span>rit<\/span>e. In <\/span>N<\/span>orth\u00a0<\/span>Am<\/span>eri<\/span>ca, F<\/span>ol<\/span>m<\/span>er & Sc<\/span>h<\/span>win<\/span>g w<\/span>ere m<\/span>akin<\/span>g a cam<\/span>er<\/span>a of\u00a0<\/span>thi<\/span>s d<\/span>esi<\/span>gn <\/span>th<\/span>at w<\/span>as n<\/span>ot <\/span>greatl<\/span>y di<\/span>ssimilar <\/span>t<\/span>o t<\/span>h<\/span>e Sp<\/span>eed\u00a0Gr<\/span>aphi<\/span>cs a h<\/span>al<\/span>f a centur<\/span>y l<\/span>at<\/span>er <\/span>and <\/span>m<\/span>an<\/span>y oth<\/span>er <\/span>comp<\/span>ani<\/span>es <\/span>w<\/span>er<\/span>e m<\/span>ark<\/span>etin<\/span>g am<\/span>at<\/span>eur <\/span>ver<\/span>s<\/span>i<\/span>on<\/span>s i<\/span>n<\/span>cludin<\/span>g,\u00a0<\/span>R<\/span>oc<\/span>h<\/span>es<\/span>te<\/span>r <\/span>Ca<\/span>m<\/span>e<\/span>ra <\/span>& Supply, <\/span>R<\/span>oc<\/span>hes<\/span>t<\/span>e<\/span>r Optica<\/span>l,\u00a0<\/span>M<\/span>anh<\/span>att<\/span>an Opti<\/span>ca<\/span>l <\/span>C<\/span>o., <\/span>R<\/span>obt. <\/span>H<\/span>. In<\/span>ger<\/span>soll <\/span>& B<\/span>ro.,\u00a0M<\/span>ont<\/span>gom<\/span>er<\/span>y W<\/span>ard <\/span>& C<\/span>o., S<\/span>covill<\/span>e & Adam<\/span>s C<\/span>o., R<\/span>ay\u00a0C<\/span>amer<\/span>as <\/span>Co<\/span>.<\/span>, <\/span>E. <\/span>H<\/span>. <\/span>& T. <\/span>Antho<\/span>n<\/span>y<\/span>, G. <\/span>Ge<\/span>nn<\/span>e<\/span>rt<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>G<\/span>undl<\/span>ac<\/span>h <\/span>Opti<\/span>cal C<\/span>o., and <\/span>of <\/span>cour<\/span>se, <\/span>th<\/span>e E<\/span>astm<\/span>an\u00a0<\/span>K<\/span>o<\/span>da<\/span>k Co.” …\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Members can read the rest of this and other articles in the issue 22-5 pdf file on the free members-only DVD (thumb drive as of April, 2025). To join, see the information under ‘MEMBERSHIP’ (top) or ‘Membership – Join or Renew!’ (right). Questions? Email Lilianne at member@phsc.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Toronto. … and not a print in sight. Shades of smartphones. Last century, when film was in its prime, people argued which camera maker or model was the best and who made the best lenses. As Don Douglas put it … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1944],"tags":[2017,398],"class_list":["post-31150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","tag-article","tag-camera"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31150"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31158,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31150\/revisions\/31158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phsc.ca\/camera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}