tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post2568801663154926965..comments2024-03-04T06:12:38.695+13:00Comments on Photo-Sleuth: Sepia Saturday 285: One Button Does ItBrett Paynehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-59124120382715794732015-06-30T11:48:32.662+12:002015-06-30T11:48:32.662+12:00boundforoz - You're so right about the simplic...boundforoz - You're so right about the simplicity of the technology, but in essence the modern digital point and shoot cameras have a lot in common, apart from the electronic sensor replacing the film.Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-33188233543200323872015-06-30T10:49:20.939+12:002015-06-30T10:49:20.939+12:00A excellent camera history lesson. So much to abs...A excellent camera history lesson. So much to absorb. You can go back over 100 years and it is possible to understand the basics of the camera - the light going through the lens and hitting the film, then the chemical changes that take place i developing and printing. But now with a digital camera I haven't a clue what goes on inside . A most interesting post.themAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-69505631729504510532015-06-30T09:06:57.272+12:002015-06-30T09:06:57.272+12:00Gail - I've seen a couple of such news reports...Gail - I've seen a couple of such news reports, and I think they are written tongue in cheek.Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-47330454387856045952015-06-30T09:06:00.998+12:002015-06-30T09:06:00.998+12:00Alex - Syer's candid shots are wonderful. I&#...Alex - Syer's candid shots are wonderful. I'd love to see the exhibition, but Sydney's a bit far away :(Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-80590917441167816452015-06-30T05:42:22.492+12:002015-06-30T05:42:22.492+12:00I went online asking about the popularity of the f...I went online asking about the popularity of the first Kodak Brownie cameras & this tidbit came up which was too much fun to ignore (maybe you've seen it before?): "The appearance of Eastman's cameras was so sudden and so pervasive that the reaction in some quarters was fear. A figure called the "camera fiend" began to appear at beach resorts, prowling the premises until he could catch female bathers unawares. One resort felt the trend so heavily that it posted a notice: "PEOPLE ARE FORBIDDEN TO USE THEIR KODAKS ON THE BEACH." Other locations were no safer. For a time, Kodak cameras were banned from the Washington Monument. The "Hartford Courant" sounded the alarm as well, declaring that "the sedate citizen can't indulge in any hilariousness without the risk of being caught in the act and having his photograph passed around among his Sunday School children." And they were worried about their exposure to cameras back then! Imagine their concern over iPhones in this day & aga!! :)La Nightingailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04769079547153094005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-26425247450940734582015-06-29T22:42:24.444+12:002015-06-29T22:42:24.444+12:00Brett - I went to so many great photographic exhib...Brett - I went to so many great photographic exhibitions in Sydney a couple of months ago - perhaps you have seen them...at any rate I think you would like one in the State Library - I hope it is still there and that you can see it http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitions/2015/crowd_source/index.html<br /><br />It finishes in August. It was amazing what images were able to be produced from what was essentially described as a detective camera.Alex Dawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05083753053051713061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-980348590901886322015-06-29T09:01:29.017+12:002015-06-29T09:01:29.017+12:00Bruno - I think they would be delighted, and they ...Bruno - I think they would be delighted, and they would totally get it. They were, after all inventors, people who thought outside of the box.Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-79869906024600690672015-06-29T00:22:31.154+12:002015-06-29T00:22:31.154+12:00I wonder, if we could bring back those guys, those...I wonder, if we could bring back those guys, those who patented the first cameras, what they would think of the digital era, and how we store everything in the virtual world, and how we alter pictures with Photoshop or other soft wares. Would they marvel at it, or their head would explode?!?Bruno Lalibertéhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09607511642101907283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-49009889878179186802015-06-28T13:09:27.390+12:002015-06-28T13:09:27.390+12:00I've used several of Kodak's advertising s...I've used several of Kodak's advertising slogans as titles for blog articles - they do indeed encapsulate what the Kodak way was.Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-32697917807127905682015-06-28T13:07:09.740+12:002015-06-28T13:07:09.740+12:00Mike - Thank you for the plaudits. I'm findin...Mike - Thank you for the plaudits. I'm finding it fascinating researching them too. The Pocket Kodak had a small prismatic viewfinder, but it's not particularly easy to frame a photo. The first Brownie had no viewfinder at all, just an arrow! Yes, they did offer enlargements, and the 1896 catalogue has the following:<br />"They make negatives of such perfect quality that enlargements of any size can be made ... We do it, at a reasonable price, or you can do it yourself with a Pocket Kodak enlarging camera."Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-19718126177956067852015-06-28T12:48:46.061+12:002015-06-28T12:48:46.061+12:00This was a super article, Brett! It's fascina...This was a super article, Brett! It's fascinating to see how Kodak cameras evolved with both technical improvements and modifications for economy of the manufacturing and film processing. Having recently looked at a lot of these early cameras, I marvel that they took any photos at all, as their construction is so unsophisticated compared to the cameras that come later. Nonetheless they required a lot of handwork to assemble in an efficient and cost effective manner. <br /><br />Seeing the small photos taken by these early Kodaks, especially the cut-off head, shows how the art of the snapshot also needed to evolve for consumers. Did Kodak offer enlargements or duplicates?Mike Brubakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13065245846262417519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-86627260009458732732015-06-28T12:27:03.503+12:002015-06-28T12:27:03.503+12:00I haven't seen any, but perhaps there are.I haven't seen any, but perhaps there are.Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-68355586405064577432015-06-28T12:26:15.531+12:002015-06-28T12:26:15.531+12:00ScotSue - Hope you enjoy your visit, Sue, and perh...ScotSue - Hope you enjoy your visit, Sue, and perhaps you can blog about it in due course?Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-64493588731751111302015-06-28T12:25:33.548+12:002015-06-28T12:25:33.548+12:00Indeed, Kristin, not much different from the insta...Indeed, Kristin, not much different from the instant photos produced by the modern day Fuji Instamax cameras.Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-27252090067473790402015-06-28T05:51:43.195+12:002015-06-28T05:51:43.195+12:00I too liked your title - it said it all. Your pos...I too liked your title - it said it all. Your post was a great introduction to a visit I am making shortly to an "Exhibition fof Victorian Photography" at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. I now know a bit more about the background history, so thank you. <br /><br /><a href="http://scotsue-familyhistoryfun.blogspot.co.uk" rel="nofollow">Family History Fun</a> ScotSuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412874349376253984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-77790829188045892382015-06-28T05:37:57.045+12:002015-06-28T05:37:57.045+12:00If there were lines, I wonder if any photographer ...If there were lines, I wonder if any photographer took pictures of them? Be kind of fun to find out.La Nightingailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04769079547153094005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-71326909916182958882015-06-28T01:53:00.380+12:002015-06-28T01:53:00.380+12:00Those photographs are so tiny! About the size of ...Those photographs are so tiny! About the size of this box I am writing in.Kristinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06413795611563683135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-23837120965827028662015-06-27T23:13:05.833+12:002015-06-27T23:13:05.833+12:00Gail - Quite possibly they did queue. I know that...Gail - Quite possibly they did queue. I know that the first batch of Brownies sold out very quickly, and they had to step up production enormously.Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-71829859482633862402015-06-27T23:12:02.222+12:002015-06-27T23:12:02.222+12:00Jo - I also enjoy being able to see how they simpl...Jo - I also enjoy being able to see how they simplified the mechanisms to make it both cheap and easy to operate.Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-54458763891628864752015-06-27T18:41:35.820+12:002015-06-27T18:41:35.820+12:00Fascinating to be able to see the workings inside ...Fascinating to be able to see the workings inside those little Kodak boxes that were such a great marketing success.Jofeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10290597697140624780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-42808596745173471112015-06-27T07:52:34.114+12:002015-06-27T07:52:34.114+12:00Noting the first Brownie sold a quarter million be...Noting the first Brownie sold a quarter million between 1900 & 1901, & the first update then went on to sell another half million, I wonder if, when the new products were announced, folks formed lines overnight as they do now for the newest iPhones and iPads and etc. to be among the first to own them? Probably not. I think people had a little more sense back then. But, who knows? And yes, we have to get a bit into your post to find a match to this Saturday's theme, but there are plenty of buildings in those Paris prints. :)La Nightingailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04769079547153094005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-38075004431691614832015-06-27T00:59:44.993+12:002015-06-27T00:59:44.993+12:00This comment has been removed by the author.Jofeathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10290597697140624780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-4892216243674349912015-06-26T22:13:31.502+12:002015-06-26T22:13:31.502+12:00Barbara - That's great. I'm pleased to hav...Barbara - That's great. I'm pleased to have been able to convey the message, as it's exactly what Eastman was trying to do in marketing his simple camera to the general public - using the latest technological developments, but ease of understanding and use at the same time.Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-82696212914570492612015-06-26T18:45:51.565+12:002015-06-26T18:45:51.565+12:00I thoroughly enjoyed this post. If I sound surpris...I thoroughly enjoyed this post. If I sound surprised, it’s because the technicalities of cameras is not really something that interests me, but I found myself reading and enjoying every word of this, thank you.Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962552429792516213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4599702957095945938.post-84895067535685148482015-06-26T18:04:53.042+12:002015-06-26T18:04:53.042+12:00Joan - I'm compiling another article about tho...Joan - I'm compiling another article about those very early Kodaks, but that will take more time since I don't have any examples myself. The mount format was much larger than those for the Pocket Kodak. There was little choice for the first 10 years or so, and then around 1898ish Kodak started to introduce alternative finishes, colours, etc. You're welcome to send me a scan of that photo if you can find it, and I'll do my best to give you an analysis.Brett Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706734864792449845noreply@blogger.com