MFlenses - A new life in a digital age
MFLenses 2026

Manual Focus Lenses Forum

Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.
logovectorizer.com
Spotlight

Featured partner placement for the forum front page.

Past issues of Popular Photography found on Google Books
Post new topic Reply to topic
View previous topic :: View next topic  


Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:59 pm
Post subject: Past issues of Popular Photography found on Google Books
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:59 pm
Post subject: Past issues of Popular Photography found on Google Books
Reply
I was Googling something today and made a surprising discovery. Google books has indexed almost all of the vantage issues of Popular Photography magazines! I am sure this has been there before but I didn't see this until today.

Here is the link: http://books.google.com/books?id=rzH31j84pn8C&source=gbs_all_issues_r&cad=1

Issues from 1980 - 2005. Fully view-able.

I am going to see how deep the rabbit hole is. Maybe I can find modern photography there as well.

Last edited by drjs on Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:54 am; edited 3 times in total


Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:39 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:39 pm
Post subject:
Reply
superb man thanks a lot Smile


Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:57 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:57 pm
Post subject:
Reply
What a find !
I know how I'm going to waste a lot of time now.


Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 9:11 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 9:11 pm
Post subject:
Reply
A journey into the past!
Back then I read the German photo magazines, but what matters most are the ~same cameras and lenses, and other equipment. That much Polaroid stuff (July 1981)


Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 9:23 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 9:23 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Nice find!

For modern ones you can try issuu.com, but their search is not very helpful.

http://issuu.com/search?q=Popular+Photography


Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:27 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:27 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Here is a utility (for windows) that downloads google book as a series of PNG files. Could be useful if you need to post something here for discussion.

http://googlebookdownloader.codeplex.com/


Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:54 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:54 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Cool stuff, thanks.


Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 11:33 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 11:33 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Nice find! Thank you and who scanned all those magazines.


Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 11:51 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 11:51 pm
Post subject:
Reply
OMG..............there's a good timewaster! Laughing

I just skimmed through one issue, over 200 pages. They don't publish magazines like that anymore. Shocked


Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 3:49 am
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 3:49 am
Post subject:
Reply
Sweet. Thank you.


Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 4:22 am
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 4:22 am
Post subject:
Reply
Thanks for sharing, awesome content,

Cheers,

Renato


Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 8:12 am
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 8:12 am
Post subject:
Reply
I'm going to be on there too!

Any one know where to get 30's 40's and 50's mags online?


Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 9:17 am
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 9:17 am
Post subject:
Reply
Edited

Last edited by bernhardas on Tue May 10, 2016 7:38 am; edited 1 time in total


Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:23 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:23 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Gerald wrote:
Nice find! Thank you and who scanned all those magazines.


Google did it. Google has an on-going project to scan everything ever published and post it on the web.

"Copyright be damned!", Google's motto.


Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:27 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:27 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Fascinating. Would it be fair to say that this is a consumer, rather than a pro mag? Lots of ads for Tamron, Kiron, Vivitar zooms, or Nikon E series, stuff that pros probably would not have touched.

Would be nice to see some UK archive, just to see some price lists from when I first started wishing I had enough to buy something that fancier than a Praktica MTL3 (not that it was a bad camera…)


Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:30 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:30 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Has been looking through these all night. Embarassed

Isn't it amazing how many cigarette commercials there are in photo-magazines from the 80s??


Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:44 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:44 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Basilisk wrote:
Fascinating. Would it be fair to say that this is a consumer, rather than a pro mag? Lots of ads for Tamron, Kiron, Vivitar zooms, or Nikon E series, stuff that pros probably would not have touched.

Would be nice to see some UK archive, just to see some price lists from when I first started wishing I had enough to buy something that fancier than a Praktica MTL3 (not that it was a bad camera…)


Well, back when I paid attention to Pop Phot and Modern Photography, Pop Phot was the dumbed down version of Modern. Both were vehicles for advertising aimed at the mass market but Modern's columns, articles and equipment tests were at a higher level. BJP used to be at a much higher level than either.


Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:50 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 1:50 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Basilisk wrote:
Fascinating. Would it be fair to say that this is a consumer, rather than a pro mag? Lots of ads for Tamron, Kiron, Vivitar zooms, or Nikon E series, stuff that pros probably would not have touched.

Would be nice to see some UK archive, just to see some price lists from when I first started wishing I had enough to buy something that fancier than a Praktica MTL3 (not that it was a bad camera…)


"Popular" = "For the People"


Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 2:15 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2014 2:15 pm
Post subject:
Reply
great fins, thank you!

philslizzy wrote:
I'm going to be on there too!

Any one know where to get 30's 40's and 50's mags online?


I haven't found and photography magazines on google books dating back that far, but Life Magazine and Popular Science Magazines that do Smile


Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:02 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:02 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Are these avaible in higher resolution?
Especially in the bw advertising part, at the end of the magazines, with the tiny advertisments I cant read all the text.


Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:53 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 4:53 pm
Post subject:
Reply
I found these while googling some info on Rokkor zooms the other day. A bunch of the 80s ones have an old-skool ad from a camera shop with all the prices of the different lenses in a giant list. I converted some of the prices with inflation adjust and really, the lenses tend to be between $300 and $800 in today's dollars which isn't so different from today!


Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:06 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 6:06 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Eugen Mezei wrote:
Are these avaible in higher resolution?
Especially in the bw advertising part, at the end of the magazines, with the tiny advertisments I cant read all the text.


Try pressing [cntrl]+ [+] a few times


Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 7:55 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 7:55 pm
Post subject:
Reply
drjs wrote:
Here is a utility (for windows) that downloads google book as a series of PNG files. Could be useful if you need to post something here for discussion.

http://googlebookdownloader.codeplex.com/


Thanks, that's certainly a lot easier then using the snipping tool!
The snipping tool does encourage you to be more selective in what you keep though Smile


Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:23 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:23 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Unfortunately, the years that are most interesting to me (1960-1980) were not included in this scanning project. Buggah.... Sad


Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:41 pm
Post subject:
Reply
Post
Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:41 pm
Post subject:
Reply
danfromm wrote:

Basilisk wrote:

Fascinating. Would it be fair to say that this is a consumer, rather than a pro mag? Lots of ads for Tamron, Kiron, Vivitar zooms, or Nikon E series, stuff that pros probably would not have touched.

Would be nice to see some UK archive, just to see some price lists from when I first started wishing I had enough to buy something that fancier than a Praktica MTL3 (not that it was a bad camera?)

Well, back when I paid attention to Pop Phot and Modern Photography, Pop Phot was the dumbed down version of Modern. Both were vehicles for advertising aimed at the mass market but Modern's columns, articles and equipment tests were at a higher level.

Yes -- I (a big fan of Modern Photo) fully concur.

I would personally love seeing Modern Photography archived by Google, and would also like it if coverage (of either mag) went further back in time (into the 1970's, say) as well.
Post new topic Reply to topic
Goto pagePrevious 1 2 Next
Page 1 of 2