Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!
SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

Canon bodies in FD mount
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Film SLR / TLR Cameras
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 5:08 pm    Post subject: Canon bodies in FD mount Reply with quote
Hi there:

I've just picked up a Panagor 90mm f2.8 in Canon FD mount, along with a Canon 50mm f1.8, and want to try it out on film. I don't know anything about Canon bodies. I've seen Canon FTb's to be had for $10-$20 US. Is the FTb fine if I'm just experimenting?

Thanks, Gil


PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 5:20 pm    Post subject: Re: Canon bodies in FD mount Reply with quote
gaeger wrote:
Hi there:

I've just picked up a Panagor 90mm f2.8 in Canon FD mount, along with a Canon 50mm f1.8, and want to try it out on film. I don't know anything about Canon bodies. I've seen Canon FTb's to be had for $10-$20 US. Is the FTb fine if I'm just experimenting?

Thanks, Gil


FTb is an excellent basic camera...if you want more sophistication the, "A" series are cheap e.g. AE1, AV1 etc, also a T70 from the "T" series.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 5:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hello, Gil. The FTb is surely good entry point in FD system, completely mechanical shutter so no battery is needed for merely operating it. The price looks right, a bargain I'd say. Now the bad news. A battery, no longer available, is needed only for operate the meter. Here you have a couple of options: using sunny 16 or external meter, or adapting a similar battery. With the latter option the meter won't probably give consistent readings without recalibration. That said I think at that price is still a good camera to begin with.

Cheers, Marty.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 7:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the info, especiall re: light meter. (One of my j-school profs always said we were born with two light meters, one on each side of our nose!)


PostPosted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
gaeger wrote:
One of my j-school profs always said we were born with two light meters, one on each side of our nose!
That's very true Smile


PostPosted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The FTb is fine if fully working but I suggest making sure it is fully working
before buying. In my experience Canons of the FTb era also tend to have
dirty focusing screens which are not easy to clean or failing meters. But,
mechanically they're pretty reliable.

The A-series (AE-1, etc) are newer and in abundant supply but often
need their light seals replaced due to degradation of the foam materials
used. But that applies to most Japanese SLRs of the '70s and '80s.


PostPosted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hey Gil
I see you are In Brier. Give a call or stop in to Kenmore Camera. They are on lake city way just west of the intersection where Juanita drive comes in.
Those guys usually have had lots of Canon FD gear.
I bought an F1 from them for a friend once and was surprised how much used gear they have.
That Panagor 90 could be interesting.

http://www.kenmorecamera.com

cheers
Andy


PostPosted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 6:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Andy: Thanks, I may stop in there!


PostPosted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The Canon FTb is an excellent workhorse of a camera. I highly recommend it. It has an accurate selective-area meter, match-needle metering, and mirror lock-up. A great photographic tool.

It is not a problem at all adapting batteries to it. All you need is about 1" (say 2 cm) of 18 gauge wire, and a number 675 hearing aid battery. Tuck the wire down into the base of the battery compartment. This will keep the battery from moving around. Insert the battery, and replace the meter cap. That's it. The 675 batteries are "zinc air" and don't last as long as the old mercury cells did, but then you can buy a half dozen for about 3 or 4 dollars. And they stay fresh until you've removed the tab, so they keep a long time.

The one I own at the moment I bought because I wanted the lens that it was attached to. So the FTb was, in effect, the lens's rear cap. It was pretty grungy when I got it. The foam pad for the mirror had deteriorated and somebody had smeared the foam sludge all over the underside of the focusing screen. I used a Q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol to clean it, and it removed all traces of this gunk. The FTb's screen is now spotless. I also bought a light seal kit from an eBay seller who specializes in these things. Cost me about $10, which is more than I paid for the camera, but hey -- it's a great camera, and I don't mind spending some money on getting it back up to working condition.

I would recommend an FTb over an A-series because of its superior metering pattern and because it works much better in manual mode than the A-series cameras do. The FTb's principle drawbacks are that it does not take interchangeable focusing screens and there is no motor drive capability. If you want a camera with the same features and robustness as the FTb, but with added features such as focusing screen interchangeablity and a motor option, then the best way to go is with the Original F-1. Canon's best mechanical camera.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Canon F1 would be my choice. The AEs are popular in their price range.


PostPosted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You might consider the A series for these reasons: the A series has either shutter priority or aperture priority built in depending on the camera one gets.

The AE-1 has shutter priority and the AL-1 has aperture priority. My choice is the AL-1 because of aperture priority and several other things.

It has the first focus confirmation light that Canon ever released and it works great. (no lens chip is required), then of course it takes FD and FL mount lenses . It also uses two common AAA batteries for power.

The weakness with the AL-1 is the battery door. Many have been misused and are broken. Make sure that the battery door works before purchasing.

(I’ve never had any issues with its metering)

Jules


PostPosted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 5:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Bought few days ago Canon A-1 in very good condition at my local repair shop for 49,00 Euro incl. check-up and new seals, new battery etc.

Perfect cam and no problem to get a battery.

Canon F-1 is much more expensive (cam in good condition not unser 250-300 Euro)

Wink


PostPosted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rolf wrote:
Canon F-1 is much more expensive (cam in good condition not unser 250-300 Euro)


Well, to be fair, the Original F-1 can be had for less. Even the New F-1 can. At least here in the USA. There's a camera shop local to me that has a New F-1 with the AE Finder (which allows for aperture-priority auto) in user condition for $225, which I think is too much considering its condition. A few months ago I won an F-1n (the 2nd version of the original F-1) on eBay for $167. It's in clean condition, too. Often folks will place high buy-it-now prices on their F-1s, but I wonder how many of them actually sell at those prices.


PostPosted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 6:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
Rolf wrote:
Canon F-1 is much more expensive (cam in good condition not unser 250-300 Euro)


Well, to be fair, the Original F-1 can be had for less. Even the New F-1 can. At least here in the USA. There's a camera shop local to me that has a New F-1 with the AE Finder (which allows for aperture-priority auto) in user condition for $225, which I think is too much considering its condition. A few months ago I won an F-1n (the 2nd version of the original F-1) on eBay for $167. It's in clean condition, too. Often folks will place high buy-it-now prices on their F-1s, but I wonder how many of them actually sell at those prices.


Ok Michael, F-1 old version are cheaper but most of them have had a long live as professional cams. Same for F-1n, so you have to look very carefully what you will get. Maybe that the prices are lower at your country, here you have to pay the prices I mentioned.

Wink


PostPosted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rolf wrote:


Ok Michael, F-1 old version are cheaper but most of them have had a long live as professional cams. Same for F-1n, so you have to look very carefully what you will get. Maybe that the prices are lower at your country, here you have to pay the prices I mentioned.

Wink


I'm not surprised. Here in the US, and on US eBay, the Canon F-1, whether F-1, F-1n, or New F-1, are fairly common, and not all have seen heavy use and abuse. The great thing about that camera, though, is how well it stands up to heavy use. The first F-1 I bought looked like it had been used as a hockey puck for most of its life before I bought it. I used it for several years, and put -- I dunno -- probably a few thousand rolls of film through it. And it never once missed a beat.

I bought my hockey puck F-1 in 1985 for about $150, and sold it 6 years later for about $150. Here it is some 20 years after I sold it, and that camera would still sell here in the US for about $150 -- maybe a bit less because of its cosmetic condition. If the F-1 is in very clean condition, about the most I've seen one go for these days is in the $250-300 range, which is, what? About 180-215 euros? Yes, I've seen a few go for much more, but these were exceptions -- like cameras that were essentially new in the box, and never used.

The F-1n I own now, which is the 2nd version of the Original F-1, was, I think, an okay deal at $167. I've seen them go for cheaper on eBay, but I've also seen them go for more (assuming equivalent condition). Twenty years ago, it would have probably sold in the $225-250 range.

All this discussion about the F-1 may be academic, however, if the OP is not looking to spend that much on an FD camera. Which brings me back to my original recommendation -- the FTb. One reason why I like it so much is because it's a great photographic tool for one who is learning photography, but it is full-featured enough even for the advanced user.


PostPosted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 12:26 pm    Post subject: T70 Reply with quote
I've several 'great FD cameras, F1, T90, and there is no question on their performance. top.

But to see and try, you can't go past a T70 IMHO.

Closest to a 'modern', and so cheap..


PostPosted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 4:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for all the help! I just won a Canon FTB w/50mm f1.4 lens (and flash!) for cheap, so I hope I'll be able to try the Panagor out with that -- but we'll see what kind of shape this body and lens are in for less than $20 ...


PostPosted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
gaeger wrote:
Thanks for all the help! I just won a Canon FTB w/50mm f1.4 lens (and flash!) for cheap, so I hope I'll be able to try the Panagor out with that -- but we'll see what kind of shape this body and lens are in for less than $20 ...


A few months ago, I won an FTbn which was basically a rear lens cap for the lens I wanted. It was a bit rough, but cleaned up nicely. Needed new light seals and the mirror foam strip, which I bought for $10 (including US postage) from a guy on eBay. Came with a very detailed set of instructions, and was well worth the money. His eBay ID is "interslice." Here's one of his auctions, for a Canon FT.

Click here to see on Ebay

Didn't see any for FTb, but you can send him a note, asking for one. The FT and FTb ones are probably the same, or very close, far as that goes.

Anyway, chances are your FTb will need these items. It will probably need a battery for the meter too. It takes the old mercury 625, but a 675 hearing aid battery works fine. You can buy about a half dozen of 'em for what a single Wein 625 replacement costs, and they last just as long. It's smaller in diameter than the 625, but what I do to take care of this is I cut about a 1" piece of 20 gauge or so wire, and insert it into the bottom of the camera compartment along the perimeter. This reduces the diameter of the compartment, and allows the 675 to fit snuggly.

My FTbn had probably sat for many years and when I first put the battery in, the meter wouldn't respond, but the battery check did. So I kept working the switch, and suddenly, the meter needle began to respond, albeit somewhat erratically. Worked it a bit more and things smoothed out. Probably had a bit of oxidation on the contacts that I was able to wipe off just by operating the switch. Behaves normally now, and the meter is accurate.

The FTb is one of Canon's true classics. I don't use mine all that often, cuz I'll usually reach for my F-1 first if I'm shooting film, but I just love having one in my collection.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 12:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Canon bodies in FD mount Reply with quote
Excalibur wrote:

AV1 etc,
+1

Good Camera


PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 7:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
***Av1 Good Camera***

It's nice to own expensive cameras, but if you can't get excellent everyday results from this camera and with a Canon (or other gem) lenses, you are not going to get it spending £100's on the best cameras.
An AVI or T70 under £20 + Vivitar 70-150 under £12 + Vivitar 28mm f2.8 close focus under £10, supermarket develope + scan for £2........soooo cheap that there isn't any reason for anyone not to play with film and of course still have their DSLR as well.
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn172/chakrata/viv70-150.jpg

Viv close focus 28mm f2.8
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn172/chakrata/Photo22_19A.jpg
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn172/chakrata/Photo25_22.jpg
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Film SLR / TLR Cameras
Page 1 of 1