Monday, April 23, 2012

It's Raining Canons!

A few years ago I expanded my camera stable to include Canon FD-mount cameras. I did that with the intent to be more knowledgeable about a segment of the SLR world that I really knew little about except what I had read. Over the course of a year or so I acquired a half-dozen bodies and a bunch of lenses and accessories (surprise!). I felt pretty well-versed in the cameras that I had used, and appreciated the general robust build of the Canon FTb, and the other bodies were not bad, either. My favorite of the bunch was the Canon A-1, roughly equivalent to a Nikon FA, though more fiddly. Last year, feeling that I had way more cameras than necessary, I sold off ALL of the Canon gear that I had accumulated. Well, nature abhors a vacuum, so guess what happened? A few weeks ago, a friend gave me his Canon FTb with 50mm 1.4 and 28 f/2 lenses. Today, a curator at the museum gave me his Canon F-1 with 50mm 1.4, 50mm 3.5 macro, extension tube, 135mm 3.5, and 28mm 2.8 lenses. I could have said "no", but I never turn down a free camera. Both the Canon bodies are in good shape, though the F-1 definitely has a bit of brassing. I'll replace the mirror foam, check the light seals, install a new battery and give it a good cleaning. The lenses are in very good shape, and the 50 and 135 came with the proper Canon bayonet-mount lens hoods. A gift from a friend

The Canon FTb QL.

I'll run some film through these two, and hang on to them. They are good examples of Canon's lineup back in the early 1970s. The F-1 is definitely a chunk of metal, and I look forward to shooting with it. The shutter is fairly quiet and the wind mechanism is pretty darn smooth. As Canon's answer to Nikon's F, it was a bit late in the game. Nevertheless, it's a fine camera.

2 comments:

s.c said...

As a canon lover myself I can only say that they never let me down. Today I still use the FD lenses and the old rangefinder lenses but on a m4/3 and an epson R-1D . The results are still perfect. The most funny is the 500 mirror fd . I now have a perfect 1000 mm tele for birdshooting but to catch the bird in the picture is a bit of trouble on a tripod because they are so dammed quick in movements and won't wait.

B said...

I use the 50/3.5 on a 5D with a simple adapter... it's amazingly sharp and has really held up well over time. Looks like a great selection you stumbled into!