mike_sowsun

Yes, I agree, these film era Auto Thyristor flashes are still very useable on modern Digital cameras, or almost any camera ever made. The 199A has a Guide Number of 30m at 35mm zoom which is pretty close to modern flash units when using bounce flash. I also have a 299T which is probably the last Canon Auto Thyristor flash before going to ATTL. The 533G and 577G are a little bulky, but have even more power for bounce flash. Many people don’t know it, but both the 580EX II and 600EX RT have an optional built-in Auto Thyristor mode, which uses a sensor on the front of the flash. Some people prefer Auto Thyristor to ETTL in certain difficult lighting situations.

I just checked my EOS 1 and when the main battery is changed, it still retains the film counter and all Custom Functions. My EOS 1 is 32 years years old and I doubt it ever had the CR1220 back up battery replaced. I also checked my old EOS 630 and EOS A2 and they both retain the film counter and Custom function even when the battery has been removed or changed. I am pretty sure they do not have back up batteries. I wonder how the camera is able to do this? I suppose they all use EEPROM. Does anyone know?

Sorry for reviving a very old thread, but I just discovered some interesting information regarding how EOS 1 cameras store information when the battery is removed. The EOS 1 had a back up battery to insure the information had time to be stored on the EEPROM. They changed the circuitry for the EOS 1n (and I presume 1v) so that they could eliminate the back up battery. https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/eos/EOS-1n/htmls/electronic.htm

I have both the 533G and 577G. Yes, the 533G uses 6 internal AA batteries, but is also has an external port so you can use the Transistor Pack G.

I actually did buy a Transistor Pack G on eBay but it will take another week or so to arrive. I guess I’ll have to be patient…. 🙂 The 533G, 577G, and Transistor Pack G all use a 300v connector that is different from all the later 300v connectors, but I don’t why Canon changed it.

The Transistor Pack E and the Compact Pack E, CP-E2, CP-E, and CP-E4 all share the same 300v connection plug, and are all interchangeable. Canon recommends only the Transistor Pack E for the 480EG, and I assume it is because of the large C size battery magazine. (the others uses 6 AA or 8AA)

I thought I might be able to use a CP-E2 or CP-E4 to power this plug on the 577G …

Is anyone familiar with the Canon Transistor Pack G? I recently acquired a Canon 577G flash, but it came without the Transistor Pack G external battery pack. The power connection has 3 pins and I am thinking the later external battery packs (CP-E2, CP-E3, etc) could also be used if I were to change the connector. Is the TP “G” 300 volts input like the later packs?

I’ll just keep using it the way it is. It actually works quire well in Tv, Av, and P modes. The LED display is nice to have but really not needed. There is even a switch to turn it off to save the battery.

I just picked up an A-1 really cheap ($37) and everything works as it should EXCEPT the LED display. Normally it will display shutter speed and aperture, but mine has only partial display on 2 of the 7 LEDs. I can use the camera Program, Av, or Tv modes, but I can’t see what values the camera picks. Has anyone else dealt with this? Any idea of what it would cost to repair?

I had a look on eBay and many of the date codes that were visible in the photos had the Greek “Omega” Ω symbol at the beginning. But some had other strange ones. I think this is an example of 𝚵 which is “Xi”.

That = symbol is strange. I don’t think it is a Greek letter. I always thought Canon just used regular letters in these date codes.

I recently bought an AE-1 to replace one I sold in 1989, when I switched to EOS AF film cameras, and then digital. Most Canon film cameras have a date code in the film chamber area, but I just noticed something unusual about my AE-1 (and maybe all AE-1s). The date code has the Greek “Omega” Ω symbol at the beginning. ΩU 750U is my date code, but the last U is worn off. Is there some reasoning to the Ω symbol? It seems like the other “A” series cameras don’t have the Ω symbol.

I bought this “thin” FD - EOS adapter at AliExpress. It is not as thin as Ed Mika’s adapter, but you can get reasonably good results (but not infinity) with telephoto lenses.