Weather Resistance

I know from reading Canon factory literature that the F1N was designed for demanding weather conditions.Most of

the electronics have potted 'sealed' circuit boards and the imput controls are weather resistant.I also know that

bodies like my T70 and AE1P have no coatings or seals whatsoever and will fail eventually due to corrosion or dirty

contacts.Is the T90 in the same league as the F1N or is it a cousin of the A & T series (advanced amateur build

standards).Was the F1N body the only electronic camera built to military standards?How about the EF?I fear this will

be the achilles heel of the FD line as time marches on. The F1N and older mechanical bodies will be the last bodies

still functioning as the electronics slowly fail.This is a huge problem with the older EOS line and many much newer

first generation digitals.I doubt they will ever build another camera that is built to last a minimum of a quarter century.

I have two F1's, (first versions), two FTbn's, a T90 and a T70. The FTb's will outlast them all, IMHO. The T90 and T70 have some minor quirks and won't operate in the cold. The F1's shutters hang at slow speeds at times. The FTb's keep on "ticking" with no CLA's planned.

 

Does anyone own any old solid state devices that still work? My son talked me out of my PAS 3 Dynakit preamp (all tubes) to use with his Manley "Stingray" amp ( all tubes).

 

He is looking longingly at my old Canons. Regards.

Well this is a little off topic but Solid State audio gear ventured intot he market around the late 60's and I have friends who collect and use it every day. The amp and Tuner in my main stereo system is 1973 both have been refreshed and are working as good as new or slightly better.

 

Dirty contacts and a whole lot of what might go wrong with any Canon FD miunt camera can be repaired or avoided with a simple clean lube and adjust.

 

The only quirk I know about that would cause a T-90 not to operate in cold weather would be reduced battery life due to cold. And you can get around that by using a battery pack kept warm.

 

I have 1963-64 era 6-9 transistor radios that work just great so Hard to answer your question.'

The original F1, as described and spec'd by Canon in their literature, was designed to operate well below zero degrees F (-20F). T90 and T70 LCD screens aren't too bright at those temps nor are film advance motors very reliable or "perky".

 

Hi Mark, more off topic and partly subjective, every piece of Sony equipment (amplifiers, tuners, tape decks etc), except my Super Beta tape, has failed and the repair costs exceeded the replacement value. I have good luck with tube equipment.The PAS-3 for example, was born in 1965 and the first tube was replaced last year. The PAS-3 was cheaper to buy and cost less to maintain, like the mechanical Canons. ........ and, I think the PAS-3 sounded better than my new Yamaha, and for sure my Fisher tube tuner is more sensitive than the Yamaha. .....but, the dial cord in the Fisher broke. I need to get some old fishing line for the repair, Stren nylon is not the answer. ... no more rambling... have a good day. Regards.

The F1s have some weather sealing and I think the "L" lenses do, but the rest of the FD cameras and lenses you need to keep dry or know a good repair man

The only electronic Canon SLR I have is an A-1. It works but has the squeak so I will eventually have it overhauled. If I have too many lenses or accessories in a particular mount I like to have a machanical camera just in case the electronic ones all stop working in the future. Some electronic cameras like the Minolta X-700 have features not on the mechanical Minolta bodies. These include TTL flash, more sensitive metering and a brighter viewfinder. If my X-700 bodies stop working I will have the SRT bodies to fall back on. Both the Minolta SRT cameras and the Canon F series cameras without interchangeable finders have horizontal cloth shutters. The cloth shutter material can last a long time but does sometime need replacement. I have never heard of the metal blades of a Copal Square shutter wearing out. I'm pretty sure that my overhauled Canon F-1 and Nikkormat bodies will be usable for a long time. I have a Canon digital camera but I don't expect it to last more than 35 years like an F-1. How would I know this? I would have to keep using it for 35 years.

Jeff, if you want a Canon FD series camera with a Copal Square shutter, consider the Canon EF. You'll even get shutter priority automation as a bonus. And if the meter and/or batteries die, you still have a functioning camera, except for speeds longer than 1 sec. I love mine!

Jeff, as Bob says if you can find one in good condition the EF has a build quality like the F1, I have recently got a mint one , I had to pay twice what I recently paid for a T90 but it was worth it, I'm in love too.

yes but John if you had the capacitors in your PAS checked I bet they would be WAY out of spec. Even my Pioneer gear from the mid 70's has had to have the caps replaced and a few other tune up things done to remain in spec.

 

Sure the electronics will fail one day in our A series and T series and the new F-1 and even the EF. But it could be a very long ways off. Take for instance my first FD camera my AE-1 now that was bought in the fall of 1976 they had only been on the market I think 3 months when I got mine. SO I have basically one of the earliest A series bodies you can find. And with 2 CLA's over the years it's doing great. Granted doesn't get a lot of work now days but for a while it saw 100-200 rolls of film a year.

 

BUT instead of worrying about it just enjoy what you have now and if you think you need to do something about it buy a couple extras have them CLAed and put them in a plastic bag with some desiccant and in a dark moderate temp place and if your favorite body gives up the Ghost go pull a back up out and use it.