How did you end up using Canon FD?

<p>My first camera was a T50, brand new in '83. It was a hobby and I didn't get serious until many years later. The shutter on that T50 eventually broke. I went digital, but still craved and missed film. So I purchased an FTBn, then a t70, and t90, and several lenses. I even have a FD35mm T/S converted to EOS mount, (That is one incredible lens).</p>

<p>My first foray into photography began when I was a child in the '70's, and my mother gave me an old Polaroid Land Camera. I played around with Polaroids and point-and-shoot Kodaks until I finally got my first real camera, a Nikon FE. This was in the '80's, and Nikon stuff wasn't cheap (especially with my income at the time), but in time I upgraded to the F3, and picked up an F2 and an F just for the sake of it.<br>

At this time my life took a different turn, and I found myself in the Army, serving my time in order to pay for university. I more or less forgot about photography, as I had quite a lot else on my table to keep me busy.<br>

After the Army came university, then a new career. I found my way back into photography when I was given a Sony digital camera as a gift. I enjoyed the Sony very much, and thought that digital photography was wonderful. I ended up buying a Nikon D70 with a couple of lens, and over the course of 3 years I pretty much wore it out. I replaced the D70 with a D300, which I still use very often.<br>

A few months ago I was at a used furniture/appliance center (which also sells old cameras) when I noticed a plastic bin with a bunch of old SLR film bodies in it. As luck would have it, there was a Canon F1 and a Canon A1. I bought both the cameras, a few lenses, and a power winder for about $150.<br>

Once I got the stuff home and began to research it, I was surprised to find out how cheap FD stuff really was. The cameras, lenses, accessories, everything was such a bargain. What's more, it's even more common and less expensive here in Japan (where I live). I can get an F1 with a bag full of lenses for less than the cost of a 18-200 zoom for my D300.<br>

After using the F1 and seeing the results I was able to get out of it, I was hooked. I'm now using it more than I use my D300, and I'm prowling the used camera shops looking for whatever lens or accessories I can find for it.</p>

<p>I chose Canon in 1974, because I felt Canon's lenses were at least the equal of anything in the world, and better than most. That hasn't changed.</p>

<p>Around 1977 I was looking for a solid entry level SLR, and the reviews pointed me towards the Canon TX. A great choice! It has needed CLA once since then. Clear viewfinder without annoying distractions. Can mount M42 lenses with adapter, for manual aperture work.</p>

<p>It was probably late '74 when a high school buddy replaced his failing Minolta SR-7 with a Canon F-1, to say the least that was quite an upgrade! But instead of buying one for my own we figured it'd be better to simply establish a common equipment pool and just share use. It worked out very well! Ultimately that collection consisted of FD 20/2.8 SSC, 50/1.4 SSC, 135/2.5 SC, 100-200/5.6 SC, and a Spiratone 400/6.3. Further stoking the fires of FD passion were frequent trips to the Canon House gallery on Market Street in San Francisco, to ogle (and fondle!) every piece of The F-1 System.<br>

After joining the USN I wandered off into Nikon-dom for a spell, later returning to Canon's EOS film cameras and later digital. But my great admiration of The F-1 System never waned, and almost 38 years after its debut I finally bought one for my own. Today these are my most treasured pieces of all...</p>

<p>For me it started in Jr high (mid 70s) when I took a photography class. The school had a Minolta SRT-101. My parents got me a Praktica LTL with 3 lenses. I immediately saw how much better the SRT was with its full aperture metering and much finer and brighter focusing screen image - even though i liked my LTL. I then started reading Modern and Popular photography and tried to decide which was better, the Canon F-1 or Nikon F2. The Minolta XK looked interesting, but the "no motor or permanently attached motor" goof they made crossed that off my list. The Speed Finder was one of the deciding items, plus Canon's more advanced lens mount compared to nikon's. I still have some of the Dec 1970 editions and several Dec editions with Modern's "Top Camera reports"<br>

After several years I finally settled on the Canon F-1, but by the time I had the money to actually BUY one, it was the "New" F-1, which after reading about I liked even better. So I bought one, with a motor drive and 3-4 lenses, most of which got stolen. I used the insurance payment to get another one. I still have that new F-1 and it never got brassed up!<br>

Then I decided I needed and "old" F-1 so I bought one at a camera show, a very nice example. Then I decided I needed a Motor Drive MF, so I added that, plus the 533G flash, more lenses, down to24m up to200mm. Later came more flashes (299T), faster wides (F2 instead F2.8), wider primes, down to new FD 17mm F4, backup bodies, etc.<br>

Then I went on a binge to get all the Olympic bodies and the front caps too!. Then came the A-series, but no AL-1 or AV-1, sorry, but i have my standards! Mint black bodies only except for the AT-1 which was not offered in black.<br>

The I decided to expand to the older F-series bodies (no TL, TLb or TX - Please!) All black as with the A-series. I finally topped it off with a nice CanonFlex R2000, and found most of the faster versions of the Super Canomatics.I got the "chrome nose" collection nearly complete as well.<br>

I've never regretted the decision, even though Canon canned the FD mount, it is a fine line of equipment that was very well thought out in the late 60s with the result that Canon was able to continously add features without change the original FD lens to camera connection (the mount method change did not change the signalling standards). This was the most forward thought out lens mount and still exceeds the mechanical coupling capabilities of nikon and anyone else. <br>

So now, with all this gear, I'm going to have to "thin the heard" when I get home, and limit myself to 7 or 8 F-1s and 6 motor drives, plue the other series cameras.</p>

<p>As an 11 year old I hankered after a Pentax ME Super but could not afford it, so I bought second-hand Carena instead. On a school trip I noticed one of the teachers had an A-1 and I told him I was impressed. That was a real camera! I went off photogrpahy for a bit in my teens but when I started to earn money I saw an old A-1 in a second hand shop going for a song so I bought it. I kept my eyes peeled and slowly added lenses and an AE-1 Program. I did have an EOS film camera but kept using the FD stuff as two bodies and more lenses gave me more choice. I only stopped using it when I went digital, but with all the talk of going back to film I have bought some 35 mm to have another go with the FD kit.</p>

<p>The military exchange system ofered the FT-QL with a 1.2 lens for a bargain price in 1968. On the advice of a buddy, I got it. I meter more accurately with the 12% rectangle than with any other system. The 28mm f 3.5L was a mainstay for me for decades. There's no good reason NOT to use my F-1's for film. They're still going strong.</p>

<p>Mike Santos,<br>

How much film would you need to buy in order to shoot 12 frames with each Canon lens/body combination you can now put together? (all duplicate hardware counts)</p>

 

<p>Bob, That's simple math: 24 bodies x 66 lenses x 12 exposures = 1,584 12 exp rolls and 19,008 frames!</p>

 

<p>As for my favourite, my favourite Canon is definitely the F-1 both the new and old. I really like the looks of the old F-1, especially with a Flash Coupler F on the top and a Motor Drive MF on the bottom! That said the New F-1 is easier to use with the dedicated A, G and T-series flashes (esp the 299T) and its much more convenient AE operation and metering pattern choices. Of course it has to have the motor drive underneath it as well! I also like the built in light for the meter info window (I do have a Finder Illuminator F for the old F-1s). The power rewind is great and it leaves the leader out unlike the nikons of the time. The only thing I don't like about the New F-1 is that it is missing mirror lock up. But I'll admit that I never used that on my old F-1. If you use a tripod and set the timer or use a cable release, you pretty much don't need MLU unless you are doing high magnification work.</p>

<p>I was offered a 35mm f2 SC at a super low price, not long ago. I obviously then needed a body, or two. More lenses "arrived", resulting in a nice collection of top-class glass at silly-cheap prices, and some stunningly good bodies. I'm short of a 300mm f4 NFD and 50mm f1.2 B/L to complete the kit, but that's just wishful thinking ......</p>

<p>I did what I thought was pretty thorough research of reflex systems in 1974/5. It was down to Nikon/Canon. In the end I picked Canon for two reasons: First, I liked the F-1's semi-spot meter located in the body, and its auto-indexing FD lenses. Second, as a prime lens I selected the Canon FD 50mm f3.5 Macro, which was tested out as the sharpest 50mm on the planet at that time. The combination of the F-1 and 50mm Macro did the job for me for a long, long time. I still used a rangefinder as my main system ... a Canon Model 7 and 35, 50, and 100mm lenses. Later I added an FD 35mm f2 Concave, and then an FD 24mm f2.8. </p>

<p>My first SLR was the F-1, the year it was introduced. I bought it at Olden's in NYC with the 50/1.8 lens, later added a Vivitar zoom, the Servo EE Finder, Canon zooms and primes. Traded the old F-1 in decades ago, now I have a 1984 LA Olympics edition F-1 and a beat-up A-1, with a stable of lenses. In the 70s, my grandfather passed away and left me his Leica M3 kit. I've been shooting wth Leica M gear and Canon F gear ever since. My wife has the digital EOS 40D, but I still stick with film. I bought 40 rolls of K64 and am going to shoot till it all ends in December 2010.</p>

<p>I retired from the air force in 1980. I was stationed in Vietnam 1966-67, and had never owned a 35 mm camera. Based on advice from the "old hands", the first camera I bought was a Konica auto S2 brand new for $35 in the PX. I still regard this camera as providing the biggest bang for the buck of all time. About two months before I due to come back to the land of the "big PX", I was passing through the PX in Saigon-Cholon and notice a large bunch of Canon FT-QLs with a 50mm f/1.8 lens going for $65. I asked why the low price and the manager said they were all defective. Turns out they had their mirrors locked up. I bought one and for years it was my top of the line camera. One day about 2000, I was in a local camera shop to purchase film, and I noticed in their used camera display, a mint F1 original with 50mm f/1.4 lens. I paid too much for it but it is a wonderful camera. It has been joined by several FTbs and an AE-1, and three T90s. I love the quality of the lenses. Shame on Canon for making the FD lenses into orphans.</p>

<p>Even though Canon orphaned the FD line, it still represents the pinnacle of optical quality. look at al the plastic bodies and plastic ELEMENTS in digital stuff.<br>

Sure you can buy all glass lenses, at about $1,000 each, on your $3,000 body, but they are not really any BETTER than FD glass.<br>

And from what had been happennig on the auction site, you'd never trhink we were in a recession, FD L glass continues to skyrocket EVERY time one is listed!!!<br>

And I'm still looking for a Black Pellix QL...</p>

 

<p>Sure you can buy all glass lenses, at about $1,000 each, on your $3,000 body, but they are not really any BETTER than FD glass.</p>

<p>Sorry Mike, but I my experience just doesn't tally with your comment about lens quality. Having used a T90 and a couple of top FD wides before going to an Eos 3 a few years back I have to say that the newer 'L' series wide lenses absolutely blow the FD designs away. My EF 16-35L proved vastly superior in to the FD 17mm and FD 20-35L on every count.</p>

<p>My love for the Canon FD came in 1984 at the age of 14. I had been using a 110 Kodak instamatic and wanted a "cooler" camera. So dad took me to a local camera shop and I picked out an used AE-1 with a 50mm 1.4. I loved that camera (still do) and took thousands of pictures with it. 5 years ago I finally bought a vivitar zoom lens (75-200) for it and took it on my Alaska cruise. Pictures came out horrible, took the camera in to see what was wrong. Needed a CLA and now continues to take great pictures. Since then I have added a T-50, T-70, T-80, FTb, FTb QL, FT, and numerous lenses. I am on the prowl for a T-90, AE-1 program and a Pellix.</p>

<p>Robert, you've got to add an F1 to your list. You'll love it!</p>