FTb.....

<p>Is it me....or only me.....<br>

The FTb is just the most satisfying, manual camera ever?<br>

I have a couple F1N's....and love them, but for beating around and no-worries photography....I love my FTb "black".</p>

 

<p>I prefer my F-1's and F-1N's, but that's just me...</p>

<p>John, I cannot speak for the FTb, but I will certainly shout for its predecessor the FT QL. That was my first SLR, coming straight away from an old Argus C3 rangefinder brick. The b was an update of the FT line--offering a few improved goodies such as a better curtain shutter and open aperture metering.</p>

<p>These things were tanks--and built to a very high degree of quality in body and optics. I never handled the FTb, as I made the jump from the FT over to an AE-1P and then to an A-1. I still have both of the latter--the FT was stolen long ago.</p>

<p>Indeed this early line of 70s Canons are fine handling manual machines. You have me experiencing a strong episode of PAD--photographic acquisition disease--looking at FT's on fleabay. Of late I have been buying a few old cameras that I owned in the past. An Argus C3 for $18 bucks clean with the case. A Yashica J3 with case for $30. A Minolta Autocord for $25. Now I see the FT's for $30-40 with a lens. Stop me before I Buy It Now!</p>

<p>It's you...we all have our favorite oldie but goodies, and it is different for each. I love my old Leicas, with my second loves being a Canon T90 (not exactly barebones manual), a 1958 Canon P, and a 1958 v.ii Ricoh 500. Well, to be honest, I truly like the cameras I've kept, and even some I've disposed of. The nice thing in recent years has been the opportunity to pick up some of these gems at unheard of low prices...and I certainly couldn't afford many of them when I was young and they first appeared.</p>

<p>Great camera,and the black one....is beautiful.</p>

<p>The Leicaflex of the Canon line. Not as smooth but just as solid, and of course they take those great FL and FD lenses. I have a FT QL w/ a dead meter and a big dent in the prism that I can't bear to part with. Well, no one wanted to buy it when I tried to sell it :{</p>

<p>I'm happy they didn't. It has character, a great shutter (managed to adjust the speeds myself so that it doesn't suffer from shutter capping, like many of these do), and has a nice solid feel in my hands. Coupled w/ my bargain priced FL 135 3.5 it can make some mighty fine images. One of these days I may bang out the prism dent and bondo it up or something, but I've grown accustomed to it's looks. If not for that prism, it's a very attractive camera.</p>

<p>I completely understand your fondness for the FTb. I often say that my first "real" camera was an FTb. It taught me the essentials of photography. Plus, I became a huge fan of its match needle meter and its 12% metering pattern. </p>

<p>However, when I learned that the original F-1 also was a match-needle camera and also used the same 12% metering pattern, I gravitated to it almost instantly. The F-1 is a more versatile camera. It accepts different finder options, focusing screens, motor drives, and more. I still own two F-1s -- F-1n's to be precise (the second version of the old F-1). And I still own two FTbs, one chrome and one black. So, I'd have to say that my favorite manual camera of all time is definitely the original F-1 -- F-1n, actually. Followed closely by the FTb. The New F-1 is a pretty cool camera too -- I own one of them also -- but I still like the original F-1 better.</p>

<p>If you've never shot with an original F-1, I recommend you give it a try. You might switch your preferences, same as me.</p>