How's this for a bargain Canon?

This was a camera that I bid at the last minute simply because the

price was so low, and I figured even if it was completely dead, it was

worth the gamble. Given the seller's feedback, I figured it was

likely to be a parts camera.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7531313231&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEAFB%3AIT&rd=1

 

Low and behold, it arrived, and the cosmetics are in the Ex/Ex+ range

and it's 100% fully functional. This might be the best deal I've

ever gotten on ebay.

You did well, the Canon EF is every bit as good as a Nikon F1. There's a listing for a users manual some where on this site. It's a very capable camera and the lenses and accessories are easy to come by and very resonably priced.

I think that a more apt comparison is with a Minolta XE-7 or Nikkormat EL. But it's rarer than either of those. Good looking, fully working Canon EFs don't come up very often. And to get it for under $22 including shipping is just silly - it's easily worth 4X that.

Ah, the joy of finding items listed in the wrong category...

In case you didn't know the EF works perfectly with 1.5 volt battieries as it has a built in voltage regualtor to adjust the power for the silicon metering cell. I have one and love it.

 

Does yours have the spilt screen (late version)or plain (early version)?

It has a split-image center surrounded by a microprism collar. BTW, I bet you paid more than $22 total including shipping & tax (none) for yours.

 

I owned one of these in the past, which I sold many years ago when I switched from Canons to Nikons after Canon dumped the FD mount for the EOS. I also paid alot more than $22 for that one.

Well done, an excellent buy. I would have gone for something with a lens though, just to narrow chances of dissapointment. Anyhow, you got a real cracker there. I bet that camera will be far more fun to use than any DSLR. I am impressed.

 

Cheers.

I already had several Canon FD-mount lenses, including a Canon 50mm f1.4 SSC, a Vivitar 70-210 Series-1 zoom, and a Kiron 28mm f2.0, so I didn't need a lens with it.

"You did well, the Canon EF is every bit as good as a Nikon F1."

 

Let's not be silly here. An EF is a very nice camera but it lacks interchangeable viewfinders, interchangeable screens or a 100% viewfinder. A competitor to the Nikon F it isn't.

 

And let's not start a flame war about it either.

Like I said in response, a more apt comparison was to a Minolta XE-7 or a Nikkormat EL. BTW, Nikon never made a camera called the F1.

I love the EF. Even though I will probably be selling some of my FD stuff to make the move to digital (I know, boo, hiss...)the EF will never be sold. I love its feel. I appreciate the usability without batteries and the fact that it runs on 1.5 v alkalines with no adjustments whatsoever (unlike my FTb). I figure my EF, my AT-1 and my wife's Nikon FE will always remain with us.

In one way the EF beats the original Nikon F-- the silicon metering cell. But I'll concede the finder screen is crap.

 

That raises the question of what was the intended market for the EF. Was it aimed at advanced amateurs? I assume most professional/PJ users would default to the Nikon F/F2 or the Canon F-1. Who was buying the EFs in 1975?