Canon T-90

[houstonphotographics]

Hi,

 

I am going to be looking into purchasing a Canon T-90 pretty soon.

Main use is primarily sports/fast action. Will be picking up some

fast glass as well. Regarding pricing from looking on KEH and 'Bay

this camera has the best features >for the money< (shutter speed,

motor drive and high iso range.

 

I would like to know from previous or current owners if there is

anything I need to be aware of when I get ready to start hard

shopping? Should I calculate cost of cla? Any reputable dealers

other than above, please mention (ebay is not my first choice take

my word for it). I have owned Canon A-1, AE-1, in the past and am

familiar with the equipment. I am not interested in autofocus nor

digital at this time for this venture.

 

thanks

[jimvanson]

I still have both of the T90's I purchased in 1986. Both of them have had their shutters replaced, one has had it's top deck replaced, the other has had a strap lug replaced.<P>Don't frown though because that is all from very heavy use -- may be 60,000 shots through each.<P>And what should you look for used? The two big things are the dreaded eeeee display read out and a loose lens mount.<P>The eeeee readout usually occurs when the camera sit without being used. Things get sticky, It will need a $100 CLA.<P>The lens mount coming loose is usually from lugging the camera around when it has big glass on it. It's easily fixed.<P>And who should fix the T90? Probably Steve from Reno but ask these guys as they keep very current: http://tinyurl.com/36r4d

[Rob_L1664876404]

Kenneth,

 

T90s are well known for shutter failure as mentioned above. The risk is increased with non-use, so regular use by the previous owner is a plus (in this case, you don't wan't the car only driven on Sundays by a little old lady). When not used, make a habit of pulling it out regularly, putting it in high-speed multi-frame mode, and firing off several bursts (without film, of course). Better yet - use it a lot! Last time I had shutter problems, the shutters were no longer available from Canon, but I suspect there are still a few out there in other places. There are also several technicians who have speciailized in T90 shutter rebuilding. It's a great camera - I love it - especially the spot meter and program shift functions. Should do great for sports.

[14mm 2.8l]

Hmmm. Easily 90% of my equiptment came from ebay the last 6 years. I did get bit again recently , this time by a 40year plus bricks and mortor camera shop that was just a newbie ebay seller. One man's mint is my bargain lens now. Probably, I'll loose $60-$75 on the deal. Thats irratating, but in re-reading the ad I think I was stupid to bid and clalk it up to life experience. I have moved on in search of the next great deal. In many other instances I have gotten SO MANY great deals via ebay and at less and far less than KEH website prices.

 

AND YES!

 

That includes even today 09-08-04, with all the deflated equiptment prices. I still am ahead inspite of the decreasing values for used film equiptment.

 

Personally I'd skip the t90, unless ttl flash is a must for you. F-1N has faired better over time, whether its new in the box or condition 8 used. Its heavier with 5 fps AA drive and thats a fact. But it has a system load of custom assessories like: speedfinder, easily interchageable screens, verticle shutter release on drives, removable motor drive, ect... Bottom line t90's suffers from lack of use. But users of the t90 camera LOVE THEM, well until they need another rountine cla, or the shutter release magnets need cla, or the contol pannel bleeds, ect...

 

I've gotten spoiled by the reliability of F-1/F-1n , F-1N pro system cameras. These are 2 cameras that were produced for a total 24 years and not just made in 1986 and 1987 as all the t90's were.

 

Lindy

[patrice_gosselin]

Hi Ken,

 

When I sought advice before buying my own T-90, I was told to check the internal battery (if you can hold it in your hands that is), among other things.

 

Also, I was able to find those messages where I received advice from the excellent folks at the Canon FD Yahoo Group. You'll find the details about how checking the battery in the second message:

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CanonFD/message/28434

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CanonFD/message/28470

 

Hope that helps,

 

Pat

[summitar]

B&H and bhphotovideo.com has a few T90s listed. I have bought used equipment from both KEH and B&H and would again. I find that B&H is just a little more thorough in checking out used eqipment. BOth oare fine companies. I love my T90; it's a real handful.

[catcher]

I just purchased a T90 this summer and love it. It has the high shutter speeds which comes in handy when shooting sports. Also, I love the spot metering. And finally, the safety-shift function is fantastic. when I'm trying to catch the action at church softball games, as long as the Safety shift is on I don't have to worry about the exposure being wrong because the camera needed a wider aperture when the lens doesn't have it. It automatically compensates by slowing down the shutter (or vice versal depending on which mode your in).

 

Also, (hope this isn't inappropriate) I have two T90s from ebay, both of which the previous owner claimed were CLA'd at the beginning of the summer. I can't prove that. But they do look clean and function well. If you're interested, contact me off forum.

 

You won't regret going with the T90

[pensacolaphoto]

"The lens mount coming loose is usually from lugging the camera around when it has big glass on it. It's easily fixed."

 

I may have such a case with one of my T90 cameras. The F1N does better over time.

[catcher]

The loose mount is indeed a very, very easy fix. You just take off the front panel of the T90 (not hard at all) and then tighten the screws on the mount. So if it were me, I wouldn't worry about that part. I've done that on my T90 and it was simple and effective.

[pensacolaphoto]

Aaron,

I am glad to know that fixing the problem does not seem to be difficult.

[Rob_L1664876404]

Kenneth,

 

Have you decided on and found a T90 yet? Your post got me to thinking... I've just ordered my 2nd digital SLR body and don't see my film cameras getting much use in the future. Would you be interested in an excellent T90 that's had the shutter re-built recently? There are only a few signs of normal use (it has never been used by a full-time pro) and everything works perfectly. If so, e-mail me by requested my e-mail address from Photo.net.

 

Rob

[sloopjohne]

"...The eeeee readout usually occurs when the camera sit without being used. Things get sticky, It will need a $100 CLA...."

 

This happened to me a few weeks ago with one of my two T-90s when a lens was not mounted. (Very bad timing since I was getting ready to sell them, and in fact posted an ad in the Classifieds, because I've done completely EOS.) However, both bodies had a CLA done less than 4 years ago. So a couple weeks later I followed the advice of another Photo.Net member and just ran the shutter at high speed (without film, per the suggestion above) for a few seconds. Now it's just fine and has been ever since: No more "EEEE" messages, with or without a lens mounted.

 

So it appears that what others here have said is true: T-90s need to be used on an at least semi-regular basis to keep the shutter in shape.

[steve_patterson]

Best darned camera that I've ever owned, and that includes a Leica M3.