F1(n) speed finder tips?

[peter_evans4]

The speed finder for the F1(n) looks very tempting, but it's one of the

FD-related goodies that doesn't come cheap; if I ever get one, I don't

want to make a mistake. I know that the finders for the F1(n) and the

F1N are different and not interchangeable, but I wonder if there's

anything else I should be aware of. For those of you who have and like to

use your speed finder, are there times when you prefer the regular

pentaprism, and if so, when are these? I have a single focussing screen,

split-plus-microprism; this isn't always the best but so far it has always

been OK; is the speed finder better with some other screen for general

use? Also, is this finder significantly more vulnerable than the regular

pentaprism when the camera is in a bag and not snugly wrapped in

neoprene or similar but rattling around with an umbrella, book, etc.?

Lastly, any common but perhaps non-obvious problems to look out for

with particular examples (which may have been bashed around for

almost 30 years)?

[michaelchristensen]

I have the finder for the F1(New) .. and yes the finders are not interchangable with the older model cameras .. I've only used it once and I bought it new in the box from a camera dealer a few years ago .. but unless you're doing "action" photography or simply want the convenience of looking down into the camera at waist level, it is an accessory that I don't really need much ... I prefer the grid screen in all my cameras .. and it works just fine with that. With the speed finder attached, it does increase the bulk of the camera .. but when you need/want it .. you need it.

 

If you carry your camera in a dedicated canon leather snap case .. it won't close with the finder .. not really an issue as most people who carry these cameras use bags for their gear.

 

I use the regular pentaprism for about 99% of what I do .. the speed finder is only on when I have a specific shot I'm working to get or just want to have fun with it .. I think it is no more prone to damage than the regular finder ... it really is from a era where expensive cameras meant that construction was important .. no plastic crap here .. and it adds a bit of weight to the setup ..

 

I've found the more things you attach to the F1 .. the more people love to ask you "what's that" ... in a sea of compact point n shoots, and digital gee-wiz wonders ... a photographer carring an F1 gets noticed ... which is fine with me, girls love to ask me take their pictures .. but I think the F1 is about as perfect as a camera could get .. and yes, I throw away more pictures with my digital and autofocas cameras .. shots from the F1 seem to be better as I'm more of a thinking photographer with this machine .. guess that's why I still have 3 of them!

[peter_evans4]

<p>Thanks for the reply! Mmm, if you've only used yours once, that doesn't say much for it.</p><p>I'd never thought of my F-1 as a <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=005unn">chick magnet</a>. So far as I'd thought of it at all, I guessed that its size and blackness made it vaguely threatening. (I'm not at all sure I'd like one of these pointed at me.) But it's partly a matter of relative ages, I suppose. I don't think of my F-1 as even slightly an antique: to me, there's a world of difference between it and, say, my <a href="http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/iannorris/leica_copies/leica_copies_c/canonIId2.htm">Canon IID2</a>; but I suppose to the "chick" generation they're minor variants on the same angular, metallic and inscrutable theme. Nobody asks me to take their photos, but I did recently get fulsome thanks (or a convincing pretense thereof) for photos I took with my F-1 and wide open 85/1.2.</p>

[14mm 2.8l]

Howdy Peter,

 

I've been using a speedfinder outfitted F-1s for a decade now. In fact its the very first F-1 item I bought back in 1993: two years before I got my first F-1 body. It's heavier and does attract attention. I've never crashed mine. Nor have I crashed a camera inspite of the weight with it attached. The neck strap is a wonderful item! I rely on the bigger view which is almost the size of a negative. I use it with all screens I own, which is easily over 90% of all F-1 and F-N screen canon ever made. I don't own any B type screens. I just don't like the B's for either F-1 body. So I'll never own all the screens made for the F-1 family.

 

When buying speedfinder make sure it has clean and clear optics. I notice the florida ones and east coast examples can have "haze" inside. I'd skip the hazed and fungus laiden ones at any price. It's a fairly easy item to get mint- or better.

 

I'd say $100 for a F-1 and F-1n speedfinder in mint-

 

I'd say $200 for a F-1N speedfinder with the hard to find eyecup in mint- are both good price references.

 

Here's a pic of my F-1N oufitted with speedfinder and eyecup:

 

http://users.adelphia.net/~adkinstone/wimberlyF1N.jpg

 

Lindy

[miles_feigenbaum___dallas_]

I have had the speedfinder on all 3 of my F1N's for years, and wouldn't use the standard finder anymore.

 

Years ago, before I did some research, I ordered a speedfinder in mint condition still in the plastic box that they originally came in. The damn thing was for the older F1 that you have and it sat around for a few months before I got time to check it out. Its been resting with me since then, unused by me as I have the newer F1's.

 

I'll look for the damn thing and give you a shout back. I have no use for the older one, it doesn't fit the F1N...

[User_502260]

I have two F-1 bodies and two Speed Finders. The Speed Finders are good when you need eye relief. That means your eye can be separated from the finder up to about 60mm and you can still see the whole image on the screen. To do this, the finder has lower magnification. The screen looks smaller so details aren't as easy to make out. The advantages of the Speed Finder are that it can be used in two positions, it gives you a laterally correct image and it does not block the meter. If you wear eyeglasses the extra relief (distance) can be very helpful. Canon made a regular waist level finder for the F-1 but in the case of the first two F-1 models the waist level finder blocks the meter. The other difference with a waist level finder is that the image is laterally reversed. When I used TLR cameras more I got used to the reversed image and it didn't bother me. Last night I used my Bronica ETR on a copy stand. I took off the prism finder and used the waist level finder. For copy work it's fine. It is even good in a pinch for hand held use because it is lighter than the other finders but after using 35mm SLR cameras for so many years I am used to a prism viewfinder and that's what I use most of the time on the Bronica.

 

When Nikon introduced the F3 in 1980 it came with a standard prism finder. Eventually the HP (high eyepoint) finder replaced the old one. I think that in 1980 a Nikon F3 was a pretty expensive camera and the average user must not have been very young. The eyeglass wearers found the HP finder more to their liking. The tradeoff was that the magnification of the HP finder was lower. For people who do not wear eyeglasses or who would prefer using a diopter cprrection piece, the older finder will give a larger image.

[14mm 2.8l]

Miles, If Peter passes I'd be interested in buying your incorrect new in the box example. Both of my early speedfinders are mint- and I have another unsed mint F-1 I'd like to assessorize with matching speedfinder.

 

Are you sure its not correct for you? I thought the plastic box ones are F-1N. The early case is black leather, red velvet lined.

 

Thanks, Lindy

[miles_feigenbaum___dallas_]

Howdy,

I thought it was in a plastic hardcase, i'll have to get it out as I haven't seen it in many years as its the wrong one.

 

I use them all of the time on my 3 f1N's...

[peter_evans4]

Thanks for the continuing responses. Well, I thought prices here in Tokyo for old Canon stuff were rather low, but perhaps I'm wrong: they're quite a bit higher than the (US?) prices that you're quoting. If that unused F-1 finder turns up, I'd be interested; I can't write to any of you unless you write to me first -- my spam filter zaps any automated message from Photo.Net e.g. messages telling me of others' addresses (or so I tentatively infer) -- my own mail address is peter at despammed dot com.

[john_ratliff1]

It's funny that this comes up today, as I was using my F-1N with

the Speedfinder to photograph an intersection where I was

nearly killed on a bicycle. I have been using the Speedfinder on

my F-1N for many years, and bought the camera because it had

that capability. Why? Well, I'm an underwater photographer, and

I needed a camera I could use in an underwater housing and

see the whole image. The F-1N with Speedfinder is great for

this application. I also wear glasses, and it is a great help. You

can also reverse the finder, and sit the camera on the ground to

get a photo without laying down yourself. I've found it very useful.

 

John