Seeking Canon EF Camera Information

[timwitt]

I stopped at a pawn shop today.....they had over a dozen digital point and shoot things and on the floor behind the counter, there was a poor dog of a camera whimpering to go home with me, thus I add EF s/n 115745,March 1974, microprism to our list. Looks a little rough but it won't look too bad when cleaned up. Everything seems to work, needs light seals and mirror bumper. I couldn't just leave it there whimpering, I do have a conscience, what was I supposed to do?

 

Attached was a nFD 35-105 f3.5,looks good but loose between the aperture ring and zoom ring, also a nFD 100-300 f5.6 looks good, shot two frames with it today. Everything was dirty but they cleaned up fine.They wanted $100, I took it all for $50.

 

They were smiling, I was smiling, they think they got me, I think I got them......(they probably had $10 in the whole pile)

[vesa_v_h_lummukka]

My s/n 3467xx, date code Q472, split-image

 

regards

Vesa

[exabetal]

sn 226695, O1114, microprism only. I agree with many here. A beauty of a camera! What I like best is the overhanging shutter speed dial and MLU!! I still wonder who decided MLU was no longer required.

[jim_knapp2]

My EF serial #225010, date code O1013 microprism only.

 

jim

[jean_moxhet]

Finaly, I did it... I'm a weak guy that could not resist to temptation...

Yes, soon I'll be member of the "Black Beauty Proud Owner Club" (B2POC).

My future EF is now shipping from USA to Europe and is one of the last, or at least the biggest s/n seen on that forum: 423124.

 

Until her arrival, I'm playing with my FTb-New "Tank" (actually testing Pentacon6 lenses), while my father is using the F-1 New for botanical macro. The AE-1 "fleet" is waiting for next film. One of these AE-1 was my first modern camera when I was teenager before that I dicovered photography with my father's first camera (Adox Polo) and with my beloved Voigtlander Vitessa L.

[flatulent1]

I just pulled mine out of the Bay, and found this thread looking for some background on it. Michael, great website on the EF, thanks for posting that.

 

Serial number 4230xx

Date code R732

Focusing screen split w/microprism ring

 

Nice camera, by the way. I may have to pick up a few more of these.

[fernand_dollenz1]

<p>I have an EF. s/n 395600. I bought it used. I prefer it to my Canon New F-1 and my T-90. I understand all the arguments, but besides taking geat pictures it just feels right in my hands. I like shutter priority. My problem has been Flash. There the T-90, 300TL has no comparason. The other headache with Flash is the New F-1</p>

[dutchsummer]

<p>I recently bought the wonderful Canon EF again, I owned one back in the eighties and used it a lot <br /> I traded in for a F1N together with a A1 but missed it since then ! <br /> Finally got it back ( Ebay) <strong>SN 316493</strong> ( 1974) used but very nice!<br /> I'm not gonna use it, just put in the vitrine together with it's year mate's: F1 1st edition, F2 2nd edition</p>

[andy_game]

<p>Hi Emile, congratulations on your new Black Beauty. Your serial number is very close to the change in focussing screen. does yours have split screen and microprism or just microprism? all the best, Andy</p>

[Bettendorf]

<p>No huge revelation from me on the 330k division, but here they are.<br>

269200 February 1975<br>

422800 July 1977 w/split-image.</p>

[ruben_accou]

<p>My serial n° is 348691. It has the split-image and prism circle.</p>

[matt_forbes]

<p>422450, July 1977, in box never used.</p>

[pat_casey1]

<p>Can someone tell me if this s/n would be one that has both the split image & microprism screen in it??? The serial number on the back of the EF camera body is: 420507.<br>

Thank you.<br>

<a href="mailto:Patc@everestkc.net">Patc@everestkc.net</a></p>

[steven_endo]

<p>I have s/n 406726. Microprism with split image focusing. I purchased it in 1980 for $400. I remember it was about the same price as an F-1n.<br />I remember reading about the end of prouction in one of the magazines (Popular Photography?) in the mid 1970s. I thought it was 1976 but based on the posts above it must have been in 1977. Mine was a leftover NOS.<br>

EFs never were great sellers; I suspect because it was relatively expensive, the lenses were relatively expensive, it was physically large, and the automation was shutter priority rather than aperture priority.<br />I bought the EF for a trip to Japan that summer but I never did warm up to the center bottom averaging meter nor the automatic exposure so I bought an F-1n in the fall of 1980. Thus, the EF is pretty much in mint condition.</p>

[timwitt]

<p>Pat, A serial number that high would surely have a split-image with microprism ring around the split. I compiled an Excel list of the serial number/focus screen info but I can't find it. It may be on an archive disk somewhere but the info in this thread tells the story anyway.</p>

[pat_casey1]

<p>Thanks, Tim, I appreciate the confirmation of what I "thought" would be the case regarding the focusing screen. <br>

Thanks again.<br>

Pat</p>

[pat_casey1]

<p>I recently purchased an EF and have noticed that "some" of the digits on the actual shutter speed dial seem to have been "blacked out" or covered over, for some odd reason. Do any of you have an suggestion or ideas as to why this might be the case? To the best of my knowledge, Canon made just one version of the shutter speed dial, and I've seen other EFs and all of the digits on the shutter speed dial were visible in "white. I have two pics. of the camera's shutter speed dial, but I don't know if this site will allow me to post them here though. If anyone can offer me some assistance and/or idea(s) as to why the digits are darkened over, please share your thoughts with me. The s/n on the EF is the same as I mentioned in my earlier email, the number is: 420507<br>

Thanks so much.<br>

Pat<br>

<a href="mailto:patc@everestkc.net">patc@everestkc.net</a> </p>

[briangrossman]

<p>my EF: serial no. 109438, date code 0205, microprism focusing</p>

[timwitt]

<p>Pat, Speeds from 1 sec to 30 sec are electronically controlled and that is what is blacked out on your camera. I assume a previous owner did not use batteries (meter won't work), shot Sunny 16 or used a handheld meter and blacked these out to help keep him/her from using 1 to 30 sec (needs batteries) and just used 1/2 sec to 1/1000 sec. Bulb also does not require batteries.</p>

<p>The original color of the shutter speed numbers are white for 1 sec to 1/1000 and Bulb, orange for 1/125 sec (flash sync), yellow for 2 to 30 sec. Why didn't Canon color 1 sec yellow since all other electronic speeds are yellow? I think orange is fine for 1/125 flash sync to call attention to it but they could have colored 1 sec like all other electronic speeds and maybe a previous owner would not have blacked out all electronic speeds.</p>

<p>FYI, photos you want to show in a posted message must be no greater then 700 pixels wide and no greater than 100 kb and have a caption, anything larger than these specs automatically becomes an attachment.</p>

[pat_casey1]

<p>Tim, thanks for the info. I assumed that that is what someone did, but, with the help from a little rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs, I've removed the black ink or whatever it was, and the numbers are legible once again. <br>

Thanks again for your info., though, I certainly do appreciate it. </p>

[chris_whelan3]

<p>Hello everyone. New to this site...looks great. My EF SN 334061 has a date code of Q225. The previous posts helped me figure out that what I thought was a "O" is really a "Q". Chris</p>

[chris_whelan3]

<p>By the way, my EF mentioned above has the split-image screen. I purchased mine on eBay recently from a collector in NY. Beautiful camera but will need new seals and mirror pad (actually not too awful for its age). At the moment, it looks nice sitting next to my F-1n, but I plan on taking the EF out for a shoot soon. The viewfinder display is unique and I am excited to test the accuracy of the meter. CW</p>

[jim_blackie]

<p>Serial number 319317, RF/microprism.<br>

I'm afraid I don't know where to look for the date codes.</p>

[jean_moxhet]

<p>Time for update on serial number data:</p>

<ul>

<li>The lowest s/n is 109438, February 74, microprism (Brian Grossman's). </li>

<li>The highest s/n is 423124, July 77, split microprism (mine ;-)</li>

<li>No news regarding the current dividing point of focus screens, it's still between s/n 2785xx, Apr-75 (Dave Sims) and s/n 2828xx, Jun-75 (Gordon Yee).</li>

</ul>

<p><br />Some other figures, related to Black Beauties and their owners, collected on that forum:</p>

<ul>

<li>52 EF actually owned</li>

<li>39 owners</li>

<li>9 new owners (camera bought in 2008 and 2009)</li>

<li>9 owners having 2 of then</li>

<li>7 owners having 1 model of each version of viewfinder</li>

<li>1 owner having 5 Black Beauties</li>

</ul>

<p>If so many of us have 2 (or more) EF, that's explain why Black Beauties are so rare ;-)</p>

[Andy Collins]

<p>I will check the SN on my 'new' EF later. Mine has the split-image viewfinder, so it's a later model. What a beautiful camera!</p>