T70 Review

[douglas_vitello]

I believe this is a sore subject at Photo.net and don't know if they will post it but Ken Rockwell (Google it) on his

current home page has some very nice things to say about the T70 and it sounds like he is finally warming up to

Canon FD.He is a Nikon kind of guy but has a lots of good things to say in the defense of film users like us.

[dave_s]

Yeah, Mr Rockwell attracts a lot of vitriol and derision on photo.net. I think his site is harmless fun, and he has some good opinions.

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His T70 review is pretty good. I'm a T70 fan-- currently have two of them and I've bought a few to give to friends. Dollar for dollar I think it's the best second-hand camera out there, for a bunch of reasons I've said before.

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<i>Sorry, it's the 1980s and the T70 doesn't do aperture priority, except with non-FD lenses and accessories like extension tubes. </i>

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I don't understand what Mr Rockwell is saying here. It doesn't do aperture priority with <i>any</i> lenses. Am I missing something?

[cole_anetsberger]

i think sometimes he's crazy and doesn't understand old canon equipment.

[jb17kx]

I do find it odd that it being the 1980s is an excuse for not offering aperture-priority auto - when both the

AL-1 and AV-1 do.

[don_boyd3]

Thanks Doug, ths article looks interesting and I've bookmarked it for further study. I'm a casual user of the T-70 but the thing

never ceases to surprise me with how capable it is. Of course, I'm not an AE kinda guy so holding the film flat behind the

lens works for me.

 

Don B in Hampton Roads

[douglas_vitello]

I think Mr Rockwell is just beginning the learning curve with Canon FD equipment and like most new users will greatly appreciate some of the things Canon did with the series.He picked a good one with the T70 because of the magnificent viewfinder and light meter.I own three and they still blow me away with the number of keepers per roll I get out of them despite the few strange user interface quirks ala Canon and the T Series.I owned and used just about every FD model over the years and still find this is the one I'll grab as a backup to my F1's.Many times when I'm in a rush and want to travel 'light' the T70 becomes my primary.I think Mr Rockwell is a good guy and loves to stir the pot because he knows film has been given a bum rap in the rush to modern technology.

[canonfduser]

Being both a Canonite (FD user) and a Nikonian (mf, af and dslr) I can tell you that most of the Nikon community members in the various forums regard his work as BS. He often makes claims or statements that are very misleading or untrue.

[HenryUK]

I have two T70 bodies and find them a useful development of the A Series.

 

I find Ken Rockwell entertaining and thought-provoking. I don't take him too seriously but he does devote an enormous amount of time to photography and cameras - and goes to the trouble of documenting it for us all to see. He is a bit of a controversialist - I just hope he doesn't go the way of Jeremy Clarkson (watch BBC Top Gear and you'll see what I mean).

 

Henry

[douglas_vitello]

Mark,maybe Mr Rockwell is sometimes 'out there' on Nikon equipment but for one of his first shots at Canon equipment and the T70 he sure nailed that baby pretty solid.I've been using them for 14 years and just about everything he discovered in a few weeks is right on target.

[airds]

Keep up at the back Ken :-)

 

"I have not tried the T50 or T90. I'd love to get my hands on a T90."

 

"I can't live without program mode, "

 

His Recommendations

<http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/fd/t70.htm#rex>

[ben_hutcherson]

I've been a regular reader of Ken Rockwell for a while, and although I don't agree with everything, he offers some good advice and is certainly entertaining.

 

I offered to let him borrow my T90 for a few weeks for review, which he declined. I also pointed him toward the $99 KEH T90s, and to Ken Oikawa for servicing his F-1n. I did also offer to loan him a few of my nicer lenses for a couple of weeks, which I haven't heard back from him on.

[canonfduser]

Okay, now that I've read it I have to say Ken did a good job reviewing the T70 and I have a better understanding of where he's coming from. I only got into the Canon FD system 10 years ago when my father-in-law cleaned out his basement and gave me a camera bag that included a FDn 28/2.8, FDn50/1.8 with 84 Olympics cap and some generic 35-105 that was full of fungus, 199A Speedlite and a AE1P. After using the AE1P for awhile I got hooked on the FD system even thought my entire collection at that time was Nikon. Now my Canon FD lenses far exceeds in numbers and a few in quality my Nikkor lenses and I have 6 bodies including the original AE1P, A-1, (2) F1N's and (2) T90's so now I understand what it's all about. I'd like to see him review the New F-1 and the T90 to see what he thinks. Those bodies will outlast me.

[tsphillips]

I enjoy reading his stuff from time to time. He has an interesting sense of humor. Notice that the camera he's using on his

homepage is backwards. If I'm not mistaken he had an entire article about how he got prototype left-handed camera from

Nikon when really he just flipped the picture.

[douglas_vitello]

Taylor,the image on his home page and review look just like the three I own?Do you own one?Anyway,we should applaud anyone who is promoting the use of Canon FD because otherwise they will fade away like so many other forgotten cameras of the past.

[Lou_Meluso]

Interesting the design jump from the T70 to the T90. I always thought the T70 was capable but I had difficutly considering anything that ugly pressed against and associated with my face (which needs all the help it can get).

[Lou_Meluso]

And I agree with Douglas, hats off to all and any FD users. The secret's out....it's the lenses. Shoot'em if you got'em

[barryreid]

As a long time canon user with, a few FD bodies and a bunch of lenses, I just can't warm to the T70. maybe I was spoiled

as my first FD camera was a T90 and I just didn't think the T70 came close when I had one. I'm sure to get another, when

one comes up with a decent lens, and I'll give it a chance.

[douglas_vitello]

Yeah guys,I thought the same thing (ugly and mickey mouse compared to my mighty F1N,A1, T90) until I purchased one at a camera show because I needed something light and compact for a overseas trip about 14 years ago.I shot a few rolls and have been hooked ever since by that charming little overachiever.Sure it won't do many things that the others can but for 90% of my shots it really doesn't matter.Like in many families it is the forgotten middle kid who turns out the too be the one you end up favoring the most as the years roll on.

[tomscott]

Maybe I'm just prejudice but, I don't see how anyone can call this ugly!<div></div>

[douglas_vitello]

Okay,not ugly but definitely rather strange,not unlike the sound of the power winder.I understand the gold/yellow lettering because the 1984 F1N LA model had it the same year the T70 came out but I wish the grey/green color had been black instead.Sometimes different is good nontheless.

[Lou_Meluso]

Ok, Let's not say ugly.......kludgy perhaps, the modular design appears more technical than artistic. The greatest sin of all is that it appears to me to lacks the seriousness of purpose like the steely resolve of the F-1 or the cool, sleek professionalism of the T90. Understanding that the T70 is a good camera targeted to mid-level enthusiasts, to my eye the camera above looks like a toy. GI Joe?

[tomscott]

I quess it's just a matter of taste. I love the looks of my F1. I'm keeping an eye out for an EF, possibly an A1. To me the T-90 looks like something out of star wars, too modern for my taste.

[paul_de_ley]

No doubt Canon designed the T80 to look like a square block of plastic so the T70 would look positively sleek by comparison :)

 

I actually like the T80, for all its cubic oddity.

[don_boyd3]

Having been an infrequent user of the T-70 for about two years, I find the body adequately capable for my needs (5-6 rolls of slides per

year). Keeping in mind I don't use the AE function or the in-camera lightmeter much, I do have a moderate design compaint. Why in the

world Canon positioned the right neck strap lug with no clearance for the shutter release finger when using the camera from a slung-around-

the-neck position, I will never know. OTH, I really like the viewfinder.

 

Don B in Sunny Tallahassee for now

[peter_ferling]

I've shot with a T50 that I purchased new in '86. A few years ago the shutter broke. I also have a T70, for the the very reason it replaced the T50, more user controls. The only annoyance is not being able to easily switch and view the shutter speed through the view finder. Of course, the T90 addressed that situation with the speed dial behind the shutter. The one feature that still lives on today's EOS. I'm bidding on a T90 now, which is considered by many to be the best camera to put behind an FD lens period.

 

I'm also thinking about visiting a friend whom is a machinist, and see about tooling a custom wide grip attachment for the thing, as it's a little small for my hands when holding larger lens. At $20 to $50 each on ebay (you might also snag a few lens' in the deal as well), I can afford to experiment.

 

The attached sample image was shot a few weeks ago, a bright but foggy cold morning with a T70, FD 35-105 F/3.5 lens, on Fuji Reala 100. Program wide mode, partial AE L metering. The camera is surprisingly accurate for twenty-year old technology. Either it was way ahead it's time, or not much has changed since.<div></div>