Metering accuracy with Canon FTb

[baris_john]

I was testing a newly acquired FTb and it seems to underexpose about a stop compared to an EOS digital.

 

Generally, how accurate is the cds meter of the Canon FTb? Does it age? And would you recommend using an external

meter instead?

 

I have not put any film through it yet but I´m looking forward to. Feels like a solid camera and looks neat in

black paint, near mint...

 

Thanks

[egoldste]

I've shot with an FTBn for 30 years. I never found the meter on the camera particularly accurate, and mine did

not age well either. My friends who shot older F-1s with similar CdS cells have made the same observation. I've

had it replaced by Ken Oikawa, and while the replacement is better, the camera is nowhere near the accuracy of

A-1s and T-90s, which are excellent in this regard. My reference is a Luna-Pro SBC, an extremely accurate and

linear meter.

 

I do like the 12% defined metering area concept on these cameras, though this does take some brain work to get it

right even if the meter itself is accurate...

[jim_gardner4]

I have a couple. One is about a stop out and the other is very near a modern camera meter. By far the easiest way to sort this would be to alter the film speed to suit your needs. As for using an external meter; if I am doing something serious then I always use an external spot meter. If your out for a bit of fun and you can get your camera meter to read within half a stop you wont be far away bearing in mind the bigger metering area in the camera than a stop meter.

[douglas_vitello]

What type battery are you using and are the contacts clean? Is the focusing screen and reflex mirror clean?They 'bleed off" light to feed the meter cell with all F Series (including the F1N).I shoot a mechanical and electronic F1 and have found over the years with constant usage these things need regular cleanings in order to keep the light meter cells accurate.If you are comparing different camera meter cells make sure you are using a evenly lighted grey card as a reference.A F Series with partial metering sees light quite a bit differently than a average pattern screen on most other series and can easily be off one f stop.If they don't match on a grey card then it is time to send them in for a CLA.The cells themselves are fairly accurate (especially silicon) and stable,it is everything downstream that gets dirty and effects their performance over time.Just like your lenses needing cleaning due to dirt/pollution grime so do camera internals.

[james_ollinger]

If it consistently underexposes a stop, you can simply adjust the ASA rating on the camera and fool the camera into giving you the correct exposure.

 

The FTb takes the infamous PX625 mercury battery, which is 1.35v. Modern alkalines are 1.5v; it's reasonable to me that the meter runs a little hot.

 

Ideally (this used to be common advice) you should check any camera meter against something you trust. Check it across the spectrum: low light levels through high light levels, and see how far off you are. Either that or run a test roll of film through it (like color slide film) and bracket a series of exposures, and determine how much exposure compensation to give your meter.

 

Other than that, I haven't heard of CdS meters going bad just from age (if you take reasonable care of your camera). The biggest knock against CdS cells (which is what the FTb uses) is that they go blind in bright light, and you have to let them adjust back down to lesser light levels. So you don't want to point the meter at the sun, a very bright light source, etc., unless the ambient light is really that bright. If you do, you want to wait awhile before metering dimmer light. Always sanity check your readings.

[User_502260]

I have an FTb and three FTbNs. I find the meters to be very good. One of the FTbNs was overhauled by Essex Camera Service. I bought the most recent one a few weeks ago for $25 at a camera show. I put in a 675 hearing aid battery and both the test shots and metering were fine. In general I have had good luck with meters in Canon SLR cameras. The meters in my two F-1 bodies are also just right. The cameras I have had meter problems with are Konica Autoreflex models, Nikkormats and Vivitar 220SLs. My ideal old camera would be a Canon F-1 with the meter of the EF. The 12 degree metering of the FTb/FTbN models takes some getting used to. You need to meter off of a mid tone or compensate if you are metering off of a dark or light area. Once you get some practice with that, the meter is very nice to use.

[awahlster]

If your meter is off then it's time to have your camera tuned up simple as that. I have had every body I bought (to keep) tuned up and all of my FD cameras meters are accurate and would meter the same light falling on a Grey card at within about 1/3 stop. I own 11 bodies right now.

[garethspics]

My Ftb is spot on. It is on its second mercury battery in 30 years! A neat trick is to use the back of your hand as a grey card ( Caucasian skin only) and expose one and a half stops brighter than the meter reading. The centre area metering makes this easier than an average metering system. When the battery eventually dies I might go for the MR9 adaptor which stabilizes the volage of Alkaline cells.

[User_4136860]

I have used an FTbn for about thirty years and find the meter is still accurate, but before you do anything

drastic with yours I suggest you shoot some film with it,see what the results are like, otherwise your problem

is only theoretical.

The parameters metering in a thirty year old film camera with a Cds metering cell that reads 9 % of the screen

and a modern digital SLR sensor are different in the way they react to light..

[User_4136860]

P.S. I'm envious as hell Baris,black ones in mint condition must be quite rare now, and the Canon FTb in my opinion is one of best 35mm SLRs ever made, and is worth spending the cost of a CLA on, I bought mine second hand about thirty years ago and has given faultless service over the years, I just had a CLA done on it for the firt time, and it works like new, I own quite a few of the FD range of cameras but I have a special affection for mine , it was my first Canon, and I have taken some of the best pictures of my life with it.

I hope you enjoy your FTb as much as I have.

Best Wishes Ben.

[wayne_crider4]

I've shot slide film in my FTBn with no problems using an old mercury cell. Good meter and love the pattern. It's easy to weigh the metering to get what I need from scene brightness. I also like the fact that you have to your your noggin instead of totally rely on a super meter in a do it all (cause I'm a dumb ass) camera.

[william_barnett_lewis]

675 Hearing aid battery. Put one in. Wait one hour for it to come up it's curve. No more 1 stop off. Spot on with my T90.

 

You'll replace them like candy as they die fast but that's ok because they're as cheap as candy.

 

It's really that simple for me.

 

William