The worst FD camera body, which one?

[kl122007]

<p>Hi,<br /> Someone asked me for advices of Canon FD camera. The reason he choose FD because of the features of FD is more than that of Nikon. Cheap lenses and mount converters allow using different lenses on the one camera body.<br>

But thecamera body seems to be a problem. There are many FD bodies and all of them have different unique features. So, which one you won't chose, or won't take it even it is free?<br>

Kevin</p>

[starvy]

<p>the av-1 perhaps because it lacks manual exposure.<br>

saying that, if one of them came my way free of charge, of course i would not turn it down!</p>

[patrick_mont]

<p>I don't think there is any BAD FD body.</p>

[tomscott]

<p>I'd have to say the T-60. Since it was made by Cosina for Canon and, it was made to be a cheap export only model, (not sold in Japan).</p>

[User_502260]

<p>I have seen them all even if I don't have them all. My least favorites are the T50, T60 and T80. The T60 is made by Cosina and is similar in construction to other Cosina made SLR cameras except that it is supposed to be less reliable. The T50 is a lower spec version of the T70. The T80 was Canon's first AF SLR. The AF feature was built into the lens, not the body. It is not a very versatile camera but it has an important place in AF SLR history because it showed that Canon wanted the AF motor in each lens and not in the camera body. Now Nikon has followed this strategy with its recent DSLR cameras/lenses. </p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I quite like my only FD camera, the Canon AE-1 Program, but the model has a feature known as the infamous "shutter squeak" (<a href="008MQn">link</a> ). Mine is noisy, but seems to take pictures just fine, however.</p>

[paul_de_ley]

<p>Hey Starvy, don't knock the AV-1, it's one of my favorites. If I want manual exposure then I'll use an AT-1 (my only SLR for about 20 years) and the rest of the time I find myself wanting aperture priority much more often than shutter priority, so my AE-1/AE-1p see far less action than the AV-1 or A-1. Besides, the AV-1 is the only A series body with a battery door that actually works well!</p>

 

[cadillacmike]

<p>AV-1 or T50, are the lest desirable in my opinion, followed closely by TLb and TX. The latter two at least gave you manual exposure control.</p>

[jay_mcclure]

<p>I despised the T series as a whole. The TLb ain't that great but I would take and shoot a broken one of those before any of the T series (like)new.</p>

[awahlster]

<p>So we are basing this on personal likes and dislikes?</p>

<p>Actually the only FD mount camera not up to Canons Std's is the Cosina made T-60 it's basically a cheap third rate body with a FD mount. They made the same camera for 3-4 different compaies.</p>

<p>All the others are what they are sure the T-50 is a glorified snap shot camera with interchangeable lenses but it's a very good one. As to the entry level TLb and TX well they servered very well as Students cameras and such.</p>

<p>And the comment about not liking the whole T series. Well OK dokay but the T-90 is the most advanced manual focus 35mm camera made and to write it off is just plain near sighted. IMHO</p>

[jay_mcclure]

<p>...well, I won't deny that about the T-90 but I am one of those people who hates everything "Advanced". I simply do not like automated cameras. All of the intricies found on the T-90 confused the tar out of me. Confusion is the last thing I look for when buying equipment. The T-90 is nothing more than a dSLR with out the "d". Yes, I am well aware that they can be set to manual but I am of the mind set that I should not have to make it that way with the push of a button.On top of all that I don;t like the way it feels...But that is just a fraction of the personal element I have.</p>

<p> </p>

[flatulent1]

<p>I tend to dismiss the entire T series (except the blessed T90) and the AL-1. To be fair, I've never used, or even held, any of those four; my negative bias is based on what I perceive to be mediocre design and sheer unattractiveness. Not much to go on, I agree, but I can't get over that.</p>

<p>Of the cameras I <em>do </em> have, I use the A-1, AE-1 Program, and AV-1 the least, or not at all, as they just don't interest me. Been thinking of selling mine. Still undecided about the EF.</p>

<p>But the WORST? Very hard to say, as they're all good, one way or another. Even the best have their warts. The T90, for example, doesn't do metered manual (without stopping down, and I don't do that), and the New F-1 won't shift gears without taking the camera apart or adding a motor drive, not to mention being unable to remove said motor drive if there's film in the chamber...</p>

<p>The worst camera I ever had to use was the Maxxum 7000. Press a button to select a feature, and toggle toggle toggle toggle toggle <em>oops </em> toggle toggle to change the setting. Only from the mind of Minolta. (Their SRT series are very nice, though.)</p>

[barryreid]

<p>Objectively probably the T50 is worst, no exposure control at all yet you have to rewind manually.</p>

<p><br />But worst is always going to be subjective, maybe most dissapointing would be a better way to put it and make it more interesting. For me the most dissapointing Canon FD experience is a traitional SLR with a full information finder, hefty build and yet utterly cripple it by omitting metered manual... Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Canon EF.</p>

[andy_game]

<p>The T60 intrigues me...is it really so unreliable and below-par compared with Canon made bodies? Cosina used the same body for the Nikon FM-10 and other look-alikes. Does anybody own one, use one, have any personal experiences....?</p>

[andy_game]

<p>Barry, I agree that it is a shame that the EF has no metered manual mode. But the only FD cameras that do have metered manual and Auto modes are the F-1 and New F-1...and that capability comes at a high price. At the time the EF was released, it was the first FD camera to offer automation when fully manual was the norm. And automation was key to Canon´s future path and market dominance.</p>

[kl122007]

<p>Who has AL-1? Who would like to commemt on this model?<br /> I used one time many years ago. The quick focus system is not that ideally useful. The qf system focused on a spot instead of whole scene. The screen is a little bit dimmer then A-1, IMO.</p>

[philip_wilson]

<p>Easy - the T60. This cheap Cosina body was only sold outside Japan and was largely targetted at developing nations. Indeed even today in India you can see a lot of the people shooting photos of tourists at major sites using Cosina bodies - and even the odd T60 which suggests it may have been better built than it appeared to be. Unlike some I think that the T90 is a great camera. It has all that you really need in a camera body (average/partial/spot, a winder/motor, reasonable flash sych and TTL flash metering) and is very easy handling. I always find mind to be the easiest handling Canon bodies ever made. The 1 series EF bodies are a little to complex, DSLRs have way to many settings and the F and A series bodies have slightly scattered mechanical controls. With My New F1s I often feel that I have to carrry a kit of parts (extra finder, motor or winder, perhaps a second screen). That said I do like the New F1.</p>

[barryreid]

<p>The AL-1 is OK, a bit like an AV-1 with some manualy selectable shutter speeds. The qF feature is not great as it can take a while to lock on. Also like the similar Olympus OM-30 and pentax ME-F tends to be battery hungry, unfortunately unlike the Oly you can't turn the the AL-1's qF off. The plus side is that the batteries it eats are readily available AAA cells, so it's a good camera to use when away from photo stores.</p>

[doug_nelson3]

<p>My T-60 shut down on foggy mornings in the mountains. I had to remove the batteries and wipe them off, then I'd get a few more shots. The rewind eventually locked up. Thus my hopes of a lightweight FD camera for backpacking were dashed.<br>

I strongly dislike the AE-1 and AE-1 Program. Shutter-priority to me is counter-intuitive. I have to take an extra step to check what aperture the camera selects. The Program's screen, though, is noticeably brighter than most SLR's.<br>

I like the AV-1 for it's compactness and extremely light weight. In black, with a 28 or 24 set for hyperfocal, it's a great little inconspicuous street shooter. It should have had exposure compensation instead of the dummy button, but I get around that by changing the ISO.</p>

[bob_miller4]

<p>The question put to this forum seems to assume that some FD cameras are bad, worse, or worst. Relative to what standard? People differ widely in what they need for their own purposes.</p>

[bsharpe411]

<p>It's like asking which of your children is the smartest! I wouldn't send my least intellegent kid to solve a complex problem...nor would I send my brightest kid to work on a simple problem.</p>

<p> We're all here because of a common fondness for the FD series. I wouldn't take my F-1N or T-90 with all their goodies, to shoot a few simple basic shots with good lighting, especially if weight was a problem. By the same token I wouldn't expect my T-50 or TLb to be the best choice to shoot a situation with complicated lighting. location. weather, etc.<br>

Smart, average, or maybe not the brightest bulb in the chandelier...nonetheless I love them all.</p>

[michaelchristensen]

<p>I don't think Canon marketed "a failure" of a camera in the FD line .. each FD camera was good; that said, I did not like the "T" series .. and refused to add the T90 to my kit for many years .. that of course, was a mistake because the T90 is a very nice camera, which I now enjoy.</p>

<p>In pre-digital years, cameras were simple to use, most intuitive to work with and there was little need for even reading the owner's manual .. at that time, Canon FD cameras appealed to me more than Nikon (however, Nikon made some very fine cameras and lenses .. so for me it was a toss up .. with Canon FD winning my vote).</p>

<p>My transition from point-and-shoot/program mode to semi-serious photography came with the acquisition of two like-new Canon F1Ns .. I learned studio lighting and started thinking differently about photography .. and that F1N went everywhere with me that I wanted to be. What a great way to learn photography! ..</p>

<p>After playing with the F1N for a year or so I discovered that my simple AE1 Program was equally capable for most of what I needed to do .. and I scolded myself for thinking something new and better was in fact better .. that said, each camera I've owned has taught me something I did not know .. and each acquisition showed me that what I had before was capable and reliable .. I began to listen to the advice from others who believe the photograph is a product of the photographer .. the camera is incidental.</p>

<p>I love the Canon F1N .. I like the T90, the AE1, AE1P, A1 .. they all produce great pictures.</p>

[andy_game]

<p>Hallo Doug....I´ve just been playing around with my AE-1P and AV-1 to understand what you wrote here..."I strongly dislike the AE-1 and AE-1 Program. Shutter-priority to me is counter-intuitive. I have to take an extra step to check what aperture the camera selects." I must be missing something, could you please explain more about this "extra step". The AE-1P shows you in the viewfinder what aperture it will use.<br>

I like and use both cameras. Although the AE-1P has more features (DOF preview, memory lock, and yes, a lovely bright screen), I also like the AV-1´s compactness, and that it´s stepless shutter gives me in-between shutter speeds (a half stop won can be a big help when shooting street photography in lower light). All the best, Andy</p>

[russ_britt3]

<p>Everyone is beating up the T50, I bought two for my young daughters to learn with. I can send them out and say just focuse..... paid about 15 dollars each with 50mm and a fllash. They seem to be unbreakable.... but all of my cannons are really just for play, my main cameras are my Hasselblads. But I do love my 85mm f1.8 lens, on my F1.... great combo. I dont have a clue as what would be a worst camera as they all have their place.</p>

[tomscott]

<p>I don't have any problem with the T50 other than the lack of control. I have owned a couple of them and think they are just great as a beginner camera or a (focus) point and shoot but, my T70 will do anything the T50 will do plus adds metering options and I believe 5 exposure modes, and can be had for about double the price ($30 instead of $15).</p>