Canon T90 & DOA 300TL?

[jodys]

<p>I just picked up this kit through the local Craigslist. The T90 works fine, I even got the manual, a couple zoom lenses and a few filters. But the flash is dead. Kaput. Nothing happens when I turn it on. Has anyone ever tried opening one of these? Yes I cleaned contacts, put fresh batteries, etc. I'm wondering if I should track down my tiny screwdrivers and multimeter and see if there's a broken wire or something inside the flash. I don't think it's the flash tube itself, because I would hear the capacitor charging if that were the case, and the lights would come on, it would talk to the camera, etc. Whereas it does nothing. Just sits there on the desk eyeing me with that funky little dot in the red face.</p>

<p>If I can get the flash working, I will keep the T90 and sell of one of my (2) F1n's with Motor Drives, and possibly one of my (2) FTb's. If I can't get the flash working, then the T90 doesn't really have much for me because the biggest improvements in the T90 over the F1n (IMHO) were the fancy flash modes. In any case, I use the FTb far more often than I pull out the big F1n kit just because of the weight, and because I prefer using an off-camera spot meter over whatever happens to be in the camera. I also shoot with a Rolleiflex, a Mamiya RB, and a 4x5, I like having just the one light meter to keep handy; once you're used to a certain method, it makes no sense to learn 3 different methods that only work with specific cameras. So if I can't get the flash working, I expect I'll try a couple rolls of film then put it up for sale. I have owned a T90 before, about 12-14 years ago, I got mad at it one day when I was shooting out of the car on a really cold day (-40ish). I waited for my shot, got camera & lens ready, wound down the window, and the camera froze up like a big plastic blob of snot. Then the bird flew away, and I sold the T90 in favor of my 2nd F1n & motor drive. I got an AF body at the same time to work with my Metz 60-CT4 in TTL mode (the EOS 650), and that has pretty much all the flash modes of the T90 I think. Not to mention that the Metz doesn't do TTL with the T90, only with the EOS line of SLRs and dSLRs.</p>

<p>Any ideas? And if I decide to sell any of this, should I list it here in the appropriate pages, or go straight to that horrible auction site that charges me 10% off the top to sell things at rock-bottom prices?</p>

[ridinhome]

<p>Jody - can't help you with the flash, but may I offer a bit of unsolicited advice? Don't get rid of the T90 just yet. First, getting another 300TL isn't going to cost you much, even if you have to do that. I got one from KEH in BGN condition for $30 plus shipping. Second, I'm sure you're already aware of this, but the T90 is probably a much better camera for street photography, photo-journalism etc. than the F1s and the FTbs, given its versatility (multiple metering patters, auto-exposure modes), weight (5fps motor drive with only 4 batteries?) etc. Plus it just handles so well. I do wish it lent itself to manual work a little better (i.e. I wish it had a fully coupled viewfinder display) but aside from that, it's a heck of a good camera. At the prices it goes for these days, you're probably going to get more value by having fun with it than selling it.<br>

On a separate note, we have a Photo of the Month thread, would love to see of your work on it. </p>

[jodys]

<p>Thank you Kayam, I understand that 'getting angry' with a T90 and selling it is a little counter-intuitive around these parts, and can lead to shunning and ostracism. And it's not that I don't know what a T90 is and what it does. </p>

<p>I use classic FD cameras when I want something portable and versatile, to shoot in full manual. I used to use them in simple AV mode shooting wildlife with teles and super-long teles. For that purpose, the FD cameras (including the T90) are now hopelessly out-dated. That's not to say they aren't fine cameras and that when I go shooting for my own pleasure, I don't bring an FD camera, because I do. I just find that these days, I get more enjoyment out of an FTb than from a camera like the T90, or my top-of-the-line fully loaded F1n kits. All the reasons I wanted a T90 in 1992 are now the same reasons I want an EOS 5D today. I can't shoot a wedding or an event with a T90 or a D30... it's not that the camera won't perform, or that I won't get better shots than the uncle or cousin who shoots over my shoulder with his EOS 50D. It's that I won't get the booking.</p>

<p>I do do some 'street' photography. I tend to use dSLRs for the ultra-fast ISO settings and autofocus, or I use the Rolleiflex because it's discreet (whisper-quiet, and when it's hanging from a strap around my neck people don't know I'm composing a shot when I look down). This one was done with a year-2000 D30, in the Dominican Republic:</p><div></div>

[lauren_macintosh]

<p>Jody S. in the search section on the Photo net page type in Canon T-90 and you will find a lot of info on the T-90 a lot of people praise it very :</p>

[ridinhome]

<p>Jody - fair enough, I see where you are coming from now. And I suppose if you really aren't going to use it, probably better that you sell it to someone who will.<br>

Like you I shoot both film and digital, but I have the luxury of not being a professional. I love my 5D (Mark 1, not Mark 2) but the T90 is by far my favorite SLR (2 FD bodies, 2 EOS digitals, a Spotmatic, a Pentax ZX-7) for its ease of handling. Canon sure got a few things right on that one. I just wish it had a fully coupled viewfinder, and leader out rewind (though I understand that's an easy mod).</p>

[jodys]

<p>The real issue (for me) is that I have so many cameras I can't even <em>begin </em>to use them all. When I think 'FD', I want a camera I can leave in a Pelican case for 5 years, pull it out, stick a new battery in, and have it work perfectly, just like when I put it away. The T90 doesn't fit the bill, and there's simply no way I can guarantee it will be used weekly or even monthly over a period of some years. The next time I pull it out and try to use it, it will give me the dreaded 'EEEE'.</p>

<p>Even my F1Ns (turns out I have 2 matching F1Ns with AE motor drive FNs, not F1ns) are developing problems from lack of use. The mirror is slow to lift on one of them (needs a CLA, just more use, or is this serious?), and of course my built-in NiCads on the one motor drive are finished and need to be changed (the other is the 12xAA version). I'll do it some day, I know where to get the batteries and I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron. But my FTb (my father bought it new in the 70s) has never let me down. </p>