brambor Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 Hello, I have used Canon EOS 650 since 1989 when it was first available in Germany (at least I think it was 1989). I have a lineup of lenses and accessories. Lately I've longed for a manual camera with a prefferably metal body. I was wondering which of the old Canon's would you recommend that would also accept my EOS lenses. P.S. I know I can set my EOS to manual mode but I want a second camera in the bag. Thanks, rb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_scott2 Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 AFAIK, Canon won't do that trick - only Nikon. You'll need some old FD lenses if you want to go to an older MF Canon body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NK Guy Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 That's right. Sadly, Canon FD (last generation of manual focus) and EF (for EOS cameras) lenses are completely incompatible. EF lenses are bayonet mount with a much larger diameter than the breech-mount FD lenses FD lenses can be made to fit EOS cameras but with significant drawbacks. I've never heard of anyone successfully attaching an EF lens to an FD mount camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambor Posted October 18, 2002 Author Share Posted October 18, 2002 So that would mean that I could choose any manual camera out there. Any recommendations ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_scott2 Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 Yeah- dump your EOS stuff and pick up a used FM2n and maybe a N80 - you can use most the AF Nikon lenses on both. ; ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_landrigan Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 If you are still wantng to use your canon, try an older nikon body, say a FM2, an F3, or FE2, and get the nikon-to eos adpater. You won't be able to use your EOS lenses on teh nikon, but you will be able to use yor nikon glass on the 650. If you do this, I'd also suggest getting the microprism screen for teh 650, so you can more effectively focus manually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambor Posted October 18, 2002 Author Share Posted October 18, 2002 One thing I wanted to mention is that the manual camera I seek should not use any batteries. Completely manual is what I would like to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billballardphotography Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 Although you would have to invest in a few FD lenses in order to use it, I would suggest the Canon FTb or FTb-n. These are all mechanical cameras, with a self timer, mirror lock-up and DOF preview functions. A battery is only necessary to operate the in-camera partial spot meter. Used FD lenses are widely available and many of the basic primes & zooms can be found relatively cheaply. I keep an FTb-n and a couple of primes and zooms as a back-up to my EOS gear. Just my two cents...... Best regards - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambor Posted October 18, 2002 Author Share Posted October 18, 2002 wow. Thanks for the tips. I will start looking for Canon FT-b then. There seem to be also FT or FTQL. What are the differences between these models? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg_mason Posted October 18, 2002 Share Posted October 18, 2002 i shoot with a leica R6.2. it is small, light all metal with batteries only powering the meter. they can be expensive new, but a good value if you purchase carefully used. the leica M3 will be 50 years old in 2004, and it is still going strong with factory service support. i figure my R6.2 will out live me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billballardphotography Posted October 19, 2002 Share Posted October 19, 2002 Rene - I never shot or actually handled the Canon FT, so I can't comment on that particular body. The FTb and FTb-n have some very slight differences. Both bodies are metal. The winding knob and some other parts on the FTb are metal, whereas they're plastic on the FTb-n. The FTb-n also displays the shutter speed in the viewfinder (its a little plastic tab with "60", "125" and so on....). Both are "QL" which is the "quick-load" feature, a metal tab that presses the film leader flat so the film sprocket holes and the winding sprocket engage quickly. As I said, I keep one of these and some basic FD lenses to back-up my EOS gear. It's an excellent cold weather body. You may want to have a pro repair shop adjust the camera voltage from the original 1.35volt to the modern 1.5volt in the event you do decide to power the meter.There are batteries available today that are designed to replace the original 1.35volt mercury batteries, (they're "zinc-air" batteries) but I've found them to vary widely in power output and longevity. A modern 1.5v alkaline seems to work quite nicely. There always seem to be one or two of these bodies in the local pro-shop consignment cases. You can also find them on eBay, at keh.com, and other used equipment dealers. Best regards - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambor Posted October 21, 2002 Author Share Posted October 21, 2002 What do you think the FTb is going for these days? Some Ebay auctions have them hover around $60 - $100. That sounds very reasonable to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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