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Thanks for pointing out my error. I realised that I had three Word versions of this review and for some reason posted the earlier version that had that error. I think I am right in saying that the first vertical travel shutter Canon had was on the T-90, which thus enabled 1/250 flash sync, etc.

Yes, thanks, you are right - I'd forgotten that. See my review, where I did remember! I am not sure it is that complex compared to say the Nikon F3. The latter was fully electronic. Now most have failed / failing viewfinder LCDs and usually give problems at lower shutter speeds. But the film advance is beautiful compared to the F1, I would give you that.

In terms of the lenses, I think a lot of this is to do with fads, social media trends and 'bragging rights'. I know for example, Tarantino made the Hateful Eight using 60 year old Panavision lenses as he was shooting on film stock. But for us more humble folk, if I were a pro or an advanced amateur film maker, I'd use EF lenses of C lenses on my Canon system.

I have just added here my review of the New F1 that I wrote some time ago, that people may find useful

F1n review, January 2023 Introduction The New Canon F1 (often referred to as the F1N, but not by Canon: they just called it the F1) was produced from 1981 to about 1992. Aside from possibly the T90 of 1996, it represented the pinnacle of the Canon manual focus system. It replaced the earlier first 1970s F1 model and was a major statement by Canon in encouraging many professionals and serious photographers in moving away from the previously dominant Nikon system. Today, 40 years or more down the line, the camera represents a potentially superb buy for the 35mm analog enthusiast wanting to use Canon, the camera at this point being generally more robust and less problematic than its contemporary A1, AE1s and the like. The F1n was a full system camera, with a range of accessories and interchangeable components that were expected at the time of a ‘professional’ camera. There were various metering viewfinders, multiple focusing screens, a winder and a motor drive, data backs, bulk film backs, external battery packs and an extensive flash system and wireless controllers. Like Nikon at the time, Canon moved away from a fully mechanical camera. The F1n was a manual shutter device from 1/60 to 1/2000 but was electronically controlled at longer speeds. It has a vertical running, metal shutter that is notoriously strong and long lived. Flash sync is a rather slow 1/90. The 32 interchangeable focusing screens that were available (yes, 32!) gave not only a wide choice of focusing screen aids, but also a choice of centre weighted average, 12% partial and spot metering in most iterations. In its basic form, the camera was a traditional design with a simple, very over-engineered construction. With the common AE Finder FN, the camera was an aperture priority device that also allowed metered manual and stop-down metering. The less common Eye Level Finder FN simply gives metered manual, both finders using a swinging needle readout in the excellent near 100% field of view viewfinder. With the AE Finder, attaching a winder or motordrive, the camera acquires shutter priority too and a new shutter speed readout scale appears in the viewfinder. The design and layout of the camera is intentionally very conventional for what is basically a late 1970s product. That is what professionals wanted. The top plate has the film advance lever, rewind crank, ISO setting (ISO 6 to 6400) and shutter speed dial all where you would expect them. The metal shutter release button takes a central screw thread cable release. The commonest viewfinder prisms have a hot shoe connector (no faffing around with adaptors or covering up the rewind crank like Nikons of the time!). With a stated body only weight of 795 grams (c.1.5 lbs), you know that you are carrying it on your shoulder but it is reassuring chunky and stable in use. By the early 80s, Canon’s FD lens system more than matched Nikon’s system. One of the key advantages of using the F1N then - and now - is that you have access to that superb system. Today there are still 100,000s, possibly millions, of these lenses still in use and available to buy. The F1N can use the ‘new’ FD lenses of the late 70s onwards, or the older, slightly bulkier FD lenses with the silver breech lock ring the date from the old F1 era. It can also use the FL lenses from the 1960s but these require stop down metering with no aperture coupling. Very few FL lenses come up for sale these days and invariably there is a better FD era alternative anyway. The F1N in use Using the camera today is a reassuring nostalgia trip in conservative, old-school photography. The camera is a beautiful piece of metal engineering. Anyone who has used a traditional film SLR of that era will find it a natural, intuitive experience. If you are buying one today (see below), you’ll most likely have the AE Finder version, which will give you a camera with a choice of manual or aperture priority. Turn the lens off its ‘A’ setting on the aperture ring, set the camera to A on the shutter speed dial and then the camera selects the appropriate shutter speed for the aperture you have selected. Depth of field preview is available using the slide on the side of the lens mount. Turn the camera speed dial off A and select a shutter speed, and you have metered manual. Add the AE Winder or AE Motordrive, turn the lens to ‘A’ and then select a shutter speed on the shutter speed dial, and you then have a shutter priority automatic camera. In terms of flash, the camera will work automatically with any A, G or T series speedlite (though not the more advanced flash system of the 299T of the T-90). The flash system is non-TTL – very 1970s in design, but it works well enough. Of course, there is a separate flash sync socket for other external flash attachments. The Metz system of that era also works very well with the F1N – e.g. the 45CL. The shutter release is precise but not very ‘soft touch’ and the shutter fires and the mirror lifts with noticeable ‘thwack’. The handling is certainly not T90 in terms of ergonomics but the F1N’s chunky, boxy profile is favored by many users. The F1N is capable of huge amounts of exposures per day, like a fine German motor car on the freeway, it just drives – more than able to survive the relatively light use I am sure most film enthusiasts of the 21st Century are likely to throw at it. Buying and things to look out for Any F1N you buy today will be at least 30 years old and probably older. Some have had heavy use in their early life. Thus, whether you buy online or from a specialist store, buy from someone who knows about the cameras and can give you an honest appraisal: · Many F1N bodies have brassing, this is normal and not necessarily a problem. · Look out for significant dents in the body – could be signs of a hard life or abuse! · Light seals and mirror box damping foam may need replacing. · Pay a lot of attention to the shutter. Are the blinds clean and free of damage? Using a fresh battery, with the camera back open and the lens off, check shutter functioning and mirror return and check all speeds. · Check that the camera stops down the lens reliably in automatic modes · The meters are generally reliable and minor errors can be adjusted via the ISO scale but check for consistent operation and benchmark against an independent meter known to be accurate and reliable · Check prism securing latches and check that the meter prism head detaches easily and look for signs of damage to the glass and / or focusing screen. After 40 years you can’t expect perfection, of course. Some badly stored F1n bodies can have mold on the glass parts: use a bright light and a hand lens to check · Electrical faults are relatively rare but not unknown. Clearly, new spare parts are non-existent but a good technician can usually service a F1N as it is a straightforward, robust design. · I previously bought two cheap, non-functioning / partially working F1N bodies for potential cannibalization for spare parts, though thankfully have not had to use them yet. On the whole, the F1N tends to be a better purchase at this time than the A1, AE1, etc. These are lovely cameras too (and lighter and more compact), but tend to go wrong and suffer from old age more than the F1n, which of course, was built to a much higher standard. In conclusion, we should probably say that the F1N was always the camera that Canon threatened to make and finally did at the end of the 1970s. In all honesty, aside from the Nikon’s early use of TTL flash metering, it was a superior camera to the contemporary Nikon F3 and in old age, generally more likely to work well. If you buy an F1N in good, working condition, a service / CLA from a technician will probably mean that the camera will be good for the next couple of decades. And, of course, store in dry conditions and exercise the shutter regularly.

Yes, there is always confusion over the F1 nomenclature. The original F1 made from ca.1971-1980, was all mechanical with just a PX 625 1.35V battery for the meter, very similar in concept as a pro system camera to the Nikon F2 of the same era. In about 1975, they did some updates and improvements and it was unofficially called (but not ever by Canon) the 'F1n'. But it still was essentially an all mechanical camera. In 1980, Canon launched the electronic 'New F1' or sometimes called F1-N confusingly but again never by Canon - it was always just called the F1 still. This latter camera was made until about 1990 and is the chunky, heavy metal 'tank' that we are referring to.. it had just one mechanical 'emergency' speed and was otherwise electronic and worked off a cylindrical PX28 battery that was also used by the Canon A-series camera. The EF camera which was also around from about 1973 had a very similar appearance to the original F1, but without the interchangeable viewfinders etc and a top shutter speed of 1/1000 rather than 1/2000. This camera had the hybrid mechanical / electronic shutter working off 2 x PX625 batteries. 2secs to 30secs are electronically controlled and 1/1000 to 1/125 plus B or mechanical.

Yes, I have a late FM2n, but not the FE or FE2. I can vouch for the excellence of the FM2. Mine was made in 1994. I had a Nikon 35mm specialist technician look at it recently and he said it had never been serviced as far as he could tell and said it didn't need one following a light dismantle - all speeds and functions were still perfect. Many pros had FMs and FM2s as back ups as they still didn't trust fully electronic cameras at the time, especially in wet and cold weather. Mine is a bit scraped and well used but still excellent.

Hi Niels, the answer to your second point... price of Canon lenses - the superb prime lenses, like the chrome nosed, older SSC early Canon FD (breechlock) lenses like the 35mm f2.0 and the 24mm f2.0 have been snapped up by cinematographers and movie makers as there seems to be a retro movement in using these lenses in digital movies, by attaching them to modern cameras. I think also fewer were made than the Nikon equivalents, hence supply and demand. For example, a FD 35mm F2 from the mid 1970s - a superb lens - was about £200 not so long ago and is now £400.

As an educator and someone who taught in the past on Masters photography courses, I could write a book on this and I am sure books have been written.... My view is this: film slows you down but that's probably a good thing technically and creatively. We should not forget that most film cameras are older, often manual focus, with metered manual or aperture priority, etc, manual wind and so on. So, there are a whole bunch of 'barriers' that slow you down anyway, compared to 'spray and pray' digital. Teaching photography is possibly easier with manual and film cameras but then there is the delay of the darkroom process before you can see the results. I have seen incredible, cutting edge digital photography that is both technically and creatively admirable. For me, living in rural Europe, I indulge myself with my collection of Nikon and Canon 35mm cameras (and medium format too) and a fridge load of film, probably for the fun of using these amazing pieces of engineering (that are now 30,40,50 years old) more than any other reason. I shoot 2-3 rolls of 35mm film per month on average. Nonetheless, I have just bought an iPhone 15 Pro and the quality of the camera system is breathtaking.

Robert, yes. Agree. My other thought was this - what about the Nikon FA? It doesn't have the manual shutter option of the FM3a but is very similar and has matrix metering option which if I recall, the FM3a does not. The FA is one of my favourite Nikons in my collection and is incredibly light and compact. And it is heck of lot lighter than the Canon F1N. Gary

The FM3a is a superb camera but quite rare and at least twice the price of a good F1-N, which is why I never got round to adding one to my Nikon collection. Aside from that, lenses for both are about the same price (e.g. 50mm, 28mm, 135mm, 28-70 zooms, etc). If you are completely starting from scratch, you might want to go for the Nikon as the lenses can be used on all the later AF and digital bodies. But the last time I looked, good FM3a bodies were about €700. It suffered from being a collectors, run-out, boutique camera. F1-N construction and mechanism is simpler, actually. In fact, it does not have a hybrid shutter. It is electronic with just one manual speed if the battery fails. Just had a quick look on eBay: reasonable F1N bodies seem to be about £200 - £250 (more for mint, boxed, etc) with some sound ones around £150. Nikon FM3a - sound working models £300, but decent ones more like £400-£500. Some good ones from Japan were £500-£600 but then you'd need to factor in import costs on top of that. Mint, boxed were at least £800 and the quality of the ones I would like to buy were about £600-700.

Here is the male connector on my CP-E3 pack. Not sure how this will fit the female port on my 577G?

I have the 577G and the CP-E3 - I'll try. Are the connections physically compatible? I don't have the items in front of me at the moment...

Thanks, but it seems like a modern CP-E2 pack might not sensible?

I agree. The transistor pack (basically a rechargeable battery pack) is not available and any that you could buy used I am sure would not be functioning. I have a full working 577G kit but not with the battery pack - I use the internal 6 x AA battery cartridge. I agree that the CP-E2 (etc) would deliver too high a current, even if you could adapt it to fit. Remember, the A-series flash era flashguns are at least two generations removed from the EX era. I think it would probably blow up the 577G circuits. Remember, the internal electrics are 40 years' old as well!

I am British but now a Portuguese citizen. If any one is interested, I know good repairers in London and Lisbon that I can recommend.

Agree, a working one can be picked up at a fair priced and then you can far less for a technician to just to a CLA on it. G

HI Mike, I have not encountered this particular problem before but given the age of the electronics now (at least 45 years, or so), I am not surprised. I am sure a good Canon A-series technician could deal with it - but it would require cannibalizing parts from another camera and it would be a complex and expensive repair, I am sure. Is it worth it? Gary

Good point, I do recall now hearing that before

Yes, this area is a minefield. The issue was that the date code was stamped when the camera was packaged to leave the factory. Thus, a camera could be made one year or more before the camera was released. This was certainly the case with the T-90 and the A-series, where towards the end, large batches were made and stockpiled before they ended production. The stamping was sometimes a bit ad hoc and amateurish, if I can use that word. And at the time that it happened, was anyone checking and quality assuring what the worker was doing? I doubt it.

I have used Metz a lot and still have three units, including a modern one for digital cameras such as my EOS 6D etc. Essentially, the SCA311 adapter will default to 'A/F series flash mode' on non-TTL cameras (using the two contact pins) or TTL on the T-90 using the 4 pins. EOS and later EOS using a different TTL system (such as evaluative balanced) and hence the SCA311 will give basic functionality only on EOS. The T-90 was backwards compatible with the older non-TTL flashes such as the 199A, 299T etc

Yes, as I said in an earlier post, I always thought that the Canon FD lenses were better designed than their Nikon equivalents though the latter were (arguably) marginally better optically but without doubt better made - they are far less likely at (now) 40 or 50 years of age to fall apart or have mechanical problems. My oldest 'modern' lens is a 1971 Canon FD BL zoom (a 100-200mm zoom!) and a pre-AI Nikkor 135 f2.8 from 1970 (or '69). The former is still going strong with no yellowing in the glass or fungus etc and I don't believe has ever been serviced. The latter had become almost impossibly stiff to focus (but was otherwise perfect) and has just gone for a CLA with my technician in Lisbon. As an aside, the Nikon F3 was always praised to the rafters (yes it did have TTL flash) but I always thought the Canon F1n (launched in 1980 too) was a far better camera, aside from the perennial late 70s problem of very slow flash sync. My F1n I have owned since new (1983) and is still going strong. I have had the speeds, etc checked but it has never needed a service.

yes, I was a bit confused too?

My opinion is this: most companies (and their accountants with the green pens) are only interested in what they will report to shareholders in the next financial statement. It’s all about growth and sales. They don’t want to make available 30 year old software because they are then worried that they will get requests for technical support, drivers, etc. What they should do is archive it and let you download it ‘as is’ and with an understanding they don’t support it anymore. There are probably few people at Nikon that can even remember Photo Secretary anyway. Lacie, for example, provide all their old software and will even give limited technical support. I keep all my software, etc from old printers, scanners, cameras, hard drives, etc going back to MS-DOS days. I have a CD-ROM drive and a floppy external reader and most is archived on a big hard drive anyway. I even have some FORTRAN code from the first year of my degree in 1982! And I never use Macs, only PCs which I build myself, so I am fully in control of what is going on…. But I didn’t have Photo Secretary as I didn’t own an F5 until relatively recently, so thanks a lot for your help. G

Thanks, that would be great as I cannot find it anywhere....