jerome b

Paul,

 

I was surprised by the result of your inquiry. I called Canon (the number I gave you) and after a little while they told me that there are still servicing the F1N. You have to be clear about the 'N' part, usually they know work by the max film speed, which is different between F1N and F1n. The price is $206 for std repair/CLA.

 

I'd try again! Sometime the person who answers unfortunately doesn't know much about these older cameras (she thought it was a Powershot at first...)

Paul,

 

Here's the contact for Canon:

 

Canon U.S.A., Inc.

New Jersey Factory Service Center

100 Jamesburg Road

Jamesburg, NJ 08831

(732) 521-7007

 

They'll definitely tell you first hand whether they still do this or not. Good luck!

It seems expensive indeed. I had a similar problem with my F1N last year. I took it to the Canon Service Center in Jamesburg NJ. They have a maintenance package for the F1N (which they still service and will continue to serve for "some more years" according to the technician) that runs for about $220. It includes a CLA. They did a very good and clean job. And it's Canon. Although they might not supply F1N parts to other repair shops, they are apparently keeping them for themselves.

 

Anyway my recommendation is get them to fix your camera. Even if you buy another one (whichever price you pay for it) you'll probably want to do a CLA on it, which will cost you the same price than this repair.

Thanks for clearing that up.

 

At first I though it was indeed the 1 touch f/3.5-4.5 but at closer look I saw that there was no 4.5 mark on the aperture ring (which I thought there was on that lens) and that it was a macro lens (which I didn't think the 1 touch zoom was.) Sorry, my bad.

 

As for the price if it is indeed the 1 touch f/3.5-4.5 I think I've seen prices well below that on average those days (the price was also something that led me to think it must be another lens.)

I was browsing 35-105 zooms on eBay and I came across this lens.

<br><br>

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?

ViewItem&item=2920903069&category=30033">http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayIS

API.dll?ViewItem&item=2920903069&category=30033</a>

<br><br>

Apperently this not the "new 1 touch" f/3.5-4.5, not the old "2

touch" f/3.5 macro on which this forum had a discussion thread going

recently either. I couldn't find any reference to this lens in the

usual online literature.

<br><br>

I'm wondering if anyone knew this lens, how good it is and

specifically how it compares to the 2 touch 35-105 f/3.5. Does it

warrant the $350 ask price?

<br><br>

Thanks in advance!

I really recommend a CLA for your camera. I bought one not too long ago and it had seen sitting unused for many years (but in top condition.) I ignored the advice of people in this forum recommending to do a CLA after buying it. Not to be mistaken, after a couple of month of using the camera the winder went out of coupling with the mirror box and I was forced to send it in at a somewhat inconvenient time. The diagnosis was: "too long without a CLA." Aging (vs. usage) can cause problems as well.

 

If you have the New F-1 (sometime people refer to a rev of the old F-1 as "F-1n ") with film speed dial going up to 6400 ASA, Canon USA still services it. They won't service the Old F-1. I checked out several places and prices tend to be higher than $100. Canon is asking $200 for a CLA on a F-1N. Not cheap! But that seems to be the average price among the places I checked out.

 

Good luck with your camera.

I could be wrong but I don't believe FD lenses could have that small of a front end optic. I'm thinking these filters are usually for either digital P+S or video cameras.

Well, I think you guys just proved the point: there still seems to be some activity and interest on certain subjects in this forum�

<br><br>

Ok, sorry, 10 years since the last FD equipment saw the light (I think I wasn't thinking straight when I wrote 20.) that doesn't change the argument a whole lot.

<br><br>

And in any case, denying the fact that digital is taking on film photo would be foolish. That doesn't mean that all FD users (and I do believe the majority of them aren't in India) are dropping their gear in the blink of an eye to jump onto digital. I also think there are plenty of young folks like Simone (I'm still in my twenties myself) who will come to film photo and will choose the FD system because of its popularity. You still have to drop a considerable of money to get on digital what even an AE-1 can offer you or to get the sturdiness of a F-1.

<br><br>

I think the debate is really what's should be the purpose of a photo? To me it's being printed on paper, mounted, displayed etc. If the purpose of your images is mainly to exist on computer screens I don't believe you need to get a $2000 (body only) Canon 10D to achieve that. On the other hand if you do want them to live on paper, film photo is still the best option unless (not talking about professional photographers such as photojournalists etc.) <br>

- You have just too much cash you don�t know what to do with it <br>

- You like the novelty and the gadget more than what it is supposed to do for you <br>

- You just can�t do without instant gratification <br>

None of which really have anything to do with the art of photography IMO. So why spend a multiple of what you would by getting an AE-1 and a couple of good lenses? I think Canon FD has still a good life to live and so has this forum.

I kind of disagree with the thought that the relative lack of activity on this forum should necessarily be correlated with the slow down in activity for FD gear on the market. Even if trading has slowed down a bit in the recent month there are still hundreds of thousands out there still using that type of equipment.

 

One of the things that probably comes into play is the fact that a great deal of equipment/issues/questions have already been covered in previous posts on this forum. I would imagine that before posting someone would search if the question has already been raised before. And it's not like the subject is always changing either. The youngest piece in the Canon FD line is probably 20 years old now. Once everyone has said their opinion on, say, the 50mm f/1.4 vs 50mm f/1.2 comparison I don't know if we can do much but beat a dead horse again.

 

It's probably a (positive) sign that this forum has reached some kind of maturity and now constitutes in effect an excellent knowledge base for anyone interested in FD gear.

Not an answer to your question but another question for those who already have used this zoom. I'm also looking at purchasing this lens - I've only heard great things about it and this thread definitely reflects that. I'd like to know if the front end piece of the lens is fixed or rotating?

 

Thanks in advance!

I would eliminate the possibility of a shutter problem. If you had a shutter that wouldn't trigger properly at certain speeds that would probably mean you'd observe unexpected exposure length (longer or shorter or uneven throughout the frame.) This doesn't typically give you any color shift on the film. That will result in under/over exposed frames or partially under/over exposed frames. I've experienced that first hand and I've never seen it produce this orange cast.

 

Same with light leaks. Although a leak might produce a similar artifact (typically an orange/red shape on the film) I think is is very unlikely that the shape would be so even in intensity and form. I don't think that you would necessarily see an artifact on all frames as you're saying though. If the leak is small enough and the film is exposed for a short time it might go unnoticed.

 

I would sway towards a film problem. Before your bought it (heat, radiation...) or during development (light, chemicals...)

 

Don't throw your camera away just yet!

I should pretty much be preaching to the choir by now but I went to B&H last week with a friend who is looking at getting a T-90. They had 2 bodies in very good condition for $480 a piece. I think the rating was 8+ or 9. Given the fact that:

1) B&H isn't considered the bargain place for used cameras.

2) When they say 9/10 it was really 9 (any of the signs you described would have made it drop on the rating scale)

3) These bodies carry a warranty (at least 90 days I think)

that should put things into perspective.

 

Don't rush it!

What happened to Professional Camera Repair? They still have a web site (http://www.pcrs.webatonce.com/). Their phone # works too. When I called them it sounded like I was at Photo Tech... Are they any good?

Thanks for your feedback. Do you have any recommendation for a technician in New York (city) who would be able to deal with this nicely and quickly?

Hi Mary,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I forgot to mention that I checked the battery. I don't think it is the cause of the problem. The battery is good and removing it or replacing it doesn't appear to change anything.

Hi All,

 

I was taking some shots with my F-1N (otherwise extra clean) and when

advancing the film after taking a frame the lever stopped about 30%

of the way. I opened the back, removed the film and saw that the

shutter was stopped open midway on its way back. The mirror also

stood in up position. Everything seems to be pretty well stuck there.

I don't want to coerce my camera back into working order with any

kind of violence. Has anyone ever experienced that problem? What

should I do??

 

Thanks in advance!

Lately the shutter speed on my AE-1P seems to be operating on its own

free will... I noticed that on the last 2-3 rolls most frames where

grossly underexposed with some sporadic normal ones. I'm trying to

find the cause for that and I noticed that (lens removed and back

opened) the shutter speed is always the same whatever I select on the

speed dial from 2sec to 1/1000. I saw some older posts in this forum

that suggested a sticky electromagnet. However the behaviors were

somewhat different. Mostly longer than expected exposures.

 

Has anyone encountered that problem before? If so is it likely that a

CLA is going to take care of it? Or is that something that I could

reasonably do myself? (I'm not a camera technician but I have some WD-

40 handy...)

 

Thanks in advance -Jerome

 

PS: Just joking about the WD-40.

I think I'll need to moderate some of what I said in my first post here. I've owned a Nikon Coolscan LS-10 for some time now (getting somewhat old tech too) and used it for most of my digital photography needs. This week I bought a flatbed scanner for other purposes. I got a Microteck ScanMaker 5900. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of negative scans. Not bad at all for a flatbed. The max resolution is 4800 x 2400 dpi in 48 bits, which is better than my Nikon slide scanner. Colors seem relatively accurate to me when calibrated correctly. For under $200 I think something like that might be a good alternative for people on a budget. You also get the format flexibility (works with medium format) and the flatbed capabilities.

Keith,

 

I'm not a pro photographer either but I can tell you some things I learnt from my experience:

 

1. The quality, thus price, of your scanner should be proportional to the quality of your pictures - that's a pretty subjective argument.

 

2. The quality of your scanner should also be in line with the quality of your printer (just common sense.) Or vice-versa if you don�t have the printer.

 

3. I found negative and slides scanning almost always terrible on flatbed scanners, with the so called "transparency units". Lighting is of poor quality and most of all the resolution is largely insufficient (commonly 1200dpi.) Since the size of your source is X times smaller than a print, for the same quality you should ideally have around X times the resolution.

 

4. Dedicated slides and films scanner + your FD gear will compare best to a digital outfit (in my mind much better at comparable price.) The quality is understandably much better than prints scans.

 

5. For a film scanner you should look for a resolution of at least 2000+dpi in 36 bit color. Generally B&H has a good selection of these. I believe you can find something decent < $450.

 

6. If you don�t feel ready for spending the money quite yet, try finding a good local photograph that will scan your negatives for you. If you don�t have 100�s of them that will likely be less expensive. You can get a decent flatbed for $200 for your prints.

 

7. Going to AF won�t change your problem a bit with respect to digital photography (I don�t know who could have recommended you that.) It will just change the size of your wallet�

 

Good luck with that!

 

PS: Many people expect a lot of digital image touch up with Photoshop and such. I�m not saying that one can�t do wonders with these but it takes a great picture at the beginning to get a great picture at the end � plus great skills.

Thanks guys. That definitely helps a lot. I did do all the reading I could before asking the question - particularly on that excellent site you recommend. I guess I would have been clearer had I had the camera in my hands, which I don't (just yet.)

 

That being said, anybody interested in buying a house?

 

Well if I have to sell it to get some of these screens, I don't see much upside to getting a good meter. The meter would even be more versatile. Then again, maybe I'm saying that because I never seriously used the F-1 (except a loaner to shoot 1 roll.)

 

Thanks,

I'm a bit confused by the how the metering works on the F-1N. I

understand that it has the triple mode metering capability (center-

weighted average metering, selective-area metering, and spot

metering). Where I get confused is what focusing screens should I use

for each. My understanding is that some screens (6 at least,

including the standard �PE� screen) can be used with the 3 modes.

However I see answers from some of this forum's gurus that lead me do

think that if one want spot metering for instance one has to use one

specific screen. Could you guys help me clear this up?

 

Thanks,

Thanks! -Jerome

Hi,

 

I've been a Canon user for many years now (AE-1P, FTb...) I'm now

looking to buy a F-1N. Can you guys F-1 experts tell me what key

questions to ask when doing so? (serial number?, picture of certain

details? etc.) I'm planning to do that online so I probably won't see

the box.

 

Thanks! -JeromeB