cadillacmike

Hi, does anyone have any experience with the old R lenses for CanonFlex SLRs?

I have an old "Super Canomatic" (what were they thinking of) 50mm F1.8 lens

that has its aperture stuck at around F-16. Usually if it's stuck it's stuck

open - unless the Rs were different. Who knows... I'm looking for an R 58mm

F1.2 to replace it, so I'm not sure if I even want to try and get this one

fixed. Anyway, any advice will be appreciated.

Curtiss: my guess is that you are using print film, which is much more forgiving than slide film is to overexposure. As long as you are happy with the results, keep on shooting!

Hi, an A-1 bottom will work as well. I don't have an extra but will check with the repair shop in town. I do have extra "action grips" please message me back if you do not have one yet.

Does anyone know how to sort this forum by the date of last post? I don't see

a sort option and the posts are sorted by original post date - not overly

convenient to use. Thanks in advance.

I'll check thos out Ben, If there's a stalling sound I'll check the current and resitance of the NiMhs vs the Alkalines (actually the current of the NiMHs is listed on them (2500 milliamps) but they are also available in lower current strength - I bought the strongest to keep recharge intervals down. I certainly don't want to butn out an expesnive & hard to replace motor.

 

But then again unless one is brain-dead, when the motor drive hits the zero counter one usually clicks it off with the reset button or motorized rewind function right away...

Just a two word comment on this endavour - why bother - ? If one is collecting all the FD (and R, FL and AC) mount bodies sure get one, but Canon made several 35-70 zooms that were quite compact and worked with non AE cameras. I don't even care for the 35-70 zoom, 28-85 or 35-105 are both better lenses (anyone want a new FD 35-70 F3.5-4.5 ??)

A-series "squeek" ??? I thought it was squeak. If the shutter was locked (shuter dial set to "L" you shouldn't get a reading. Since you are getting a reading, the battery appears to be good and the shutter isn't locked. If the multiple exposute sequence doesn't restore proper operation, you might have a mechanical jam {or the dreaded A-series "squeek" ;-) }...

You might also try camibridge camera in NYC. they are supposed to have some Canon collars. You'll need the exact model specification. The primary problem is the slight variation in barrel diameter where the collar attaches. I have an 85-300 F4.5 (new FD mount) - no collar, and it's a pain.

 

You can also try a monopod with a "vee" adapter to steady the lens. The Canon collars are nice, they come off and easily switch b/w orizontal and vertical. Problem is that they get misplaced and then its gone..

 

The following lenses took removable collars:

50-300mm F4.5

85-300mm F4.5

300mm F4

300mm F4L

400mm F4.5

 

Both new and old Fd mounts for most of the above (300mm F4L and 50-300mm F4.5 were new mount only)

 

And I'll bet there are a minimum of 4 different collars for this mix of lenses. They may look identical in the pictures, but I'll bet they are different. The 400s were noticably larger (48mm filters vs 34mm in the 300s and series IX front filter in my 85-300) and the New FD mounts might be a bit smaller - don't know for sure. I just know that I'll be looking for a collar soon.

Not all the New FD lenses had polycarbonate lens barrels. The higher speed and / or wider (24mm and wider) focal lenses as well as the bigger teles all had metal barrels still. The 50/1.8 and 35/2.8 were indeed polycarbonate barrelled lenses, but my 50/1.4s and 50/1.2 as well as my F2.0 wides are all made with metal barrels. Lots of metal in the new Fd lineup.

 

For flash with the EF there were 4 CATS enabled lenses (not 5), the 50/1.4, 50/1.8, 35/2 & 35/3.5. with a Speedlite 133D and proper A, B, A2 or B2 flash ring and these lenses fullly automatic flash photography was possible back in 1973! The A and A2 rings worked with the 50/1.8 and both 35s (A might not have included the 35/3.5) while the B and B2 worked with the 50/1.4 and both 35s. The rings almost NEVER go bad, (all 12 of mine are good) but the SL 133ds do go bad (2 of 6 of mine are bad), the capicitors and little resistors, etc inside go bad and you have a non-flashig flash.

The only "advantage" a vertical shutter has over a horizontal shutter is faster synch speed, since the first curtain doesn't have to travel as far to get fully open.simp,e mechanics at work. Horizontal chutters have more room to work with and can be made mure durable, especially when motor driven.

 

As far as the EF is concerned, it was the first shutter priority camera to not rely on the "trapped needle" method of getting the corret aperture transmitted to the lens, it was part of the ingenious FD lens mount design that allowed this. The EF's oversize shutter dial was caqrried on to the AE-1 (and AT-1) but it was better done that the A series cameras. The separate on-off meter switch was a pain. Here the AE-1 was clearly superior.

The "L" lenses were all "New FD" mount. Before the new FD mount Canon called the lenses, Flourite, Aspherical, etc, depending on the special type of glass used. They didn't have much U(L)D glass in the old FD lenses (the 300mm F2.8 SSC Folurite might have had a UD element) There was no white 300mm breech ring ("old" FD) lens. There were only 2 white BL ring lenses, 600mm F4.5 SSC and 800mm F5.6 SSC. With the New FD mount, the 800mm became an L lenses (UD) while the 500mm F4.5 L (Flourite) was added along with the 400mm F2.8 L (2 UD elements) and the 300mm F2.8 L (Flourite & UD) went white. These were all the "big gun canons" of the era. The 200mm F1.8L was added very late to the white lens lineup.

The A stands for Advance

Hi Curtiss. You should use a Silver or Lithium battery. To my knowledge they don't make a nickel (NiMH) battery in this size. Duracell PX28L or Eveready LR44 (or SR44 for Silver) Lithiums last longer in storage while the silver is supposed to have more power. I prefer Lithium.

 

Jos, I can't believe that Canon would deliberately cross up the signals on the TTL flashes vs the older non-TTLs. Those two extra contacts on the original 2 contact flashes are for 1: telling the camera to go to the flash synch speed and 2: telling the camera to set the lens to what the flash wants as opposed to what the meter wants. That's why the AT-1, AV-1 and AL-1 only have one of the two little extra contacts, because you can't use the lens on A with these three cameras. The 2 additional contacts on TTL flashes are 3: for the camera to tell the flash to shut off since the sensor is now in the camera not on the flash and 4: no idea! (possibly the 2nd curtain synch control???).

 

If someone wants to test a Canon TTL flash on an A- series, you can do this (I don't have any TTL flashes): Set the camera to 1 second, If you have an A-1 or new F-1, make sure the flash is not set to slow synch or this won't work. Attach the flash, fire it up and make a test shot. If the camera fires at 1/60 (1/90) then it works, if it fires at 1 second then Canon did indeed cross up the signal pins (which I do not think they did.

 

NOTE: this will NOT ensure correct exposures, TTL flashes do not have the sensor that the non-TTL flashes have. you still have to use the guide # calcs. but your camera will correctly go to flash synch speed when a TTL flash is ready which does help.

 

Sunpak also makes tilt-swivel flash for Canon A-series (and New F-1). 433D (auto 30DX in europe) is a powerful flash. No zoom though like the 299T (my fovourite shoe mount flash).

Well Jim, did you ever get your F-1?

Here'a a couple of things I've come across in 25 years of being a Canon junkie:

1. Canon made Laser Matte screens for the F-1; they say "Canon Focusing Screen L-x" on their side with x being the screen type (A through I) and the A-I in a small circle instead of a square on the old ground glass screens. Of course the new F-1 has "Bright Laser matte" screens (ooooh).

2. Old F-1s can develop flash synch problems and the external Flash Couplers D and L (mainly D which has no lock) have a nasty habit of slipping just a little bit so your flash wont fire! Flash Coupler F is a little better but it's insanely expensive on ebay. The new F-1 is much more versatile with A, T and G series flashes.

3. If you are out in the sticks and the battery goes dead, the old F-1 has more usable shutter speeds (1 sec to 1/2000 vs. new F-1 with 1/90 and higher only) and you don't have to take the battery out of the camera either.

4. the new F-1 has a lit metering window. The old F-1 has an esternal lamp (Finder Illuminator F) that sits where the flash coupler sits but then you can mount a flash coupler (Coupler L has a lamp too) New F-1 is easier to use in this regard.

5. The new F-1's motor drive maxes out at 5 FPS and rewinds the film for you while the old ones is only 3.5 FPS and you have to rewind yourself.

6. The new F-1 has the meter switch in the shutter button while the old one is on the dial in the back. Leave it on for a week and you'll killt the battery which brings me to the final point.

7. No more 1.35V mercuric oxide batteries for the old F-1. Criscam makes a $39 adapter hat uses Eveready 386 Silver batteries but these don't last as long (ther are tiny and S-76 are too big), while Wein (or similar) 1.35V zinc-air cells last 2 months if you are lucky. The new F-1 uses the 6V lithium or silver batteries still widely available.

There! let us know what you end up doing. On long trips, I take 1 of each (or and old F-1 and an A-1) I have more old F-1s than new F-1s but am selling some of the old ones and one new F-1 Los Angeles.

The Speed Finders (old and new) are so much better han the waist level finders. the image is unreversed and you can see it 2.5 inches away. You can even see part of the screen fron nearly a foot away. The only minus is a lower magnification of .77X.

For New FD lenses, you can't just cut out the back of a new FD cap. You also have to file off some retaining tabs and even then I'm not sure if the resultant "hood" has the little internal tab to force the aperture lever to stay closed.

For "old FD lenses - all of these have the sliding aperture lever locking feature, except early 50/1.8s, which have a little lock tab which does the same thing. The Macro hood available back then simple functioned as a hood for a reversed lens. The older hood looks like the older rear caps - smooth edges, while the new hood looks like the new fd rear caps - ridged edges. If you have both and look at their insides. you'll see the internal tab I'm talking about in the new hood only.

I didn't know that the new FD 50/3.5 has a locking aperture lever I'll have to check mine out and the new FD 100/3.5 as well. I always use the hoods when the lenses are reversed anyways.

Ben said: "By the way, you might be thinking that you can just put rechargables in the AA pack. This isn't a good idea. Basically, right at the end of the roll, the motor stalls. It was designed such that the internal resistance of alkaline batteries would limit the stall current to a safe level. Rechargables have lower internal resistance(which is also why they let your flash recycle faster). If you put the lower resistance batteries in the AA pack, the stall current can get high enough to burn out the motor. The rechargeable packs are current limited so as to allow the motor to safely stall."

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the AE Motor Drive FN shut off when the motor drive's counter reaches zero? Rechargable AAs shouldn't hurt the motor in this circumstance. I agree that with a power winder that does not count down (PW A, A2, PW F and maybe the Motor Drive MA as well) this might be a problem, but not with the AE Motor Drive FN, AE Power Winder FN or the Motor Drive MF (and MD as well) These all have countdown timers and I always set them.

Folks, the early EFs has a central Microprism screen, not a plain matte spot. While I like the split image microprism combo (an "E" screen in Canon line, no matter which FD camera you have), that isn't possible with an EF. I like my EF as well. If you can find a Speedlite 133D flash and the correct Flash Auto Ring A2 or B2, the EF can run on auto with the flash on or off! With any other flash, you have to take the lens off A with any older F- series body.

I like the Motor Drive MF better. Yes it's heavier and bigger, but it's nearly twice as fast and its 10 AAs will last more than twice as long. You can also set it for single or continous. It has a frame counter so you don't accidently rip the film off the the end of the spool. Lastly it can take either the Interval Timer L or the much harder to find Interval Timer TM-1 (quartz), whereas the Power Winder F can only use the latter. It also takes the remote switch 60 and 3 (and the older Remote Switch 60MFas well). I have one Power Winder F and 6 Motor Drive MFs, the PWF just sounds too wimpy for me.