cadillacmike

<p>I'm sorry, but any contraption that has to physically turn the lens aperture ring is not even in the same category as Canon's servo EE Finder which used the FD mount's internal couplings to good advantage.<br>

The A-1 was a system level camera except for the lack of finders. it had a 5 FPS motor drive, data back, screens, etc, and it came out in 1978. But we're not talking about that, but since you brought up the nikkormats, the A-1 was more compact and more versatile than any nikon and more versatile than any other than F2 or F3.<br>

Even nikon's AI modification to their mount used an external linkage to "index" the lens whereas Canon's was internal, making the nikon much more vulnerable to dirt, sand, etc. plus movement wear while the Canon FD mount ensured that couplings never rotated against each other. In fact nearly al meter coupling or auto indexing, whatever one wants to call depended on a sliding lever external to the lens mount, except for Canon's FD...</p>

 

<p>I have a CanonFlex R2000, but i must agree, the Nikon F was planned as the basis of a system, and with ther meter heads - as bulky and ungainly as they were - managed to put Nikin out in front during the 60s. The Canon F-1 blew away the nikon F and was the equal of the F2. Nikon was the first one to get it right but Canon one upped them, and today Canon is eating nikon's lunch in the digital world - of which i am not a big part of.<br>

And Mark, Canon didn't change the mount after 5 years, they changed the aperture couplings. I can mount old R lenses on my new F-1 which is 35 years newer than the lens - and i can use the camera to meter through the lens. With the FD mount Canon had a mount & coupling system that allowed the camera to have very precise control over the lens aperture making programmed AE and all that gee whiz stuff of the late 70s and 80s possible, and they came out with this in 1971. It was 1977 before Nikon could even start to catch up. I still laugh when i think of nikons F2 AE kludge that physically turned the apertutre ring on the camera for AE operation!!!</p>

<p>If you can find the "Macro Hoods" - there is an early and late type, you need the late type, for a new FD mount lens, they can also be use to "mount" the lens to check aperture function, but I prefer just pressing in on the two pins while tying to turn the inner barrel.<br>

It's better if you have three hands!, but i can always get one pin to lock down under tension and the as soon as i get the second one down, and get the barrel started, it's easy to rotate the the barrel to the "mounted" position. then you can check all the levers, etc.</p>

 

<p>The XKs sensiswitch was another PITA. Most cameras at the time had a meter on - off switch. it wasn't until the late 70s that the meter switch was incorporated into the shutter release. Canon AE-1 was one of the first. I'm always leaving the meters ON on my older cameras - not good for battery life.</p>

<p>Try to find an XK with an AE-S finder!<br>

New F-1s had the XK beat by a mile...</p>

<p>I've watched ebay for a few years. Prices are definately dependent on what is being sold. high quality glass like an Canon or Minolta F1.2 lens are going to skyrocket, as is a mint F-1, but I picked up a near mint SRT 102 (with mirror lockup) for a song and got a MC Rokkor 50/1.4 for a good price as well. <br>

Problem is the few items i'm really looking for are the high priced L or aspherical Canons and a black Pellix!<br>

I have a mini digicam that black Canon 14.7 MP job, haven't used at all out here because i don't want the dust to kill the lens motor / gears. Can't buy film here either so not much action on my end until i get home or go on R&R to Aruba, where i WILL take a mint Lake Placid F-1 and a few FD lenses with me.<br>

I use film cameras (mainly F-1s) for nearly all important events that i go to. My wife will shoot 200 images on her little Canon SD1100 but it's always my enlargements that everyone wants!</p>

 

<p>I don't even think the Kodak reflex was 35mm, wasn't it a 126 film camera???</p>

<p>That's not enough comments folks. <br>

I have never used an XK, but examined them in the 70s. The F-1s meter was just as capable as the XKs (acknowledging the XK AE mode). Canon's Servo EE Finder was even bulkier than the XK and needed either a battery pack or Motor Drive MF to power it, but the F-1 ergonomics were the best of the three available (Canon F-1, nikon F2, Minolta XK. we won't even get into the nikon F2 kludge of an AE add-on which actually turned the aperture ring!?!?!<br>

Nikon had the fastest MD, but only if you locked the mirror up ?!?!?!? Canon had the best expansion of motorized photography, interval timer, remotes, wireless controller, etc... I think the F-1's ergomics were slightly better than XKs which in turn was better than the F2, which at the XKs release still could not index a lens. You didn't need exposure compensation on the F-1, the circle was exactly 1 stop wide so you do it all in the finder. All F-1 versions cannot be beat for manual metering ease and information provision.<br>

But what really set Canon apart was its Booster T Finder and Speed Finder - both with metering using the built in meter. Speed Finders are GREAT.</p>

 

<p>If you get the whole LC-1 kit it comes with a small bracket. or you could use any flash bracket for the LC-1</p>

<p>Even though Canon orphaned the FD line, it still represents the pinnacle of optical quality. look at al the plastic bodies and plastic ELEMENTS in digital stuff.<br>

Sure you can buy all glass lenses, at about $1,000 each, on your $3,000 body, but they are not really any BETTER than FD glass.<br>

And from what had been happennig on the auction site, you'd never trhink we were in a recession, FD L glass continues to skyrocket EVERY time one is listed!!!<br>

And I'm still looking for a Black Pellix QL...</p>

 

<p>Yes, the Macro hood with the edge ridges will allow you to check the aperture. You can also press in the two locking pins at the same time while twisting the back of the barrel (requires some dexterity but is possible) and the lens will "mount", allowing you to check all functions.</p>

<p>As I stated, I have the instruction manual for it, so I'm pretty sure it existed. However, the manual listed all sorts of cables, etc that were needed to properly hook it to the Flash Coupler L, the Flash Auto Rings A2, B2, etc. So i didn't bother with buying the other 500A item that KEH had at that time.<br>

If you want a Canon handle mount flash for an F-1 (any model) get a SpeedLite 533G. These were made while the old F-1 was still in production as per the two versions of the owner's manual that i have. Likely as powerful as the 500A was, has newer auto-flash capability, and has two wide diffusers and a 100mm Tele concentrator available for it.</p>

 

<p>Nice camera, the first picture shows it with the earlier breech ring 50/1.8. These lenses were out of production for 2-3 years when AE-1 Programs were introduced. Did that lens come with the camera???</p>

<p>But why would it then be in the English only instructions and brochures???</p>

<p>It's in some of the literature i have (F-1 based), and I even bought an instruction manual for it a couple years back. It's probably rarer than the Battery Case D! It appears to have been a high power handle mount alternative to the SL 133D - CATS and all. Not sure how many were made.<br>

I'm guessing it Was made though, the instruction manual kind of convinces me of that, and the fact that the later handle flashes were named 5xxG tends to make me think the same.<br>

It might have seen special order like the High Speed F-1s.</p>

<p>If the screen is not seated all the way the Finder is VERY hard to slide on - that should be a clue. If it was upside down, i doubt you would have been able to focus. The silver strip should be at the back (I think) with the curved surface (the condnser lens) on top.</p>

<p>What do you all think of the XK (AKA X1 & XM)?<br>

I think it was a very well made camera, but it had three flaws. The original AE Finder was way too bulky and they didn't offer a detachable Motor Drive. You could either get it with NO motor capability or a permanently attached motor?!?!? And it took them a while to get the motor version out. The thirs flaw was only a single no-battery shutter speed (remember F3 hadn't been introduced yet with its only 1 no battery speed - while even the new F-1 had SIX no battery speeds).<br>

As a result pros didn't adopt it in anywhere near the numbers of Canon or nikon, and I guess Minolta gave up the pro market after that.<br>

XKs seem to go for good money still, but not like a mint F-1, although that 58mm F1.2 - any version is ludicrous as far as pricing goes, and it's not even an ashperical lens!?! I prefer Canon, but am thinking of finding a nice XK and that 58/1.2 MC Rokkor-X PG.<br>

Ok - let the comments fly.</p>

<p>As for my favourite, my favourite Canon is definitely the F-1 both the new and old. I really like the looks of the old F-1, especially with a Flash Coupler F on the top and a Motor Drive MF on the bottom! That said the New F-1 is easier to use with the dedicated A, G and T-series flashes (esp the 299T) and its much more convenient AE operation and metering pattern choices. Of course it has to have the motor drive underneath it as well! I also like the built in light for the meter info window (I do have a Finder Illuminator F for the old F-1s). The power rewind is great and it leaves the leader out unlike the nikons of the time. The only thing I don't like about the New F-1 is that it is missing mirror lock up. But I'll admit that I never used that on my old F-1. If you use a tripod and set the timer or use a cable release, you pretty much don't need MLU unless you are doing high magnification work.</p>

<p>Bob, That's simple math: 24 bodies x 66 lenses x 12 exposures = 1,584 12 exp rolls and 19,008 frames!</p>

 

<p>For me it started in Jr high (mid 70s) when I took a photography class. The school had a Minolta SRT-101. My parents got me a Praktica LTL with 3 lenses. I immediately saw how much better the SRT was with its full aperture metering and much finer and brighter focusing screen image - even though i liked my LTL. I then started reading Modern and Popular photography and tried to decide which was better, the Canon F-1 or Nikon F2. The Minolta XK looked interesting, but the "no motor or permanently attached motor" goof they made crossed that off my list. The Speed Finder was one of the deciding items, plus Canon's more advanced lens mount compared to nikon's. I still have some of the Dec 1970 editions and several Dec editions with Modern's "Top Camera reports"<br>

After several years I finally settled on the Canon F-1, but by the time I had the money to actually BUY one, it was the "New" F-1, which after reading about I liked even better. So I bought one, with a motor drive and 3-4 lenses, most of which got stolen. I used the insurance payment to get another one. I still have that new F-1 and it never got brassed up!<br>

Then I decided I needed and "old" F-1 so I bought one at a camera show, a very nice example. Then I decided I needed a Motor Drive MF, so I added that, plus the 533G flash, more lenses, down to24m up to200mm. Later came more flashes (299T), faster wides (F2 instead F2.8), wider primes, down to new FD 17mm F4, backup bodies, etc.<br>

Then I went on a binge to get all the Olympic bodies and the front caps too!. Then came the A-series, but no AL-1 or AV-1, sorry, but i have my standards! Mint black bodies only except for the AT-1 which was not offered in black.<br>

The I decided to expand to the older F-series bodies (no TL, TLb or TX - Please!) All black as with the A-series. I finally topped it off with a nice CanonFlex R2000, and found most of the faster versions of the Super Canomatics.I got the "chrome nose" collection nearly complete as well.<br>

I've never regretted the decision, even though Canon canned the FD mount, it is a fine line of equipment that was very well thought out in the late 60s with the result that Canon was able to continously add features without change the original FD lens to camera connection (the mount method change did not change the signalling standards). This was the most forward thought out lens mount and still exceeds the mechanical coupling capabilities of nikon and anyone else. <br>

So now, with all this gear, I'm going to have to "thin the heard" when I get home, and limit myself to 7 or 8 F-1s and 6 motor drives, plue the other series cameras.</p>

<p>I looked at the auction site. it ended on 26 Jul so too bad. it sold for only $20!!! This is definately an early or pre-production item, it has TWO "reserved pins" I emailed the seller, and told hin to sell it to me instead!!!<br>

Mark, did you buy this lens??<br>

I've never seen one with the polished trim on the hood - very interesting.<br>

Jeff, the only FL with SSC were the expensive and rare Flourite lenses.  300mm and 500mm. No "chrome nose" era FD had the SC or SSC markings, but the literature states that the 55mm F1.2, 55mm F1.2 AL and 7,5mm Fisheyes an had SSC coatings. It was about 1973 when they started putting SC or SSC on the lens front.<br>

Most unique item. Too bad i didn't see it while it was running. I would have used up some of my Colonel pay to buy it.</p>

<p>It's not a magnifier - nor it it any F-1 or new F-1 regularly available finder. It looks like some special purpose medical finder. Canon did a lot of that. </p>

<p>Now i have to check this out. I just bought an Aug 71 200mm F4 (L8xxx). It doesn't have any chrome ring on the barrel (I'll have to re-check it).</p>

<p>And it was all possible due to the immense foresight Canon had in development of the FD mount. Whereas nikon had to kludge an "AI" external lever and then add further changes to their couplings, the FD mount allowed the camera to precisely control the lens aperture right from its 1971 beginnings. Even Minolta had to make changes to allow shutter preferred and program AE, but the 1971 FD mount had all this capability there for eventual use as the A-1 and T90 show. They really had everyone beat!</p>

<p>Dave, Well there's the original F-1 with the all metal wind lever, have to have one of those (2xxxxx), then there's the later F-1 with the plastic tipped wind lever. I had a 6xxxxx serial for 24 years and decided i should get one with 5xxxxx SN. Then there are the Montreal and Lake Placid Olympic editions; i had to buy a few of each before getting near mint ones. <br>

Then there's the New F-1, and one must have the Los Angeles New F-1 as well!<br>

Of course I could try to find a mint 1xxxxx original F-1 but since these need an adjustment to use the Motor Drive MF, and their back plate didn't have the little rectangular "Canon F-1" logo on the lower right (I could always change the back with a spare) I don't really want to go through the trouble of getting one until i divest myself of the "extra" Lake Placids and Montreals. Note there was never an old F-1 with sn 4xxxxx. And I'd ned to sell some of the Motor Drive MFs i have attached to many of these. It'll be a while. I have time, not going anywhere for the rest of the year! I will eventually cut myself down to 1 of each olympic edition, 2 or 3 old F-1s and 2 New F-1s (I want 1 backup I want to keep the one i bought new looking new!) My wife thinks I'm insane - and i havent even mentioned my A and other F-series collections -or the lenses or flashes, bellows, etc... I have them all on a spreadsheet. if she ever looks up the costs and adds it up i think i'll be headed for divorce court!!</p>