gordon_yee

<p>For a given scene, assume that (a) the AE-1P's Programmed AE matrix selects an exposure of 1/125 at f/5.6, (b) the aperture ring on the lens is set to the green "A" and © the shutter dial is set to "Program." When you press the shutter release, the camera moves the lens' aperture lever to close the diaphragm while, at the same time, a second lever on the AE-1P restricts or stops the lens' diaphragm from closing beyond f/5.6, after which the shutter curtains are released.</p> <p>If you turn the aperture ring from the green "A" to any other setting, the lever that restricts how far the diaphragm will close becomes passive and the diaphragm will close to the f/stop selected by the aperture ring. However, the shutter will continue to operate at 1/125 sec., or the speed selected under the Programmed AE matrix.</p>

<p>Here are two Kodachrome 64 shots from the Battle of the Brits car show held on September 12, 2010 in Orchard Lake, Michigan:</p> <p><a href="/photo/18044142&size=lg"><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18044142-md.jpg" alt="Battle of the Brits #1" width="680" height="445" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a href="/photo/18044143&size=lg"><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18044143-md.jpg" alt="Battle of the Brits #2" width="680" height="443" border="0" /></a></p> <p>The first shot is from a roll I purchased in the late 1990s and stored in the freezer until just a few days before the car show. For this roll, I used a Nikon FE2 with a Nikkor 28mm f/2 AI lens.</p> <p>The second shot is from a roll of unknown history I that I received with some used camera equipment. I suspect that it was at least 10 years old and probably spent most of its life at room temperature, resulting in the excessive magenta cast on the entire roll, which was loaded into a Leica IIF with a 35mm Summaron lens.</p> <p>I have always stored my film in the freezer. I've never noticed any ill effects or color shifts in Kodachrome which was my primary film in the 1970s and 1980s. However, I've noticed that color negative film seems to be less stable when frozen.</p>

<p>On the inside of the battery chamber just under the semi-circular "battery chamber lock" is an aluminum plate with a diagram of the loading sequence. The MF takes ten AA batteries, with three double rows on the side where the battery chamber attaches to the motor drive unit (for a total of six batteries) and two double rows on the side where the battery chamber lock is located. All six of the batteries in the three double rows should be inserted + side first (i.e., with the + side toward the top of the motor drive). The four batteries in the two double rows should be inserted - side first, or with the + side toward the bottom of the motor drive. The drive must be attached to the camera before it will operate in order to properly short the two switch pins next to the MF's tripod mounting screw. Also note that the drive will not run if the frame counter is reading zero.</p>

<p>The rangefinder probably has just gone out of alignment over the years. It's a relatively straightforward adjustment. If you're mechanically inclined and willing to accept the risk, you could perform the adjustment yourself. If not, take it to a camera repair shop you trust. Check out the following links for more info:</p> <p><a href="http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/CanonP.html">http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/CanonP.html</a><br /><a href="http://pentax-manuals.com/repairs.htm">http://pentax-manuals.com/repairs.htm</a><br> <a href="http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95958">http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95958</a></p>

<p>If you're talking about the standard (i.e., non-aspherical) breechlock FD 55mm f/1.2, there were two versions. On the first one released in 1971, the bayonet ring for mounting the BS-58 lens hood is chromed. On the updated SSC version released in 1973, the bayonet ring was painted black. While "S.S.C." only appears on the ID ring of the 1973 version, both lenses have the same SSC multi-coating and should essentially be the same optically.</p>

<p>Are you referring to the small toothed lever on the back of the the top cover near the rewind knob? If so, I believe it's the lever for resetting the film counter.</p>

<p>Any generic clip-on or screw-in lens cap for 55mm filter threads should work fine. The original FD lens cap is the Canon C-55mm. There are several vintages of C-55mm caps. The early ones are black plastic with circular metal inserts painted black but with the Canon logo in natural metal. The later ones introduced with the New FD lenses are all black plastic with the Canon logo molded in raised letters.</p> <p>The New FD 100-200mm f/5.6 zoom (i.e., with the breech-bayonet lens mount) was redesigned to take 52mm filters and, thus, came with thelater style C-52mm lens cap. Canon caps with the "E' prefix (e.g., E-58mm) are the ones supplied with EOS EF lenses but are functionally identical.</p>

<p>The two red dots at the back of the lens must be lined up before it can be mounted to your AE-1. The procedure is covered in the following thread:</p> <p><a href="/canon-fd-camera-forum/00cWK9">http://www.photo.net/canon-fd-camera-forum/00cWK9</a></p>

<p>Correction, JDM. The Canon Dial 35 had a battery powered CdS cell.</p> <p>The Voigtlander Dynamatic I from 1960 also had its selenium cell located on the lens.</p>

<p>Actually, except on a few rare occasions, the Philadelphia mint never issued coinage with the "P" mint mark. The war time silver Jefferson "nickel" (1942-1945) was one of those occasions. I was a coin and stamp collector in my youth, and a congenital collector/pack rat.</p> <p>My theory is that Canon built up their final inventory of FD bodies in 1986 so that they could devote all of their camera manufacturing resources to EOS bodies. I suspect that FD bodies with build codes after 1986 are rare, if they exist at all, with the possible exception of the mysterious and elusive Canon T-5, bastard offspring of the T-50. In addition to the New FD lenses we've already mentioned with post-1986 build codes, there may be some 50mm f/1.8 lenses that were made specifically for the T-5 and the Cosina-made T-60. The equally mysterious and elusive New FD 50mm f/2, sold with the T-5 and which I've never seen in person, might also have been built after 1986.</p>

<p><em>The factory code is rarely omitted, if ever.</em></p> <p>Based on my FD lens collection, <em>the factory code was never included</em>. None of my FD lenses have a trailing alpha code. Perhaps all FD lenses with the basic three part code (alpha year, numeric month and the second unspecified numeric code) were manufactured in a single factory. On the other hand, some of my Canon cameras (FD and FL bodies, Canonets, etc.) have the trailing alpha factory codes as well as an occasional second leading alpha code. Beats me what they all mean.</p> <p>With respect to the addition in 1986 of the second, leading alpha code, it doesn't appear to have been applied by Canon on their FD bodies. My newest FD bodies have the "A" manufacturing code for 1986, lacking the additional "U" prefix that appears on EOS bodies or the "O" code mentioned by Bob Atkins. The "A" code appears on my T-90s, T-80s and on one of my A-1s. Does anyone have an FD body that was manufactured after 1986 (i.e., code "B" or later)?</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eosfaq/DATECODE.HTM">http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eosfaq/DATECODE.HTM</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Canon-Lens-Aging.aspx">http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Canon-Lens-Aging.aspx</a></p>

<p>The latest build codes in my collection are as follows:</p> <ul> <li>Code UF0216 (Feb. 1991) - New FD 28mm f/2.8</li> <li>Code UH0100 (Jan. 1993) - New FD 80-200mm f/4L</li> <li>Code UH0203 (Feb. 1993) - New FD 50mm f/3.5 Macro</li> </ul> <p>When Canon introduced the New F-1 in 1981, they made a commitment to support it and the FD system for 10 years. When they introduced the EOS SLRs and EF lenses in 1987, Canon said there would be a five year overlap during which both systems would be in production. That overlap period was needed to established their niche in the AF SLR market, develop professional level EOS bodies and lenses, and convince professional photographers to accept and convert to the AF system.</p>

<p>My experience is that Speedlite 300TLs come up for sale on a regular basis. I suspect that a high percentage of the original T90 owners also purchased the 300TL. Gerry, here's a link to a scan of the Duplicator 35 instruction manual:</p> <p><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20070204021454/http://canonfd.com/slideduplicator/duplicator35.pdf">http://web.archive.org/web/20070204021454/http://canonfd.com/slideduplicator/duplicator35.pdf</a></p>

<p>+1 with respect to Alan's comments. My sentiments exactly ...</p>

<p>There have been several quick & dirty methods devised for lubricating the mirror damper, such as from underneath after removing the base plate and through the screw hole used to hold the front decorator plate in place. Personally, I find these methods to be too hit-and-miss. Removing the top cover gives better access and visibility. It requires more effort and, if you're a klutz, presents more opportunity to do futher damage. One added advantage is the ability to clean the viewfinder eyepiece and prism, if needed. Here's a great shot of the mirror damper itself:</p> <p><a href=" <p>... and here's a link to Rick Oleson's helpful notes:</p> <p><a href="http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-157.html">http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-157.html</a></p> <p>For tutorials on removing the top covers of various cameras, including the Canon A series, take a look at the following link:</p> <p><a href="http://looscanons.com/tutorials/index2.html">http://looscanons.com/tutorials/index2.html</a></p>

<p>Here's a link to a pdf copy of the Canon Macro Ring Lite ML-3 manual:</p> <p><a href="http://www.cameramanuals.org/flashes_meters/canon_macro_ring_ml-3.pdf">http://www.cameramanuals.org/flashes_meters/canon_macro_ring_ml-3.pdf</a></p> <p>The ML-3 was an updated version of the ML-2 introduced with the EOS line of SLRs (i.e., after the T90's introduction, which is why it's not mentioned in the T90 manual and literature). However, Canon continued to use the same basic protocols established with the A and T series Speedlites so it should be compatible with the A and T Series of cameras, but only with respect to each model's specific features. Because the T90 is the only FD body with TTL flash, the ML-3 will work best with this FD body. You may have to locate the proper size Macrolite Adapter for your specific FD macro lens.</p> <p>The Canon EZ and EX Speedlites should also work fine with the T90 within its more limited TTL capabilities.</p>

<p>Close-up lenses have been most commonly used with normal lenses. For this reason, Canon offered close-up lenses in two filter sizes for their FL lenses: 48mm (50mm f/1.8) and 58mm (50mm f/1.4, 50mm f/3.5 Macro, 55mm f/1.2, 58mm f/1.2). With the introduction of the FD lenses in 1971, Canon standardized on 55mm filters for all of the 50mm lenses, but retained 58mm filters on the 55mm f/1.2 high speed lenses. They added 55mm close-up lenses to their product line accordingly. The 52mm close-up lenses were introduced in conjunction with the downsized New FD lenses.</p> <p>The higher asking prices for used 52mm Canon close-up lenses simply reflects the higher demand for this size.</p> <p>Interestingly, Canon's suggested retail prices for the 55mm close-up lenses were significantly higher than for the older 48mm/58mm items. In Canon's July 1, 1973 Consumer Price List, the 48mm, 58mm and 55mm Close-up Lenses are listed at $15, $17 and $36, respectively. In their July 26, 1982 Consumer Price List, the SRPs are $17, $19 and $51, respectively. It's only a guess on my part, but the higher price for the newer 55mm lenses may be due to the use of improved glass.</p> <p>It's my understanding that only the close-up lenses with the "D" suffix (i.e., 250D) are doublets, and that those lacking the "D" suffix are singlets. I also agree with Jim Metcalfe, that the greater heft of the 240 is due to its higher power of magnification as compared with the 450.</p>

<p>Nick, if you haven't already done so, try cleaning all of the electrical contacts. These include the ones in battery chamber as well as the mating pins on the A1's base plate and the Power Winder. Surface corrosion, which may not necessarily be visible to the naked eye, may be reducing the amperage supplied to the winder's motor. Also try exercising the switches on the winder to clean their contacts.</p>

<p><a href="/canon-fd-camera-forum/00c0vR">http://www.photo.net/canon-fd-camera-forum/00c0vR</a></p>

<p>The illustration in the ad posted by Marc appears to me to be an early Canonet QL19 like the one pictured on the Canon Camera Museum site without the "Quick Loading" script and identified on the top plate as a "Canonet 19." QL19s had the black painted front lens ring. Personally, I wouldn't read anything into this ad. Perhaps it was "artistic license" or a prototype was used for the ad copy. [What was the lead time to prepare ad copy for a publication dated October 1965?] Until a copy actually surfaces, it's my presumption that all production Canonets which had the quick loading system were identified as such.</p> <p>As a side note, Canon sometimes made small cosmetic changes to their cameras. I have original bottom winding selenium metered Canonets with chrome and black painted front lens rings.</p>

<p>I also have a Canonet 17 "Quick Loading" in my collection, as well as two QL17s and one QL19. While the Canon Camera Museum is a valuable source of information, it does contain some misinformation and errors of omission. Note that their photo of the Canonet QL19 has the "Quick Loading" script on the top plate instead of the more familiar "QL" badge on the leatherette. Here's my understanding of the Canonet history, some of which is conjecture on my part:</p> <ul> <li>The Canonet S introduced in October 1964 was the first model with the SE 45mm f/1.7 lens. It had the standard insert-film-in-spool method of film loading.</li> <li>In March 1965, the QL17 and QL19 were introduced with Canon's proprietary "quick loading" system. Initial production models were identified with the "Quick Loading" script on the front of the top plate. The meter was powered by a 1.35v MP mercury battery which was the same diameter as the PX-625 but thicker.</li> <li>The Canonet QL25 and QL19E were introduced in October and November 1965, respectively. All of the ones I've seen have the "QL" badge located on the leatherette of the main body casting. Note that these models also used the larger MP mercury cells.</li> <li>In March 1966, Canon introduced the Pellix QL and FT-QL incorporating the quick loading system pioneered by the Canonet. These SLRs had the "QL" badge mounted on the leatherette of the main body casting. They also used the smaller "MD"or PX-625 mercury cell. It's my guess that Canon updated the Canonet QL17 and QL19 some time between late 1965 and early 1966, replacing the "Quick Loading" script with the "QL" badge, and revising the meter's electronics to use the PX-625 battery.</li> <li>The downsized New Canonet QL17 was introduced in July 1969 sporting the new 40mm f/1.7 lens, followed by the New Canonet QL19 in May 1971 which had a 45mm f/1.9 lens reformulated to fit the compact size of the new chassis.</li> </ul> <p>The serial numbers of my "Quick Loading" and my two "QL" Canonet 17s are 173xxx, 232xxx and 313xxx, respectively. The s/n of my QL19 is 274xxx. The lower s/n of the "Quick Loading" model would seem to support the assumption that it was produced before the QLs. Unfortunately, my copies do not have Canon's production date codes stamped inside the camera.</p> <p>I've always presumed the full-sized Canonets starting with the original 1961 model to be the first generation or "G-I", the downsized "New Canonet" models to be second generation or "G-II", and the two final models to be third generation or "G-III". At least, I think this is how Canon views this range.</p>

<p>Joking aside, Royall, have you checked your camera's rewind knob shaft and film transport sprocket to see if they require lubrication? After all, the last Retina IIc was made over 55 years ago. If the camera is empty, open the back and check the movement of the transport sprocket in both directions, advance and rewind. I presume you pulled the rewind knob up to the first stop before rewinding your film.</p>