steven_endo

Assuming it's not a typo, the charger says the output is 14.2 Volts AC, not DC. I'm no battery expert so I can only guess that this is compatible with charging 4.8V batteries...

About 10years ago my local drugstore and supermarket were just blowing out film for some reason. Something like $2-$3 per 4-roll boxes of 24exp. of new film. So I bought them up. Weird thing was, I thought they were just dumping old inventory but then a week later, they were restocked again and @ $2-$3 per 4-roll boxes. And then again.. So, now I have about 20 boxes of film in my otherwise unused freezer (I'm single). But then, interest in film started to pick up and I've never seen those prices again...

LOL I saw this but didn't check to see if it was written by OP. But my guess is still the same. Perhaps lens is protruding too deeply into the mirror box. Assuming it's an SLR....

Not familiar with Nikon system(s) but perhaps it is an older lens that protrudes too deeply into the mirror box and is blocking the mirror from flipping up? If the camera has a mirror lockup, you can try that. Or, as Glen H. says, fire the camera with the back open without film.

LOL I KNOW what you mean. I started on a Canon FT (predecessor to the FTbn) and even though I was excited to buy and use my new EF, I was quickly disappointed and within two months, went out and bought an F-1n. Back in 1979, they were both about $400; a painful lesson... It appears you have discovered the answer to your "averaging vs. 12% spot metering" question from your earlier thread. :) I didn't say anything in that thread because I figured you'd either get it or not. And you got it... Here's a tip I learned long ago. To use the 12% spot like a center averaging meter, hold your palm out in the same light as your subject, at about a 45° angle. Fill the meter rectangle with your palm and then, open up one f-stop. You need to open up because your palm reflects about 35% light while the meter is calibrated for 18%. Now, as long as your subject is in that light, your exposure should be correct. If your subject moves to a different lighting situation (shadow, indoors, backlighting, etc.), re-meter on your palm, approximating the light. I always get quizzical looks and questions when I am out shooting and using this technique. Enjoy your FTbn and your soon-to--be-purchased New F-1!

You're welcome. May I be so bold as to give you another piece of unsolicited advice? If you've never used a Speed Finder (on either your original F-1 or your New F-1), I heartily recommend getting one. For me, the Speed Finders are one of the biggest reasons to get an F-1. I always have one on my F-1 when I'm using it. You will be surprised what a versatile, fast-action machine your F-1s becomes with the combination of Power Winder and Speed Finder. I bought my first one because it was supposed to (and does) help eyeglasses-wearers but subsequently discovered how much more it can do. My original goal was to buy one for each of my bodies (I have three New F-1s, bought under an uncontrolled frenzy when prices were low) but I ended up one short when prices for ex, ex+ condition examples started climbing...

Oops. That's correct; 100 exposures.

Hmmmmmm... some unsolicited advice, unless you really need the 5fps speed or have the 250 exposure back, find a Powerwinder FN. The motor drive adds a LOT of weight... Otherwise, nice!

I don't enjoy traveling and I hate flying so I avoid it as much as possible so I don't really know the latest airport security processes. But, having said that, I do sometines wonder if you can "force" a hand inspection by putting your film in a container that x-ray cannot penetrate? Then, your luggage gets pulled to the side and you're told to open the package for inspection. Would this work?

Since "my" first camera was the Canon FT my father "loaned" to me for a high school photography class, I would say my first film was a roll of Kodak Plus-X. I DO remember the nervousness of loading my first roll of film onto the plastic film reel for the plastic developing tank and the joy of seeing images on my first roll of negatives (one of the first lessons: "it's film before development, negatives after", LOL)...

Many years ago, on a whim, I bought a metal, two-piece rear lens cap. One day, the rear of the cap popped out. Later, after I bought my first FDn lens, I found it useful for looking through the lens with the aperture wide open. IIRC, though, cutting out the back of a real Canon plastic cap won't work unless you modify it a bit. The mounting tabs on the metal cap I have is an exact copy of the mount on the camera bodies. I believe the real caps have tabs that restrict how much you can turn the cap...

My first camera was a Canon FT I "borrowed" from my father to use in a high school photography class. He bought it in 1970 but didn't use it much, and not at all after I started using it. I still have it but haven't used it in a long time since I "graduated" to an F-1n and then a New F-1. The first camera I bought with my own hard earned cash was a Canon EF. I still have that as well...

I dunno... I think using interchangeable screens to change the metering pattern was the only way Canon could offer variable metering patterns and still keep the beam splitter metering. I, for one, am glad Canon chose to use a "clunky" method to incorporate the secondary metering patterns and to maintain their 12% selective area metering as the primary method. As for the naming convention, I think it was an article (Herbert Keppler?) in Popular Photography back in the 80s when the New F-1 debuted that explained it: Canon originally named their camera "F-1" to mean "Flex #1" as in, the #1 (best) reflex camera in the world. Given that, they couldn't name its successor "F-2", which then make it the #2 (second best) reflex camera in the world. Therefore, it became the "New F-1". I don't know how true that was but makes sense to me... Not sure why it's such an issue. A lot of products reuse the same name over and over. Cars, for example. How many generations of "Mustang" are there and they're all just called Mustang (well, except for the Mustang II)...

Oh, I dunno. After you've done it once you tend to be more careful thereafter. BTDT

I've been a member for some time but haven't posted in a while. Have been lurking for the last few months, though... IMO, there are three reasons to get a F-1n/New F-1: 1. 12% selective metering. "My" first camera was a Canon FT I took over from my father. I learned to love the 12% metering area with that camera and now I dislike using anything else, whether averaging or "spot" metering. It's good you are getting the FTbn. Use it a while and see if you get hooked on the 12%... 2. Power Winder F/FN. Having a winder to advance your film really helps lighten the load, so to speak. I prefer the Winder F (for the F-1n only) over the Winder FN (for the New F-1 only) because the Winder FN requires you to set up a reverse counter which, if done incorrectly, can tear the film or jam the camera. The Winder F relies on the low torque of the motor to stop the film winding. Much simpler. Don't bother with the Motor Drives, unless you actually need the speed. Carrying around 12 AA batteries gets really heavy... Also, the Winder FN will get you shutter priority automatic exposure. 3. Speed Finder/Speed Finder FN. For me this is the best reason to buy an F-1/New F-1. It allows you to view the subject without smashing your face against the camera. You can view the focusing screen from a distance such as overhead shots. Great for when you need to grab a quick shot. It can be used as a right-side up waist level finder, as well. You can get a winder for your A-series cameras, but not the 12% metering or speed finder. The combination of the three options makes the F-1 the most versatile camera ever IMO. Sorry about the long post. Discussions about F-1s get me a little overly excited...

As others have found, Canon DID make/sell an eveready case for the EF. Unfortunately, it WAS made of that pressed paper stuff. However, that pressed paper covered a steel frame for the lower half so it is possible to re-cover it in leather, which is what I did. Because I never liked the floppy up-and-over top cover I wasnt concerned that the top half had crumbled away. I like to use just the bottom half because it protects the camera body from my often sweaty palms and also gives the camera a nice padded thickness that I find more comfortable than gripping the bare body.

Unintended consequence of newbies being constantly told to use the Search function?

Huh! It's been over 40years since I took my first photography class in high scool and during that time I have never stopped to think why the f-stop designation is engraved f/ on the lens even though I would occasionally wonder why... Learn something new everyday... Thanks

I dunno... The concept is not so much different than those Marty Forscher Polaroid backs from the 70s/80s which, apparently, were extensively used by commercial professionals. Like those Polaroid backs, it seems these might/could be useful for testing exposure, lighting, composition, etc. for film users especially if it ends up costing very much less than buying parallel digital equipment. But it will need a screen (like about 5") to be useful in that manner. Oh, and that big protrusion on the back would not be a problem with a "sport finder" such as the Canon F-1 Speed Finder.

I recall reading an analysis (Keppler in Pop Photography?) of Canon's then new bayonet mount in which he said that Canon developed the bayonet mount: 1) to be just like everyone else's bayonet mount; and 2) to stop third party lens manufacturers from making lenses for Canon cameras. I always thought the breech lock mount, especially the later spring loaded FD ones that mysteriously turned 1/8 turn as soon as you pressed it against the body mount, was at least as easy if not easier to use than most bayonet mounts which makes me believe the main reason Canon switched was to lock out third party lenses.

This thread has me curious to check my EF, which I haven't used in a few years (I know I should send out all but one of my cameras, including the EF, out for CLA). I bought my EF in 1980 (left over new stock) but I never liked nor got used to the center-bottom weighted average metering and I found that I don't trust automatic exposure control, especially with center weighted averaging metering. My first camera was a Canon FT that I "inherited" from my father and I got used to the central area metering. In 1981, I bought an F-1n to "replace" the EF but I still have the EF (I'm kind of a hoarder). Re: Geregory_Nicholson's description of the "Delay switch", I think he is talking about the self-timer. Most self timers countdown first and then fire the shutter like normal (press shutter button, timer counts down, mirror flips up, lens stops down, shutter fires, mirror flips down, lens opens up again). The EF self timer was designed to minimize vibration for long, nighttime exposures to maximize the low EV range of the meter. So when the self timer is activated (push shutter button), the camera locks in the meter reading, the mirror flips up, the lens stops down, then the timer starts its countdown, shutter fires and then the rest of the sequence is the same.

I've been trying to search for an answer and have been unsuccessful so far but, even if you could physically mount it after modifying, will it even work? On the original F-1, the Data Back F uses a PC cord connector to plug into the camera's flash port but it appears the Data Back FN has an internal connection. Although, it does look like the Data Back FN has its own shutter button with which you could manually imprint the data before or after taking the picture...

Hmmm... My recommendation would be to get the "F-1, Jr.": the FTbn. It is ergonomically (the eveready cases are interchangeable, even) and operationally similar to the F-1 (original). It's like having a point-and-shoot version of the F-1. It is just as robust and uses the same metering system. Like Stephen Morris, I prefer sticking with the F-series Canons. The EF is nice but, having started with and "grown up" with an FT, I never liked the bottom-center weighted metering pattern.

<p>Yes. That is Canon's "New FD" lens mount. Canon designed this to turn their venerable breech lock mount (w/ the chrome ring) into a bayonet mount. Somewhere around 45 degrees, that square chrome button should click and pop up a bit. To remove the lens, push in the chrome button and twist the lens.</p>

<p>Just another shot in the dark: sounds like an issue with the ASA dial and/or you are trying to meter outside of the metering range of the camera?</p>