A question for Canon FD users

Hi all,
There are probably several folks in this NG who still
use Canon FD equipment. I got started on the FD system
waaay back when I purchased a Canon FTb. Since then,
I've acquired some A1s, AE1s and T90s. The T90s are wonderful
cameras, but prone to problems, and repair is hard to
find.
Here is the question:
If you could only bring 1 Canon FD camera on a trip,
what would it be?
(personally, I would bring an A1 without winder or motor
drive, but with a spare battery for the meter and shutter).

Just curious,
Dick R.

"Dick R." wrote in message
...
Hi all,
There are probably several folks in this NG who still
use Canon FD equipment. I got started on the FD system
waaay back when I purchased a Canon FTb. Since then,
I've acquired some A1s, AE1s and T90s. The T90s are wonderful
cameras, but prone to problems, and repair is hard to
find.
Here is the question:
If you could only bring 1 Canon FD camera on a trip,
what would it be?
(personally, I would bring an A1 without winder or motor
drive, but with a spare battery for the meter and shutter).

Just curious,
Dick R.


None of the above.

The F1n (the 'middle' version) will work without a battery, is built like a
brick you-know-what, and has additional features you can use in extreme
photographic situations (i.e. 1/2000 sec shutter, titanium shutter curtain).

If you wanna go cheap, a TLb or FTb, or other early fully manual camera
that's been CLA'd recently.

You didn't say what type of trip, but I guess any type of trip would place
special demands on your equipment when you're not in familiar surroundings.

FWIW, I own an A-1 and 2 F1n's, plus a group of prime glass. I will not
part with my F1n's. I've had them for almost 30 years (well 28 1/2). I
like my A-1, but that's the camera I hand to someone who didn't bring theirs
and wants to take pictures. No one else uses my F1n's. Or my Rollei
6008i's...........

Dick R. wrote:
Hi all,
There are probably several folks in this NG who still
use Canon FD equipment. I got started on the FD system
waaay back when I purchased a Canon FTb. Since then,
I've acquired some A1s, AE1s and T90s. The T90s are wonderful
cameras, but prone to problems, and repair is hard to
find.
Here is the question:
If you could only bring 1 Canon FD camera on a trip,
what would it be?
(personally, I would bring an A1 without winder or motor
drive, but with a spare battery for the meter and shutter).

Just curious,
Dick R.

My all time favorite (20 years ago) was an A1 with a 28-70 zoom lens.
Of course I never tried to make prints over 8x12 or used colour film
either but I have some gorgeous shots I took with this camera.

Sadly it died from shutter screech in the arid regions of Australia. The
only fault any of the F series cameras had was the "electro shutter".
Dust will kill 'em stone dead, real quick.

Dick R. wrote:

Hi all,
There are probably several folks in this NG who still
use Canon FD equipment.

Yup, and I'm still buying lenses, dirt cheap, from all the rabid digital
lemmings out there.

I got started on the FD system
waaay back when I purchased a Canon FTb. Since then,
I've acquired some A1s, AE1s and T90s. The T90s are wonderful
cameras, but prone to problems, and repair is hard to
find.

T90s have the sticky shutter issue (frequent use helps avoid it) but
seem otherwise bombproof.

Here is the question:

If you could only bring 1 Canon FD camera on a trip,
what would it be?

What are your criteria?

-Greg

If you could only bring 1 Canon FD camera on a trip,
what would it be?


I have the A1, AE1 Program and T70. My choice would be the AE1 Program,
which just seems simpler and more intuitive than the others, despite the A1
being considered the "pro" model.
FD lens of choice, if carrying one, would be the magnificent 35-105 constant
f3.5.
Other splendid FD lenses among the 10 or so I use are the 24mm f2.8, the
85mm f1.8 (maybe the sharpest 85mm I own, and the 70-210 f4 zoom. This zoom,
by the way, is the equal or better than any of numerous, comparable Nikons I
own and can be picked up very cheaply on eBay.
An aside: The best FD investment these days, believe it or not, is the FD
hoods. Their prices are soaring. The hood for the 35-105 zoom has sold for
more than $40 on eBay, and the hood for the 70-210 zoom may approach half
the cost of the lens, which can sometimes be had for $70.
Ken

If you could only bring 1 Canon FD camera on a trip,
what would it be?

My original issue Canon F-1. Solid, dependable, works without a
battery, great metering system.

John

Go-dot wrote:
If you could only bring 1 Canon FD camera on a trip,
what would it be?

My original issue Canon F-1. Solid, dependable, works without a
battery, great metering system.

John
Hey John,
If I only had purchased an F1 ... sigh.
I still have my FTb, and sometimes I think of going
back to it just for fun. The match needle metering
was very intuitive for me ... no buttons to push.
True that the F series cameras didn't need a battery
to operate the shutter, but as I recall they still
needed a mercury button cell to operate the meter.
Regardless, the F series cameras were great to take
camping - you could (almost) pound tent stakes with
them. :-)

Dick R.

On Fri, 16 Jun 2006 17:20:30 -0500, "Dick R." wrote:

Go-dot wrote:
If you could only bring 1 Canon FD camera on a trip,
what would it be?

My original issue Canon F-1. Solid, dependable, works without a
battery, great metering system.

John
Hey John,
If I only had purchased an F1 ... sigh.
I still have my FTb, and sometimes I think of going
back to it just for fun. The match needle metering
was very intuitive for me ... no buttons to push.
True that the F series cameras didn't need a battery
to operate the shutter, but as I recall they still
needed a mercury button cell to operate the meter.
Regardless, the F series cameras were great to take
camping - you could (almost) pound tent stakes with
them. :-)

Dick R.

Dick:

The F-1 is even more substantial (and heavy) than the FTb. I still
own 2 FTb's (one is a black FTbn) and the F-1. I bought all new back
in the early 1970s. I prefer the F-1 as the viewfinder is, in my
opinion, a simpler, more "pure" view than the FTb. Of all my film
cameras, these three will no doubt be functional 40 years or more from
today, which is more than I can say for the more plastic/electronic
cameras that followed. I really like the feel and sound of these
cameras, though I only shoot B&W in them, and only for artistic
pleasure. I use zinc-air cells in them, which provide a constant 1.4
volts as opposed to the mercury cell's 1.35 volts. That difference is
not significant. Alkaline batteries don't provide the necessary
constant voltage, and silver oxide batteries, at 1/5 volts are too
high (but some people use them aby adjusting the ASA dial.)

I'd love to have a digital back for the F-1, but that will never
happen. I mostly shoot digital now - the freedom from the darkroom is
truly liberating, and modern autofocus etc. allows me to focus on the
image and nearly ignore the technical side of things.

Still, I REALLY like my F-1.


John