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Post by majicman on Feb 11, 2007 22:47:49 GMT -5
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casualcollector
Lifetime Member
In Search of "R" Serial Soligors
Posts: 619
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Post by casualcollector on Feb 12, 2007 6:26:16 GMT -5
My first 35mm, bought when I was a teenager. I think it's a great camera. I have a damaged FTb that probably uses the same mounting flange. Unfortunately, everything is in storage until I'm in a new home. That will be a few months yet.
Bill
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Post by doubs43 on Feb 12, 2007 16:57:12 GMT -5
I'd urge you to look for a "parts" body that doesn't work and make a good one of your FT which should be a fine camera.
Walker
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Post by vintageslrs on Feb 12, 2007 22:49:38 GMT -5
majicman Both Sherri and myself have Canon FT models.... They are great cameras! Well worth looking for the part you need. I think you will find it fun to use and a superb tool to help you make great photos. Built like a tank and extremely durable. Bob
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Feb 13, 2007 1:08:36 GMT -5
Majicman,
I have an FTb that I used for about 10 years. It is an excellent, solid performer that is a pleasure to handle. The QL (Quick Load ) mechanism has yet to be equalled in my opinion. There is a great range of FD lenses and accessories available now at reasonable prices. It is certainly well worth putting into operating condition. Go for it.
Mickey
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Post by majicman on Feb 13, 2007 22:54:32 GMT -5
Does anyone know were I might be able to buy just this part?
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PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Feb 14, 2007 15:58:27 GMT -5
Hi majicman,
Pity that the lens flage is missing from your FT.
I don't want to put a damper on things but I think you may find there's a little more to it than just getting another flange.
It's about 10 years since I went inside an earlier Canon (they're that reliable), but if I remember rightly you get to the lens flange mounting screws after you take off the front decorative plate which is held by a screw at the bottom (some models also had a screw each side at the top but I can't remember which they were).
The flange is held by four screws, so far things are easy.
BUT here's the awkward bit - Canon didn't use paper shims to adjust the lens flange to film plane distance like some other manufacturers, they used individual very thin shim spacer washers behind the lens flange at each of the four screws. The spacers were adjusted to put the lens flange the correct distance away from the film plane, and also to adjust for parallelism if necessary.
When you took a lens flange off it was absolutely necessary to keep these spacers in their correct positions. They came in a range of thicknesses from about 0.05mm to 0.35mm, and Canon repair shops used to keep supplies of them in small bags.
If you plan to fit a lens flange from another camera (and try to get the fixing screws with it because the right ones are hard to find) you should also get four spacer washers, but these were chosen for individual cameras, and you ought really to have a supply of these spacers for adjustment, but where you will get them I don't know.
Canon UK used to sell them but they haven't got any left, nor has the company in the UK that took over all the older Canon spare parts. You would have to make some from paper or thin shim stock.
You'll also need a vernier or micromemter depth gauge, and something flat like a piece of gauge plate or mirror glass to sit on the film rails, to measure the flange to film plane distance at each screw.
IMHO THIS ACCURACY OF LENS FLANGE TO FILM RAIL DISTANCE, PLUS ADJUSTMENT FOR PERFECT PARALLELISM, GAVE CANON'S LENSES THE EXCELLENT REPUTATION THEY DESERVE.
I'm speaking from memory, so please DON'T take this as gospel, but I think the distance from the front of the lens flange to the film rails on all the FL and FD cameras is 42.1mm -0 +.05mm. PLEASE CHECK THIS IN SOMETHING LIKE A REPAIR MANUAL BEFORE YOU START.
PeterW
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PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Feb 14, 2007 18:02:16 GMT -5
Hi,
Just a rambling addendum to my posting on lens flange to film plane distance. It applies to any camera, not just Canons.
Some amateur camera tinkerers like me on various forums say they find difficulty in getting thin material to make shims and spacer washers. They just don't look around them. I usually don't bother to reply now as I've been flamed a couple of times for being too 'fussy' about tenths of a millimetre.
I've often used ordinary laser printing paper and kitchen foil for these shims.
Just as guidance with info that might help somebody who's as 'fussy' as me, I just measured the thickness of some some foil and paper using a digital read-out vernier. Figures were surprisingly consistent across different brands. The averages were:
Kitchen baking foil 0.014mm, Rizla brand cigarette paper 0.030mm, 80gsm laser printing paper 0.072mm, 90gsm paper 0.110 mm. 250gsm smooth white card 0.260mm.
I'd also mention a tip I got from a Swiss precision instrument maker many years ago. He worked on automatic lathes for tiny mechanical watch parts. The tip is to use U-shaped open-ended washer pieces at the screws instead of circular washers to adjust for final lens flange parallelism on almost any camera. For lens-shutter assemblies like Compurs or Prontors use arc-shaped pieces. You can loosen the screws or screw ring and slip them underneath the flange with tweezers to avoid taking the whole flange off each time.
Just something useful to enter into your repair notebook. If you buy a camera that an amateur repair enthusiast's had apart, don't expect the lens flange to film plane distance to be accurate. You might be lucky, but tinkerers are notorious for loosing shims. The same applies to the angle of the mirror on SLRs and TLRs, and the position of the ground glass screen on TLRs.
It's worth checking things like that on old cameras and, if necessary, putting them right. They won't give their best if things like this are wrong. It isn't rocket science to put them right, yet very few amateurs seem to bother about them. They just run down the reputation of a camera on the basis of one badly adjusted example.
BTW, in my opinion adjustments smaller than about 0.2mm are hardly worth making on folding cameras. The lens standards or panels usually aren't rigid enough to warrant the trouble, even on well made cameras like Super Ikontas.
Oh yes, I'd add a digital vernier caliper with a depth gauge attachment to the list of 'useful tools' for camera repair. In the past few years the price has dropped dramatically, and even the cheap ones are accurate if you take care of them.
On older 'sliding rail' folders you're lucky if the lens flange to film distance is within 0.5mm of specification, and the lens standard is anything approaching parallel to the film plane.
But the majority of these had lenses with a maximum aperture of about f/6.3, or f/4.5 maybe as a selling point, and when closed down a couple of stops the back depth of focus is usually tolerant enough to take care of minor errors except right at the edges of the picture.
Have fun tinkering, and read all you can about camera repair. It's a dying art, but there's hours of interest and satisfaction (plus a good dose of frustration at times) to be got from it. Beats TV any day!
PeterW
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Post by majicman on Feb 14, 2007 20:53:51 GMT -5
Thank you very very much. I was wondering about the shims being needed, all this information is extremely helpful. I align pumps at work for chill water systems so I have shim material and a micrometer, depth gage and caliper and with the distance from the lens flange to the film rails that you have given me { and I will double check } this information has been very helpful. I'm use to being fussy about alignments because if I align something and its out of specs it can cause premature wear on a component.Also I don't watch much TV I always have to be tinkering with something I have enough hobbies to last two lifetimes.
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