Reiska
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Post by Reiska on Aug 7, 2007 11:54:04 GMT -5
I have never seen this model of Canon before. Today it catched my eye in a local rummage sale. It is in mint condition and features are overflowing. It has a motor drive (I don't know yet how many FPS), autofocus, actually it is totally focus free. It has a red eye reduction and lens is made in Japan (They are famous of the extreme optical quality) and what is most important it looks great. I didn't remove the price tag yet. It gives even more prestige to my purchase ;D Don't you think, that I paid that sum of the camera. No, the dealer gave me minus 30% because this was his last exemplar. Od thing is, that I can't find this model in any catalogue. I think, this camera has to be some kind of the prototype or something. I feel sorry for the seller. He didn't obviously know the value of this camera but the deal is a deal.
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PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Aug 7, 2007 17:55:40 GMT -5
This is a new one on me Reiska. It looks suggestive of a more elaborate version of one of Canon's Snappy or Sure-Shot ranges of point and shoot cameras but, like you, I can't find it in in any catalogues, nor in the Canon museum.
I wonder, as you do, whether or not it was a model that never went into production. Interesting - and rather tantalising.
Be interested to learn if anyone's come across another one.
PeterW
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Aug 7, 2007 19:13:11 GMT -5
Reiska, I am very suspicious. This looks a little like an elegant camera that I posted here several months ago with the Argus logo on it. Someone else posted a similar camera here a few weeks ago. I can't remember who. It is a beautiful, jazzed up version of a box camera. Does the lens say "Focus Free" "Optical Lens"? Mine has a motor drive and a self timer that beeps very loudly. The wheel on the top is an off/on and rewind switch. The front "element" is merely a piece of plain glass. It has square aperture settings from f6.3 to f16. A single shutter speed. Waist level and eye level viewfinders. The film plane is slightly curved - unusual but not rare. Often an attempt to compensate for a poor lens. I'll wager there is a label or marking somewhere that says "Made In China". There is also a gold label that looks like the Japanese approval label. This one says "PASSED QC 6. Now I am beginning to wonder if these cameras were even authorized by Canon or Argus or whatever the other one claimed to be. It really is a rather nice, all plastic camera. I don't mean to be a killjoy but I would estimate its value at about $25.00 if it can produce acceptable pictures. I have not put a film through it. Admittedly Canon is far more prestigious than Argus. Mickey
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Post by Rachel on Aug 8, 2007 2:52:23 GMT -5
Looks rather a neat camera but the fake SLR appearance makes me agree with Mickey. Don't think Canon would be too happy if that's so.
Taking another look at it, the "pentaprism" appears to be a kind of waist-level finder.
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Reiska
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Post by Reiska on Aug 8, 2007 8:17:38 GMT -5
Mickey, Your version is absolutely an Golden 70th Annual release of Argus. It has a rare optical lens which partly proves my supposition. I wonder how they are able to ad a red eye reduction without a flash, how innovative! The curved film plane is certainly to obtain perfect panodramas. Thanks you all for sharing my delight ;D It is allready on my Canon page. Just scroll down: www.thecamerasite.net/01_SLR_Cameras/Pages/canon-SLR.htm#av1
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Aug 8, 2007 9:05:01 GMT -5
Reiska,
Since getting this "rare" camera I have been hunting feverishly for a "Non optical lens". No luck so far.
"Panodramas". Of course. I should have thought of that.
Red eye elimination is simple. The flash head is offset far enough from the lens so that red eye is not produced. And if yours has no flash that too would automatically eliminate red eye.
As for your renaming competition, may I enter "Plasticam Sinonippon Bogusfocus PDQ"?
++++++++++
Rachel,
The "Pentaprism" is. indeed, "a kind of waist-level finder". It is, unkindly, a very dim kind. It seems to be unique as it is only sharp at 8'. Everything before and beyond is reduced to a pleasant fuzz.
Mickey
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Post by herron on Aug 8, 2007 10:02:43 GMT -5
Looks like another collection of plastic Chinese-made knock-offs. Fun to play with (like LensBabies, perhaps, or Holgas), but definitely less than an ideal shooter. In your renaming competition I would like to submit "WhatCopyright?100"
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Reiska
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Post by Reiska on Aug 9, 2007 3:53:22 GMT -5
As Ron dropped a hint, there is a clear copyright offense in both cases, Canon and Argus.
Nikkei or Olympia could also be considered as a conscious diversion. Rachel and other "photogenically cognizants" are able to see the fraud but not all.
I have seen in the movies, that in the Old Wild West this kind of snake oil merchants would have been mildly tared or bound up a bolted horse. (I know, my English hobbles again ;D ;D
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Post by John Parry on Aug 9, 2007 16:29:12 GMT -5
Reijo - in that context, maybe your English is stilted, but hobbled? No. You would hobble a horse (by tying its front knees together to stop it wandering off during the night). I love your posts because your language is what we would call 'quaint' - meaning slightly out of date. I don't mind that at all, but maybe you could look for a more modern dictionary!! Any time you like, send me a PM.
Best Regards - John
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Aug 19, 2007 23:45:16 GMT -5
Heh Heh, thanks for the wheeze Reiska. I have an old, all-black eos 500 (Rebel in the US) that this particular eyesore was obviously cribbed from. The real eos 500 is plasticky enough, but your camera takes the concept to a level of high art. A Halina 'TLR' for the nineties (I should imagine that was this wee gobbler's heyday). I like the way features like the focus assist lamp and the lens release have made in faux form on the 'Canon' (How's Faux-Cuss 500 for a name?) yet the 'stylist' couldn't resist some extra screen printing to add that pizazz that the plain black original lacked. That big swoop down the front is SO pretty. Here in NZ we have a 'Small Claims Court', which is free of lawyers and designed especially to assist the victim of the kind of rort which sees these fakes passed off as the real thing. 'If ya don't pay up I'll take ya ta small claims' has become the battle-cry of the aggrieved party in many a petite dispute! A friend of a friend is an inspector with the copyright police in Hong-Kong. When he turns up at parties, everyone hastily hides their fake Gucci. ;D He says though, that they've given up on that kind of stuff. The big companies are really concentrating on product that'll harm their reputation - a G-string with their logo on it or such like - rather than regular old knock-offs, which everybody knows are fake anyway. I wonder though, whether Canon might view this particular 'camera' with a somewhat jaundiced eye - that screen printing is pretty offensive in my book
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