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Post by vintageslrs on Jan 27, 2009 9:03:33 GMT -5
Being a lover of the heavy manual focus, manual exposure SLR's and having collected same since 1980 (bought my first SLR in 1973, a Fujica ST 801) I have made 2 purchases very recently.
I have 72 SLR's currently and that's after a couple of purges......
I always stayed away from the two most professional grade SLR's of the era I like to collect and use. Mostly because they were just a bit more expensive than I could justify and there was always a different, lower priced SLR I wanted also.
But last week I ordered from KEH a Nikon Photomic FTn and from ebay a Canon F-1.
I am anxiously awaiting their arrival and can't wait to finally get to use them.
I have among the other 72, several Canon FT and Ftb's and Nikkormats FTn and FT-2's....so I sort of know what to expect....but I am finally ready to experience, what to me is the ultimate of that era of SLR's.
Bob
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Post by renaldo on Jan 27, 2009 9:11:58 GMT -5
Have never used the Nikon, but do have the Canon F-1 and it is one great piece of machinery that you will love to shoot.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2009 12:54:43 GMT -5
Bob: The Photomic FTn was (is) a great camera. I owned three of them new, including one with the 36 exp MD . The meters used the old mercury cells but a friend who is a REAL Nikon expert says you can probably use 1.5 v silver batteries and the meter will read withing a stiop of less of where it should. You can also recalibrate the meter to the newer batteries.
I have a FTn body and one with the TN meter. Both work although the FTn camera film counter doesn't work.
Wayne
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Post by vintageslrs on Jan 27, 2009 13:46:20 GMT -5
Renaldo--thanks....for the kind words. I am looking forward to enjoying the F-1.
Wayne--thanks...appreciate your opinion. I'm not worried about the meter at all....won't even put batteries in it. i always use a hand-held meter or my head. But I am so looking forward to using the Nikon.
Having both of these stalwarts to use and enjoy is a dream come true to me. I have lusted after them in the '70's and beyond.
Can't wait for them to arrive!
Bob
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PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Jan 27, 2009 15:02:50 GMT -5
Bob:
Can't say anything about the Nikon because I've never owned a Nikon SLR but I've had, and still have both the early and later Canon F1 and they are both lovely cameras to use. A bit bulky, especially with the motor drive hanging on the bottom, but still well balanced.
I found the metering spot-on. In fact, Valerie used to use her F1 as an 'exposure meter' for her Hasselblad which was usually loaded with Fujichrome transparency film for taking pictures for magazine covers and full A4 magazine pages.
She didn't find the 6x6 square format of the Hasselblad as convenient for this as a 6x9 format because she had to keep in mind that most times the picture would have the sides, or top and bottom, cropped to fit the A4 format, but she got used to it.
Nice things too about the F1s are that they will accept all the Canon FD and even FL lenses, and run on readily obtainable silver oxide batteries which last me about a year, and normal rechargeable AA batteries, or even alkaline AA at a pinch, in the motor drive. I'm sure you'll enjoy yours.
As an example of the quality of Canon lenses, back in the 1980s Valerie did a commissioned shoot for one magazine, all on 35mm Kodachrome which they insisted on. They liked the pictures, and said they would like to use one on the cover but they never used smaller than 5x4 for the cover "because you can't get the same quality from smaller formats" Could she please shoot this picture again on 5x4.
The fee offered for a cover picture was very attractive, but reshooting it would have meant a day's travelling plus hire of a 5x4 camera and a pack of expensive 5x4 transparency film, and in any case the lighting would probably be all wrong second time around.
So what Valerie did was take a very similar Kodachrome 35mm picture taken during the shoot on the Canon F1. She indicated where she wanted it cropped, ran it round to our local pro laboratory, explained the position and asked them to copy it on to 100 ASA 5x4 sheet transparency film. This they did, and the magazine accepted it saying "See, we told you so. You need 5x4 for a really sharp crisp cover picture"!!
PeterW
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Post by vintageslrs on Jan 27, 2009 15:49:39 GMT -5
PeterW
Thank you for your kind words and well wishes.
I loved your story---it was great! Valerie was my kinda gal!!!
Goes to show ya just what the magazine knew eh?
Yes, I have a number of nice FD and FL lenses to use on it...and I do know just how good those lenses are. The results I get from them always impress me and often astound me.
I guess it is obvious that I am psyched!
;D
Bob
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casualcollector
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Post by casualcollector on Jan 27, 2009 17:08:36 GMT -5
After about thirty years of using a Canon F-1 and about forty years after my one and only experience with a Nikon F, I picked up a nice looking FTn in 2005 and had it CLAd. First impression: Man, what a clunker! I did get some very good pictures using Wayne's former Kiron zoom. Thanks, Wayne! I think the eyepiece diopter is different between the Canon and Nikon as I had trouble focusing with the Nikon and still have no trouble with any of my Canons.
If the Nikon had a plain prism with the right eyepiece, I'd probably love it.
Bill
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Post by Deleted on Jan 27, 2009 18:03:44 GMT -5
My only experience with the Canon F1 was in the military when our public information unit got a brand new one. At that time I was shooting Nikon Fs on my own time and the Canon struck me as heavy and clunky and the way lens mounted drove me nuts. Of course I was used to the Nikon which is exactly opposite of every other brand. It's all a matter of what you are used to, I guess.
The Nikon F with the FTn finder was the best of the early Fs because the lenses autoindexed with the finder if you turned the f-stop ring rioght and left as far as it would go when you mounted the lens. On the earlier finders you had to manually set the widest lens opening. The Nikon split image focusing screen worked great for me. In thiose days I had a plain prism I occassionally used, too (nobody wanted them then). Not the prisms are worth more than the F bodies.
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Post by vintageslrs on Jan 28, 2009 15:52:28 GMT -5
Well, one of them arrived today:  and what a solid little gem it is. ;D Bob |
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Post by renaldo on Jan 28, 2009 16:16:23 GMT -5
Hey Mr. Bob...
I think I see two marks on it...one where your thrumb grapst it as you hugged it...and the other looks like from, ah, lips. Did you welcome the darling with a kiss too??
Remember, our cameras are out faithful and loved babies.
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casualcollector
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Post by casualcollector on Jan 28, 2009 17:13:15 GMT -5
Well, Bob. Looks like you have an F-1n, the 1976 update of the original. The shutter release has a bigger surround, the wind lever has a plastic tip and ASA speeds go to 3200, I think. There should be a film box end holder on the back and a hinged cover over the PC outlet. All changes to the original F-1. The later F-1N is a completely different beast. I love 'em both!
Wayne. You're not the only one driven nuts by Canon's breech lock bayonet! I never had a problem with it. It is a bit less convenient than a regular bayonet. At my level of experience i still find it more convenient than having to "genuflect" every time I mount a lens on the FTn.
Nikon finally made life a lot easier with the AI system. Canon did same with their "New FD" lenses.
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Post by vintageslrs on Jan 28, 2009 17:47:18 GMT -5
Hey Mr. Bob... I think I see two marks on it...one where your thrumb grapst it as you hugged it...and the other looks like from, ah, lips. Did you welcome the darling with a kiss too?? Remember, our cameras are out faithful and loved babies. Yes, renaldo---I did (once it warmed up to room temperature) I hugged and kissed it....  and welcomed it to the collection. Bob |
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Post by vintageslrs on Jan 28, 2009 18:01:31 GMT -5
Yes, Bill...it does have the bigger surround on the shutter release and the plastic tip on the film advance lever and and ASA speeds do go to 3200 and film box end holder on the back. So, I will from now on call it correctly an F-1 (Later Model) or a F-1N.  Bob |
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Post by renaldo on Jan 28, 2009 20:04:05 GMT -5
I have 5 lenses for my Canon F-1 ranging from 28 to 600mm. Plus a flash...and the grip.
With my increasing hand shaking, the heavy outfits do me better.
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Post by vintageslrs on Jan 29, 2009 8:12:16 GMT -5
renaldo I can see how the heavy body is good for that situation. And also that heavy solid feeling is an awfully good feeling almost all the time. (bespeaks of quality!) Bob |
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and welcomed it to the collection.