New To Camera Collecting

[Mark Vaughan]

Drako,

I do not own Canons, but have also heard that the FTb is a grand machine. Wasn't it one of the first ever AE Shutter Priority cameras? If I started collecting Canons, I'd be in BIG trouble with my wife...!

Mark

[casualcollector]

FTb, the midrange camera that made Canon's name after they finally got things RIGHT. I owned an FT as a teenager. It was the FTb's stop down metering predecessor. The FT was a great camera but it had stop down, match needle metering. It matched the Pentax Spotmatic in that regard but was a step behind The Minolta SRT-101 and Nikkormat FTn with full aperture metering. Canon reworked their lens line to allow full aperture metering then introduced the F-1 and FTb.

The FTb is a grand machine. Well made and nearly reliable as an anvil. It is a match needle camera and not auto exposure. It came in two varieties. The FTb of 1971 to 1974 and the FTb-n that followed. The "n" is not on the camera, you have to look for some detail changes. A plastic tip was added to the wind lever, the self timer lever is black with a white line, there's a swing aside cover over the PC outlet and a shutter speed display in the viewfinder.

The FTb, being introduced as late as it was (though before the Pentax Spotmatic F) is kind of a me too camera but it may be the greatest me too 35mm SLR ever manufactured.

[felixkh]

Wow, there are lots of collectors around.

So far these are what I have:
Canon AE-1
Pentax PZ-20 (Z-20 in Singapore) (Dead LCD)
Pentax PZ-10 (Z-10 in Singapore)
Chinon CP-7m
Ricoh XR-P x 2
Pentax Super A x 2
pentax MZ-M
Pentax PZ-1 SE (Z-1 SE in Singapore)
Pentax MZ-S Titanium

On the way:
Ricoh XR-20SP
Chinon CE-4S
Vivitar V4000

Thinking of:
Vivitar V3800N
Voightlander VSL 43

[Mark Vaughan]

Felixkh,

Welcome aboard. Looks like you're well on the way to a Pentax monopoly. I collect Nikons and Minoltas, but am looking seriously at Ricohs and Mamiyas as well.

Take care!
Mark