Canon FTb QL

[Rathjen]

Hello, I have an old 35mm Canon FTb QL with three lenses: a Vivitar 52mm 2.8 wide angel, a Canon 50mm 1.8 and a Soligor 135mm 2.8. I've been looking into rangefinder cameras lately because one thing caught my eye on a wikipedia page. The way rangefinders focus looks exactly like how all the lenses focus on this camera according to this image:

The question I have is: were there any rangefinder lenses made for 35mm cameras? I don't know much about rangefinders, so I don't know if there are any other differences other than the way they focus.

Thanks
Mike

 

[bgb]

I have a Ftb too 🙂

The rangefinder bit is in the camera body not the lens

Even if the lens from a rangefinder was to fit on an slr it would not focus like a rangefinder

If you like the focusing of the rangefinder camera go buy one some good ones can be had for little money

 

[BillBingham2]

I'm not sure what the question is you are asking. Could you please reword your question?

Thanks.

B2 (;->

 

[Rathjen]

Thanks BGB.

Bill- I was just wondering if my camera lenses were somehow rangefinder lenses. I haven't had any experience with rangefinder cameras, so I wasn't sure what to think xD

 

[bmattock]

The split image ring in some film SLR camera viewfinders looks and acts like a focus spot on a rangefinder camera, but they are not the same. A rangefinder camera functions differently.

 

[payasam]

The FTb is a single lens reflex camera or SLR.

 

[Trius]

Rangefinder lenses are lenses made for rangefinder cameras, whether fixed on a body or interchangeable. SLR lenses are made for SLRs.

Normally you cannot use rangefinder lenses on an SLR due to the rear element(s) of the lens extending too deeply into the body, thereby impinging on the mirror of the SLR.

SLR lenses can sometimes be used on a rangefinder by using an adapter. However, it's not a very useful setup, and the adapters are typically pretty expenssive.

My question is: why are you asking this? What is it about "rangefinder lenses" that you think would be of benefit on your FTb, if that is your interest.

 

[Rathjen]

My question is: why are you asking this? What is it about "rangefinder lenses" that you think would be of benefit on your FTb, if that is your interest.

I'm not looking to put a rangefinder lens on my SLR, I was confused and thought that my SLR had a rangefinder lens on it. I don't know anything about rangefinder cameras xD

 

[payasam]

There's no such thing as a "rangefinder lens". Rangefinders are built into camera bodies or are (were) independent units.

 

[Dwig]

I'm not looking to put a rangefinder lens on my SLR, I was confused and thought that my SLR had a rangefinder lens on it. I don't know anything about rangefinder cameras xD

Your confusion is understandable. If you take the lens off of your FTb and look through the camera you'll see that the split RF spot on the focusing screen is still there. This means that it is an attribute of the camera and not the lens.

The split image RF prism in an SLR does work very much like the RF optics in a classic rangefinder camera. Both display two images, each from a different vantage point and only when the two images align is the lens in focus. The RF spot in an SLR work by comparing the image as seen from one side of the lens to that seen through the other. This looking though two different sides is why the RF spot will black out when a lens is too slow or when you press the DOF lever with the lens set to a small f/stop; the prisms are looking too far to either side to see light at the small aperture.

An RF camera uses two separate windows and combines the images. Modern RF cameras superimpose the two images, but many early RF cameras presented two separate images, one above the other, in the same manner as the RF prisms in an SLR. The other big difference is that an RF camera must couple its rangefinder to the lens' focusing mechinism mechanically. In olden days the linkage was sometime via your eyes and fingers (you read a dial on the RF and transfered the setting to the lens). Almost all RF cameras for over a half century have used some from of cam, lever, and sometimes gear system to do this internally.

 

[Rathjen]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up, Dwig. Now I know something about range finders, at least!

 

[aniMal]

The FTb QL is a sturdy old camera, I used one to train for repairs for a while.

One day I boiled it for 5 minutes, then threw it out the window from the 6th floor. It hit the asphalt, and I let it cool down in the snow. After picking it up I put it directly on the stove, steam whistling out ot it.

It managed to do about 30 exposures afterwards in fact......

 

[amateriat]

aniMal: I'll bet the pot you boiled the poor thing in wouldn't have handled that much abuse! 😉


- Barrett

 

[aniMal]

Yes, probably!

This was more than 15 years ago, I did it mainly to provoke all the gear-heads. Should perhaps do it more often, just afraid that modern cameras won´t be able to take it! 🙂