Canon LTM Canon camera holders

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harry01562

harry01562

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I started just a casual glance over my few holders, and it developed into a larger project. I have some questions, and some answers.
Canon made at least 4 different types during the RF period. I posted some quick shots in my gallery of the models I own. I have 2 different types for the early bottom loading models. The first has a hole drilled for the strap hanger, but the top is otherwise solid, and curves around the wind knob. It came with a simple pigskin case, and is inscribed "Canon Camera Holder". The second type has a large cutout next to the wind knob, roughly shaped like a wide-topped U. It seems to come in a hard sided fitted case, with a snap pocket for the level bracket. "Japan" is added to the inscription, as well.
The third type was made for the larger Vt and Vt-D, and the later VI-T. I don't own
one of these, and would appreciate pics or description of the differences. I also question if it was made to use the trigger wind.
The last type adds "L" to the inscription, and came in a different type of hard sided case. Also, the level bracket is also black enamel, rather than chrome.
To sum up:
1st 2 types were used with the IV-S2 and earlier
3rd type by the VT/VT-D and the VI-T. The attachment is positioned under the right side on these, I believe. I would guess this is a scarce type.
4th type by the L-1, VL, VI-L, P and the 7, and possibly others. Here, the attachment is on the left, as are the earlier models. This type seems to be scarce.

As always, I'd appreciate any corrections, additions, et all.

Harry
Yes, I am an equipment junkie.... but I understand my problem, unlike my wife...
 
Last edited:
Ask and ye shall receive on RFF! Attached are some pictures of my Camera Holder VT.

Some description:

-- It's lettered "Canon CAMERA HOLDER VT Japan" on the front.

-- The finish is black enamel both on the main body and on the removable support foot. The inside is lined with black felt material on the baseplate and front upright.

-- The tripod fixing screw is on the right end (as viewed from the front) to match the tripod socket position on the trigger-wind cameras, which have their tripod sockets on the rewind end of the camera.

-- The casting does not cover the top of the camera at all; it only goes up the side. There is a squared-off notch in the casting just above the nameplate to provide clearance for the strap lug.

-- The case is soft-sided pigskin, closed via a zipper, and roughly triangular in outline. There's a snap pocket for the support foot along the long side. The case is stamped "Canon" in the upper-right corner.

-- To answer your question: No, the holder does NOT provide for use of the trigger winder. I suspect that Canon felt (and I'd agree) that most people would use the camera holder when they want to aim carefully with a tripod-mounted camera, and advancing via the top-mounted auxiliary knob is much less likely to throw off your aim than using the trigger.

Here are some pix; I'll attach the rest to another message. If you want high-res versions for your research, email me.
 
Here are some more pictures of the Camera Holder VT, including two showing it mounted on my VI-T:
 
JLW: Which version of the Vt is that? I notice a rewind crank instead of the rewind Knob that mine has.

My holder is stamped "L". Let me know if you need a shot of it.
 
holders

holders

Harry and jlw, thanks for the info. I have always wondered whether Canon made holders for the later rangefinders. A Dante Stella column mentions a holder for a P, but I have never seen one either in person or on eBay.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
JLW: Which version of the Vt is that? I notice a rewind crank instead of the rewind Knob that mine has.

My holder is stamped "L". Let me know if you need a shot of it.
Click to expand...

The camera body is a VI-T, not a Vt. It's the holder that's labeled Vt.

Looking at Harry's pix plus mine, it appears there were three different configurations for Canon's three different body configurations up to that time:


  • One with rounded ends for the bottom loaders.
  • One with angled ends and fixing screw on the advance end, for back-loaders with lever wind (L-series and P.)
  • One with angled ends and fixing screw on the rewind end, for back-loaders with trigger wind (Vt series and VI-T.)

Within those configurations there may have been different individual holder models, varying in such details as chrome or black finish on the support foot, type of case, etc.

Interesting speculation (interesting to Canon obsessionists, anyway) raised by all this: Was there a camera holder for the 7-series cameras?


Incidentally, for those who aren't familiar with these camera holders, you ought to see one someday. They're cast metal, super-rigid, and finished in black enamel of incredible depth and glossiness. Why Canon thought it was necessary to produce (apparently in a long production run of several models) such an elaborate accessory simply to do a better job of mounting the camera on a tripod...? Well, who knows what they were thinking, but whatever it was, it's an example of the kind of anal-retentive attention to detail that characterizes Canon stuff of that era, which is one reason some of us like their RF cameras so much!
 
I just got the Vi-T this week. Just noticed the tripod socket in the middle of the door latch key. The V-T does not have the latch. I wonder why Canon moved the tripid to the opposite side for the Canon 7 instead of leaving it where it was. The eyepiece on the VI-T is much larget than the V-T, and no low-speed dial should have been the tip. The Vt-Deluxe has the rewind crank.
 
Models of the camera holder

Models of the camera holder

Brian Sweeney said:
My holder is stamped "L". Let me know if you need a shot of it.
Click to expand...


The "L" holder is on the far left in my pics. As I mentioned, it is officially listed as the holder for the L-1, Vl, VI-L, P and the 7. It is also scarce, which is strange, since the production of these cameras was so high compared to the bottom loaders. I'd guess the holders were more commonly used with the much smaller IV-S2 and before models, hence more commonly found.
Anyone care to list other varities we haven't shown as yet??

Harry
 
More pics in my gallery

More pics in my gallery

Just posted a couple more pics in my gallery. They show a Model 7 mounted in the holder "L". I was originally going to put a 7sz in the holder, and discovered the tripod socket is on the rewind end, about an inch from the locking key. The holder would have had to be completely redesigned to accomadate this model, or the earlier 7s. I would speculate that sales were too limited to make production of a new holder a priority with Canon, and I doubt that one was ever made.
I never looked at the location of the tripod socket on the different 7's, even though I collect them like Joe does his P's :angel:

Harry
 
canon holder

canon holder

I have another variation. It is a canon camera holder with 3/8 inch threads tapped into 3 places on the bottom of the holder (left, center and right), and on the left side, while the two holes tapped on the center and upper right of the back are tapped for 1/4 inch threads. My canon IIIA and IVSb physically fit into the holder, but the cameras are tapped for a 1/4 inch thread and so do not mate with the big set screw on the bottom. My Canon VT, P and VI-T will not fit this holder either in footprint dimension or in screw size. The part of the holder incorporating the level is tapped for 1/4 on the horizontal screw mode and 3/8 inch in the vertical screw mode.

Other than these variations, this holder looks very much like my other holder with the gourgeous multi-layer black enamal finish tapped for 1/4 inch holes that fits my IIIA and IVSb.
 
Brian Sweeney said:
I just got the Vi-T this week. Just noticed the tripod socket in the middle of the door latch key. The V-T does not have the latch. I wonder why Canon moved the tripid to the opposite side for the Canon 7 instead of leaving it where it was.
Click to expand...

I'm indulging in speculation here, but I think Canon's preferred default position for the tripod socket was on the advance end. This would make sense in that less torque would be transmitted to the tripod attachment when advancing film (if the tripod socket were on the rewind end, the length of the camera body would act as a lever, tending to pull the camera off-target.)

They had to move the tripod socket on the lever-wind cameras because it was the attaching point for the bottom-mounted handgrip, which has to be on the end toward which you pull the trigger. Incidentally, this handgrip makes the trigger-wind cameras much more stable in use -- it lets your palm directly oppose the force on the trigger, so the camera stays steady as you wind.

On the 7, they returned the tripod socket location to its preferred default position (advance end) but on the 7s they had to move it again to make room for the battery compartment. At least this time they put it inboard of the locking key, so you didn't necessarily have to remove any baseplate-mounted accessories to change film! (as long as their mounting platforms were very small.)

Oh, about that locking key on the VI-T: You've probably already figured this out, but it isn't there just to make loading more difficult. It also rotates a pin in the film chamber that opened and closed Canon reloadable magazines, which had a pivoting baffle rather than a felt light trap and thus removed the risk of the felt scratching the film. Naturally, if you opened the back door while the magazine was still open, the film would be ruined, so Canon added this safety interlock to make it impossible to open the back until you had rotated the key. (I know, other manufacturers who offered reloadable magazines used similar systems.)

What's a nuisance on the VI-T is that if you are using the handgrip -- which, as I said, you really want to do, as it makes trigger-winding much more stable -- you can't change films without unscrewing it, because it covers up the locking key! Well, at least you can't with the camera in its stock configuration.

What I did with mine was pivot the locking key to the open position, then carefully remove the tiny setscrew at the side of it and take the key off. I carefully stored the key, so I can put the camera back to its original configuration whenever I want, and then put the handgrip back on. The handgrip completely covers the key recess, so nothing looks "missing." And now I can open the back just by pulling down on the side latch (like most other cameras of the era) without having to remove the handgrip. The side latch is plenty secure, and since I don't have any Canon reloadable magazines there's no fogging to worry about.

This simple modification really speeds up reloading of the VI-T if you've got the handgrip, and if you do, you may want to consider it.
 
dexdog said:
I have another variation. It is a canon camera holder with 3/8 inch threads tapped into 3 places on the bottom of the holder (left, center and right), and on the left side, while the two holes tapped on the center and upper right of the back are tapped for 1/4 inch threads.
Click to expand...

I didn't go into the size of the socket holes. My "L" holder has 3/8 inch tripod holes on the left side and on the bottom. There are only 2 holes drilled on the bottom of this model, as seen in one of my pics. The holes tapped on the center and upper right of the back are 1/4 inch, and are designed for the small foot that holds the level. Mine fits with the addition of the tripod adapter screws.

I'd be interested in seeing a pic of the holder that doesn't seem to fit anything, especially the lettering... The cameras do fit very snugly into the upright portion on the left.

Harry
 
useful tip on using handgrip

useful tip on using handgrip

jlw said:
What's a nuisance on the VI-T is that if you are using the handgrip -- which, as I said, you really want to do, as it makes trigger-winding much more stable -- you can't change films without unscrewing it, because it covers up the locking key! Well, at least you can't with the camera in its stock configuration.

What I did with mine was pivot the locking key to the open position, then carefully remove the tiny setscrew at the side of it and take the key off. I carefully stored the key, so I can put the camera back to its original configuration whenever I want, and then put the handgrip back on. The handgrip completely covers the key recess, so nothing looks "missing." And now I can open the back just by pulling down on the side latch (like most other cameras of the era) without having to remove the handgrip. The side latch is plenty secure, and since I don't have any Canon reloadable magazines there's no fogging to worry about.

This simple modification really speeds up reloading of the VI-T if you've got the handgrip, and if you do, you may want to consider it.
Click to expand...

I like this idea.... I have a VI-T that I've been using with the handgrip, and it is a nuisance to remove it each reload. Always find something worthwhile on this forum.

Harry
 
harry,

my grip looks just like the one in pic c, the one in the middle.
it just says, canon, camera holder.

but my lll/ivsb/p does not fit.

joe
 
backalley photo said:
harry,

my grip looks just like the one in pic c, the one in the middle.
it just says, canon, camera holder.

but my lll/ivsb/p does not fit.

joe
Click to expand...

Hi Joe,
The P won't fit into this holder, it is, I think, the earliest version. The others should slide in, with the strap lug fitting into the top hole on the upright. You can see it in the photo. It is a snug fit, and you cant have anything mounted in the lug, of course.
Harry
 
i tried the 2 bottom loaders/feeders but they do not want to go in.

i notice on the holder that the sides of the opening are scratched and scarred, looks like a few cameras were forced in.

joe
 
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