Canon F-1

[bgb]

so here's the thing ...

When I was a lad with an Ftb and a pocket full of Tri-X I lusted after a Canon F-1 but it was way out of my reach.

Today i found one at a local dealer at a price I can afford, it's in excellent condition and I trust the dealer. It's the first F-1 not the F-1n and they reckon its metering well on a std alkaline.

After all this time I'm wondering if I won't be terribly disappointed with this vintage camera ... I use a Nikon F80 now that is light and has all the bells and whistles yet I'm still tempted.

What i would like to know is .... do any of you still use an F-1 are you happy with it, does it still hold its own with all these flash whiz bang cameras.

Cheers,

Brian

 

[kbg32]

Only you can answer that for yourself. I used one when I was younger and loved it. A well made, solid platform. It is not a whiz bang camera by today's standards, but back then.......!!!

 

[Mister E]

You're talking to people on a site that shoot cameras at least 20 years more obsolete than the F1. Of course you can use it to make great pictures. I'd get the F1n.

 

[wlewisiii]

My two slr's are a FTbN & a F2. Both are manual everything. I even had the Canon overhauled & meter adjusted for silver oxide. Even though I once owned a T90, arguably the finest pro SLR ever made, I consider this generation to be even more enjoyable to shoot with.

A good user F1? Grab it and run like you know who was chasing you. Stick a FD BL 35/2 chrome nose or 50/1.4 SSC on it and have a dream camera.

I hope to add one to the stable someday but I've got a really sweet black FTbN for now 😉

William

 

[raid]

I have a F1n and F1N. The old F1 is a light tight box for the film. It is reliable and solid, but it an old camera that may require a check on the shutter speeds. The lens is mor important. I liked the mirror lock-up feature in the F1n.

 

[stupid leica]

i plan on buying a "New" F1N here in the coming months. The F1, in all styles, is a totally worthy camera of your time and money.

 

[David Murphy]

I used to own the original F1. It is a very solid camera and highly recommended if you are going the Canon FD/FL lens direction. I'd compare it to the Nikon F2 - similar in many respects.

 

[garyvot]

FWIW, there were two variants of the first generation, all-mechanical F-1: the original model, with the all-metal 180-degree stroke wind lever, and the "F-1n", a minor revision having a shorter stroke, 120 degree wind lever (with a plastic thumb tip) and a few other changes. This camera is considered by some (myself included) to be one of the smoothest operating and aesthetically pleasing SLR cameras made.

The second-generation F-1 from 1980 is what many people refer to as the "F-1N" but in fact is called the "New F-1". This camera featured a hybrid electronically-timed shutter (for speeds below 1/60), AE operation via specific finders, and an interesting metering system that allowed for changing in the metering pattern via use of different focusing screens. It had an unusual matte finish and a mechanical action that if reassuringly solid, felt a bit more workmanlike than jewel-like.

I shot professionally with these camera for years, and still own both models today. Can't really go wrong with either, provided you understand what you are giving up to use vintage gear.

FYI, the first-generation F-1 used a type of battery that is no longer made. The closest modern battery provides a slightly different voltage which can throw off the meter. You used to be able to buy adpaters, or a competent repairman could modify the camera circuitry. However, it's been at least 10 years since I've looked into this; not sure who out there can do this work reliably now.

 

[kuzano]

No camera meters well on alkaline for very long

No camera meters well on alkaline for very long

so here's the thing ...

Today i found one at a local dealer at a price I can afford, it's in excellent condition and I trust the dealer. It's the first F-1 not the F-1n and they reckon its metering well on a std alkaline.

First, let me say I love the Canon F1, along with other favorites, the A1 and the EF.

However, using any alkaline battery solution will not work well. Alkalines have a voltage curve that drops fast. The batteries will be a bit high on voltage for a few days. Then they will enter a period of nearly right that may last 2-3 weeks. After about a month the voltage curve is too low and still dropping.

Battery technology that stays stable are mercury (outllawed), Silver Oxide, Zinc-Air (Wein) and Lithium.

Lithium is a bit harsh for old circuits. My solution is Wein Cells which stay stable (flat curve) for me about 6 months.

If it's a nice F1, I'd probably buy it. These cameras generally give excellent reliability, but it's the metering and the lenses that deliver the goods. Both systems are very capable. However, I'd be prepared to deal with working out a battery solution that supports the metering system properly.

 

[bgb]

thank you all for you comments

I have been on the web looking at articles and have downloaded the instruction manual, guess i will have to make a decision soon 🙂

I wondered about the battery as i have an Ftb which i ran on hearing aid batteries for a while, alas it was on of those auction bargains that is truly dirty and unloved ... still sitting on the shelf indeed of a serious cla

The dealer tells me he has had it for 2 months with no real interest so i guess there is no need for me to rush the decision.

Back to the research .... thanks again.

Brian

 

[jmcd]

The F-1 and F-1n are both great cameras. With a good meter cell the battery is accurate across the scale, from dim light to bright, powered by a Criscam adapter and silver oxide battery, with the meter calibrated to the original 1.35 voltage.

The camera can be adjusted to the 1.5 volt alkaline, and though this works well in some cameras, I think it does not work as superbly across the scale as the Criscam adapter, which, as noted above, stays accurate for the life of the battery.

 

[berlincontemporary]

What i would like to know is .... do any of you still use an F-1 are you happy with it, does it still hold its own with all these flash whiz bang cameras.

Thats a funny question to ask on rff. You either want a manual focus film camera or not I´d say.

 

[bgb]

That's a funny question to ask on rff. You either want a manual focus film camera or not I´d say.

Not so funny if you ask it in the Evil SLR section and most of us shoot more than one type of camera and there are some who seem to shoot them all 🙂

My F80 is of course auto-focus and lucky for me i can switch it to manual, overall I can't say i like auto focus much and as the F-1 was something i really wanted once i thought the question was worth asking.

Guess i could have looked at a Nikon F ... almost any model or a manual focus camera from another brand, I hear Konica are excellent 🙂

Thanks jmcd i found the adapter website 🙂

 

[filmfan]

I had an f-1n and really liked it. I never used the meter even though it's easy to compensate for the inaccuracy due to new batteries' higher voltage (or whatever it is) than the camera was originally designed to use. Just turn the meter off and shoot.

 

[al1966]

I got an original F1 around 87, I could have got a T90 but playing with the F1 in the shop made me change m mind. She came with a 50 f1.2 which sort of sealed the deal. I have the desire to get one again, to be honest its not my favorite camera of yesteryear that goes to the AE1p. I worked for a month on a trawler (4hours on 4 hours off) and the main thing I bought was the AE1p with the money. Of the manual focus slr cameras my heart is all Canon, we still shoot film through an AE1, AE1p and the wifes AV1.
With classic SLR cameras there are a few mounts that are worth thinking about, I have been tempted to get at various times a Nikon F, the Minolta equivalent and then there is the Konica cameras. All that being said the F1 is a tough camera, I dropped mine half way down a cliff and it still worked!! good price buy and run.

 

[mynikonf2]

My first "serious to me" camera was a Canon Ftbn & like you, I lusted after the F-1. I was eventually able to get a F-1n & loved it. I traded it all on a Nikon F2 & the rest is history for me. But, I still get tempted whenever I see a nice F-1 or especially a F-1n for sale. If the right oppurtunity presents itself to me, I will own one again...go for it!

 

[Tom Harrell]

I have an F-1 and use it without the meter! The battery is obsolete/ discontinued type! The last time I bought a battery for it was at the Frankfort airport! The F-1 is the camera I go to when I must have a SLR and all mechanical function! It is built like a tank! I also have a Nikon F2 that I use for the same purpose! Both the Nikon F2 and Canon F-1 are about the same!
Tom