Canon FD beauty contest

[Monz]

The Tank

The Canon T90 was launched in 1986. It was an extraordinary camera, possibly the best manual focus SLR camera ever made. Certainly, it was Canon’s finest hour in the pre-autofocus era. The body was designed by German industrial designer Luigi Colani, who is famed for his rounded, “organic” designs.

Ergonomically, the camera was beautifully balanced and incredibly comfortable to hold. It is the ancestor of the modern EOS body design that you see in cameras such as the 5D mk2 which was used to take this photograph. The T90 was rugged, incorporated three motor systems, had a built-in 5fps winder (!), used 4 easy to find AA batteries and had an extremely sophisticated metering system (even by today’s standards) which included a multi-spot metering mode. Its dedicated flashgun was also a fantastic piece of engineering. The T90 was dubbed “The Tank” by the Japanese press because of its ruggedness.

Sadly, the T90 was born at the wrong time, just at the dawn of the auto-focus era. Within 2 years, it was superseded by the Canon 650, the company’s first proper auto-focus camera (not counting the clunky T80 which was launched in 1985).

When I was a student, I could not afford the T90 and settled for its cheaper brother, the T70. Many years later, I was able to buy this beautiful camera from a camera fair... it works perfectly and takes great pictures.

 

[dogberryjr]

I know taste is subjective and all that, but can anyone deny the beauty of the F1N?

 

[chris91387]

nikon blood flows through my veins but these cameras are indeed beautiful. big, bulky, metal, analog. i love it!

 

[Fujitsu]

The sweetest of the Canons is the original F1 with the black FT coming in second. I got only worse after that.

 

[Papa Smurf]

Funtionality or trendy looks?

Funtionality or trendy looks?

Are we as photographers more concerned about being able to take great pictures, or in being seen with the most trendy gear? What is more important to you as a photographer, great functionality or admiring looks from passer byers? Personally, I like compliments on my gear as much as anyone, but I want it to do what I need to get done in as timely and effortless manner as possible. Passer byer's comments come in way down the list.

I have read a comment on another camera web site, that the A1 was and still is a watershed camera. Today, twenty-five years after its introduction, its metering, its micro-computer's algorithms, its shutter, are all still right on the mark. If Quality is in the proof of the pudding, then Canon really got the quality right when they designed the A1. Features ahead of its time in a functional package. The A1 might not be an artistically looking as some, but, it has proven to be a bread winner, a contest winner, and some samples sell on e-bay for close to their original price! 🙂

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

I don't think anyone here gives a crap if their equipment is "trendy." But it is entirely legitimate, with all other things being equal, for photographers to prefer to use cameras they find beautiful. It is useful to keep in mind the distinction between finding pleasure in something because of its inherent qualities, and caring too much about what other people think.

For my part, I only use stuff I find visually and tactilely satisfying--why bother with anything else? But how I look using it is utterly unimportant to me, and I'm sure that most people here would say the same, however happy a beautiful piece of engineering makes them.

 

[raid]

I have a Canon F1n, F1N, two T90, and a Canon A1.
The F1n was very useful for batteryless very long exposures with mirror lock-up, while the F1N was rock solid for any photography type, with the T90 excelling at flash photography with the 300TL flash.

I also have a Canon with a pellicle [no mirror] for less vibrations.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

So the top of the line manual focus cameras are the F1, F1, F1n, and F1N.

I guess that should not be more confusing than the Kodak Retina names.

Like the Retina II, Retina II, Retina II, and Retina II being different cameras. Took me a while to figure I had a Retina II Type 011 and a Retina II type 014... Not to be confused with the older Retina II type 122 and type 142.

No wonder I collect Nikons and not Canons.

 

[Mackinaw]

So the top of the line manual focus cameras are the F1, F1, F1n, and F1N.

Actually F-1, F-1n and F-1N (you can't forget the hyphen).

Jim B.

 

[amateriat]

Or, to get truly anal (as only a retired Canonphile can be): F-1, F-1n, and New F-1 (emphasis mine). I still have the big, dee-luxe catalog to prove it. 😉


- Barrett

 

[Fujitsu]

Or, to get truly anal (as only a retired Canonphile can be): F-1, F-1n, and New F-1 (emphasis mine). I still have the big, dee-luxe catalog to prove it. 😉


- Barrett

Absolutely. And dont forget the limited editions (3 olympic models, 1 Safari / Olive Drab, and a very rare 20th or so Anniversary model)

 

[Mackinaw]

Absolutely. And dont forget the limited editions (3 olympic models, 1 Safari / Olive Drab, and a very rare 20th or so Anniversary model)

You talked me into it. Here's my Olive Drab F-1 with my FD 55mm F1.2 aspherical. Note the yellow script. Truly a beauty, at least in my eyes.

Jim B.

 

[Keith]

You talked me into it. Here's my Olive Drab F-1 with my FD 55mm F1.2 aspherical. Note the yellow script. Truly a beauty, at least in my eyes.

Jim B.

WOW! .......... What can I say?

Leica ... eat your heart out! 😀

 

[gavinlg]

I know taste is subjective and all that, but can anyone deny the beauty of the F1N?

I agree, it's a really beautiful camera.

 

[sahe69]

I have to say, having owned and sold quite large Canon FD sets twice, that I still at times find myself longing to buy the F1(n/N) and 24/1.4 & 55/1.2 asphericals that I never had.

 

[gavinlg]

I have to say, having owned and sold quite large Canon FD sets twice, that I still at times find myself longing to buy the F1(n/N) and 24/1.4 & 55/1.2 asphericals that I never had.

If the 24mm 1.4 is even nearly good as the modern iteration it would be a fantastic lens

 

[Frontman]

Here is my Canon, Nikon, and Olympus all in one pic. This is a scan of a Fuji instant print taken with my Wista 4x5.

 

[wakarimasen]

Just arrived yesterday - a little beauty from Ebay

 

[dogberryjr]

Wow, that is one clean A1!

 

[awilder]

The prettiest FD lens was the rare 55/1.2 aspherical FD (with chrome nose) from the early 1970's that came out with the original F-1. I still vaguely recall seeing it on the cover of the early F-1 brochure. I believe they also made it briefly in the FL mount but that indeed is a very rare bird and was probably not sold for general consumption. It is reported by Erwin Puts to be very sharp with extremely high resolution and low to medium contrast as Canon put their best technology into this hand polished beauty.