Canon FD: Popularity of SLR systems here

[Fujitsu]

Browsing the threads at rff a lot of users seem biased towards either Olympus or Nikon SLRs. Why is it that Canon FD is quite unpopular in comparison?

I have an AE1 sitting right in front of me next to a M6. The Canon is very compact, feels right, has a bright finder and operates smoothly after all these years without seeing service once (!). The FD 50/1.8 turns just as nice as the Summicron 50.

Im particularly impressed by Canons "new" FD series of lenses, which are smaller and lighter compared to older FD (breech lock) types and comparable Nikkor AIS lenses. Most importantly they still work super smooth, no matter how much plastic seem to be involved. I had a hard time recently trying to build a Minolta SRT System because virtually all MC lenses I could gather were mechanically impaired in some way. Very disappointing.

I also used Nikkor AIS and Minolta OM gear in the past but never felt as "home" with them.

And I find it funny that I could buy around ten to twenty AE-1s + 50/1.8 combos for the price of one Leica M6 + Summicron. 😱

So what do you say about Canon FD?

 

[Krosya]

My serious interest in photography started out with a Canon FD. I got AE-1P with a 50/1.8 FDn lens and loved it. Later sold it in favour of EOS system and recently came back to FD again. I Have A-1 with several lenses and like them a lot. Well made cameras and lenses, fine glass. What not to like?

 

[al1966]

I had a nice bag and a bit of Canon FD for years, Ae1p, Ftb, F1 and an A1. There was a load of primes and a zoom. I got burgled in 1990. I got on ok with Pentax but I missed my Ae1p. I have bought since a replacement along with an Ae1 and the wife has an Av1 we have a few lenses and use it every so often, I have shot my last roll of Kodachrome with it as that was what i shot through the eighties. I love the feel of the old Canons and they are every bit as good as any of the alternatives but like Minoltas Md seem to be over looked somewhat. Its good in one way though if you are looking to buy a manual focus system you can get a great bargain.

 

[SteveM]

A few years ago I sold all of my Canon FD gear, which included an A1, a few primes, and a few zooms. The lenses were indeed great, but I always found the A1 plasticky. Film advance was like grinding pepper. This sale made way for my entry into rangefinder gear, with the Bronica RF645 being the first, and what a change for the positive that was! However, FD prices are very attractive now and the lenses are very good. If I were to re-enter that line I would consider the F1, F1n, or the overlooked EF (with M5 style shutter speed dial), but personally, digital has replaced all of what that would give me that rf doesn’t do.
Steve

 

[FrankS]

The different camera systems/brands appeal to different people with their unique tastes/preferences, and that's a good thing. Personally I'm a Nikon SLR guy who has recently dabbled with Olympus SLR's. I used to have a Canon F1 which I liked but sold. The newer A series Canons, while functionally competent, I felt to be too plasticy and too removed from my personal ideal of a metal and mechanical camera. Just yesterday though, I bought a Canon EF and am eagerly awaiting its arrival.

The Canon A series cameras remind me of the Minolta X700, also hugely popular. This is the point where SLR's started to go downhill (just my opinion here) towards cheaper but disposable consumer products and away from the built-to-last-a-lifetime materials and workmanship of other cameras.

 

[mfunnell]

I have an old AE-1P with a rather large and ugly "Access" branded 35-70mm "macro" zoom (which is, I think, a badge-engineered Soligor lens that's optically not too bad despite it's wobbly feel and ergonomic inconvenience):



Sample shots:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mfunnell/sets/72157621926267606/

I picked it up for not much money (less than $40), just to see what it is like. My camera is quite functional but very rough - some time in it's past it has taken a hit on the film spool mechanism so film advance is, um, not ideal. Uninjured, though, it would probably be fine. The camera is obviously well built, the controls are (almost) logical and quite easy to use. The viewfinder is OK-to-good. It seems to meter accurately. What's not to like? Well, shutter priority or program AE modes, but no aperture priority (which I prefer). It would be fine in metered manual, I guess, but I'd still prefer to see recomended shutter speed in the meter display, not aperture. A good camera, no doubt, but not really for me as a regular shooter.

Later on I picked up an F-1N in near-mint condition for a very nice price. I also picked up a 70-210 zoom in the deal. But just after that I had to go to Melbourne for work - and an unfamiliar and incomplete system didn't come with me. Once I go home I'll pick up at least a couple of FD lenses (say, a 35mm or 50mm and something wider) and see what I think. It is a very nice and solid camera and may suit me well.

...Mike

 

[Vickko]

I still have a Canon F1 with 55/1.2 ASPH, 85/1.2 ASPH and 50/1.4. For the two ASPH's, I'm keeping the F1. Interesting comment that "advancing the film" is like grinding pepper. I always thought my F1 was a bit rough, even though I've lubed it.

Heavy camera and lenses, though.

Vick

 

[Pickett Wilson]

The A series wind is pretty crunchy, compared to the really smooth wind on of the Nikon FM of the same era. However, stick an MA motor on the A-1 and it would burn film at 5 fps with the best of them. Good camera, really.

 

[ebolton]

I have an AE-1 and coincidentally was shooting with it yesterday. I agree you can't beat the value of used FD lenses. My biggest dislike with the AE-1 is the shutter speed-ISO wheel, which is too thin for me, and mostly shrouded (to make it even harder to access?). I usually use the AE-1 by setting the aperature I want, then wheeling the shutter speed till the needle agrees. I'm afraid I'm side-loading that wheel too much.

 

[newspaperguy]

The ugly but very functional Canon T-70 that I bought for my wife eons ago, still functions as her film real estate camera.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I liked the T-70 when they first came out. Not pretty physically, but worked great. My only concern - which I guess was unfounded - was how long the internal (and not user accessible) memory battery would last. But, it seems like there are plenty of them left working after all these years! Pretty amazing, really.

 

[raid]

I have been for 25 years with the Canon FD system.
I preferred it over the Nikon system when I had two systems.
I still use: Canon F1n, F1N (2), T90 (2).
The F1n with mirror lock-up was used for very long exposure shots.
The F1N had spotmeter options before any Nikon SLR camera had it.
I use spotmetering with most of my photography.
It was especially useful with slow speed slide film for precise metering.
The lenses can be awesome indeed.
I have from 7.5mm to 500mm lenses.

 

[Mackinaw]

I started to lose interest in Canon FD gear with the introduction of the AE-1 in 1976 and left the fold in 1979 when they brought out the bayonet-mount FD lenses. While I understand why Canon made the jump to smaller, lighter and electronic; for someone raised on Canon FTs', Ftbs', F-1's, etc. the move to plastic was just too much (and yes, I realize that plastic has more than proven itself over the past 34 years).

That being said, I still own a few original F-1's, and several of the big, old, heavy FD/FL optics such as a 55/1.2 aspheric and 500mm FL-F telephoto. The old Canon FD/FL stuff, to me, is absolutely superb.

Jim B.

 

[Al Patterson]

I own a fair number of FD lenses, two A-1's and an AE-1. Unfortunately, all three cameras need some level of work, so I'm using my DSLR more these days.

 

[dogberryjr]

I think any perceived disdain for Canon was caused by the company abandoning the FD line, and therefore all the people who had bought into it. I can't speak to Olympus, but with a few limitations, Nikon's SLR family works backwards and forwards through 50 years of bodies and lenses. That said, I love my FDs. My first SLR was a T70 (and it's still going), and I've since added some AEs and A1s, not to mention the wonderful F1N, which I lusted for but could not possibly afford when it was new. It's interesting to note that the F1s have really held their value quite well despite having been orphaned. I got away from photography for years, and missed out on the beginnings of autofocus, coming back once all the dust had settled; since then I've assembled a pretty fantastic FD lineup for a relatively small amount of money.

 

[gb hill]

I just aquired a Canon T-70 to go along with my FD series lenses. The camera works great. Has duel metering & even though made of plastic, quite rugged. Best part is I only paid $16.00 for it. I always did want one so for that price I couldn't pass it up. I had my AE-1program cla'd last December & now that camera works like a dream. Shutter sounds sooo good & the advance is smooth as well. Good system & I find myself using it more & more.

 

[not_in_good_order]

I was given an AT-1 with a 50 1.8 (the breech lock kind). It works fine, but needs new seals. I don't want to start a whole new system, so I only use my Nikon equipment, but I keep the AT-1 around in case I come across a good deal on an FD 35 TS.

 

[mooge]

I took my first 'serious' pictures with a borrowed F1 kit- a red bag with 24, 28, 50 f/1.4, 100 macro, 300 f/5.6, speedfinder... pretty much everything but the motor drive. It's good stuff- I can't complain much about the build quality or optics. I can, however, complain about the weight- after getting a Leica M2, the F1 (and my FTb) have been seeing little use. that'll change right around if I need to use any lens other than a 50mm however, for that's all I can afford for the Leica!

I never got the Leica-smooth thing. My M2 and a M4-P I tried feel no better than the old Canon stuff. the FTb even has brass gears 😀


the weird thing, to me, is that there aren't too many Canon collectors. they make some good stuff! well, all the better for us users then, 'cause the prices are pretty okay.

cheers.

 

[aizan]

my canon fd kit consists of a new f-1 with a pk screen and a 100/2.8 nfd. can't complain!

 

[easyrider]

The Canon EF with an 85mm FD 1.8 was my main gear from 1976 until I started to go digital in 1999. I still have it. The coupled meter no longer works but I still use it occasionally. It is built like a tank.

The EF is like the F-1 but has no interchangeable prism.