Canon FD pride thread...because this board is too Nikon biased.

[Wulfthari]

F3 tribute, F2 tribute, F6 tribute...sooner we'll get a Nikon Coolpix tribute.

It's time to bring some balance in the equation so if you have a "FD dead system" camera and pics you're welcome to post your gear and pics here, F-1s old and new, FTBs, A series, T series...whatever.

For instance this is my F-1N number 1, eye level prism:

I usually use a FDn 50mm f1.2 with it. Together they take pics like that with Portra 400:

With Delta 400:

Then I have an A-1 that I don't like very much, at the moment it has a FDn 50 mm f1.8, these are the pics and you'll understand the reason why I am not crazy about the camera:

Then I go another F-1 with AE prism (I just wanted the head but the pentaprism are more expensive than the complete cameras), I usually use a FDn 50 mm f1.4.

 

[petronius]

FD 1,4/50mm, new version on a AV-1:

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

Nikon, Canon, Nikon, meh. Tell me about the Aston. Much more interesting than that old chestnut.

 

[petronius]

Canon A-1 with FD 70-210mm:

 

[Alberti]

Canon lenses are beautiful, often outpass similar German lenses. Well balanced depth.
I sold my lenses though except the macro's that I use on my leica.

 

[Sid836]

Nothing makes my heart beat faster than my Canon F-1 (Old):







I like my Canon A-1 a lot, but it is just too noisy:

 

[Kate-the-Great]

I haven't shot Canon FD in almost 4 years, but it remains one of my favorite systems. I had a pair of A-1's with nFD 24mm f/2.8 (the sharpest wideangle I've ever used I think), 28mm f/2.8 (nothing special), 35mm f/2.8 (extremely lightweight, my second-favorite nFD lens after the 24), 50mm f/1.4 (fine lens but I prefer 35mm to 50mm), 100mm f/2.8 (didn't use this one much), 70-210 f/4 (I hated the push-pull, but good optics) and 300mm f/4 (Hard to use, I never got a sharp photo from it even on a good tripod at high shutter speeds. I hear the "L" version is much better)

nFD 24mm 2.8, Ilford FP-4

nFD 35mm 2.8, Kodak "new" Ektar 100

nFD 50mm 1.4, Kodachrome 64

nFD 70-210 f/4, Ilford FP4

 

[Timmyjoe]

Sold off almost all of my Canon FD gear last year. Served me well for decades.

Canon F-1n, 85mm f1.2L, AgfaPan 100

Best,
-Tim

 

[Brad Bireley]

All from Canon A-1

Canon 100mm f/2.8 Kodachrome

Canon 50mm f/1.4 Velvia 50

Canon 50mm f/1.4 Kodak Portra 400

Canon 50mm f/1.4 velvia 50

Canon 35-105mm f/4 Agfa Optima 400

 

[Wulfthari]

This reminds me that IMO the F-1 Old is one of the most handsome cameras ever built, a rare mix of heavy power and grace. Plus, at least mine is smoother than my Nikons.

I already posted its picture in another thread, here there are some shots I've taken, unfortunately the camera is very heavy with the old FD 55mm f1.2 so I don't use it too much when I go around.

For everyday use I have a FTb that I recently CLAd, it's a 1975 camera with matching FD 50 mm f1.4 lens and came with a leather case, owner's manual with owner's name, purchasing date and serial number, plus a Vivitar 283 and other gear.

The last purchase is a T90 that I still have to learn how to use at its full potential as it is a quite sophisticated camera, it came with a lot of documentation:

I mostly use the FD 35-105 one touch zoom that was developed for the T series and although not as good as the old model is very light and handy.

 

[Ezzie]

I agree. FD is underrated. Not such a bad thing when buying cameras and lenses though.

Very nice stuff from all of you.

Not much to show from my EF, but I have a fridge full of undeveloped rolls. One of few worth showing so far:

Canon EF with 50mm f1.8 S.C. and a no-name C-41 EI400 BW film. Home processed (Tetenal kit)


Telenor Plaza at night by Eirik Russell Roberts, on Flickr

Taken with this kit:


Black Beauty and Snowy White by Eirik Russell Roberts, on Flickr

 

[Timmyjoe]

I've still got my first "real" camera that I bought new on April 1, 1976. A Canon TX with the 50mm SSC f1.8 lens.

 

[rbsinto]

F3 tribute, F2 tribute, F6 tribute...sooner we'll get a Nikon Coolpix tribute.

It's time to bring some balance in the equation so if you have a "FD dead system" camera and pics you're welcome to post your gear and pics here, F-1s old and new, FTBs, A series, T series...whatever.

For instance this is my F-1N number 1, eye level prism:

I usually use a FDn 50mm f1.2 with it. Together they take pics like that with Portra 400:

Then I have an A-1 that I don't like very much, at the moment it has a FDn 50 mm f1.8, these are the pics and you'll understand the reason why I am not crazy about the camera:

Then I go another F-1 with AE prism (I just wanted the head but the pentaprism are more expensive than the complete cameras), I usually use a FDn 50 mm f1.4.

I disagree with your original assertion.
In my opinion, if anything this site is too Leica-centric.
But as far as Canon manual focus film gear goes, I had the opportunity to use a great deal of a photobud's Canon stuff years ago when I was just starting out. He would lend me bodies and lenses in focal lengths I didn't have, and while I shot Nikon, I always thought the Canon stuff was every bit as good. Really no difference between the two systems in my opinion, and had I bought an AE-1 instead of an FE in the beginning, I don't think my photographic life would be any different today.

 

[Timmyjoe]

I disagree with your original assertion.
In my opinion, if anything this site is too Leica-centric.

Well naturally it's Leica-centric, it's called RangefinderForum.com after all.

But I think Nikon dominates the SLR area of these forums. And I'm fine with that as I no longer shoot any Canon FD gear. But it is fun to see what others are doing with this beautiful old equipment.

 

[dogberryjr]

I commend you for opening this thread! Good ol' FD. I was unhappy with Canon for abandoning FD, but darned if it didn't make some nice stuff affordable.

super sport by dogberryjr, on Flickr

 

[raid]

I used almost exclusively FD cameras and lenses for many years in the 1980's and 90's. Mostly, I used the F1n, F1N, and T90 cameras. I used to use the AE1 and the A1 before I got the F1N. The lenses are excellent overall\.

 

[wakarimasen]

I sold all of my FD gear over a year ago. I loved the relative cheapness of the camera and FD lenses, but was frustrated that I couldn't 're-use' them on my EOS cameras .... well, not easily in any case.

Enter the FE, F3 and F4. Surely a digital Nikon would follow? Well, two actually: a D2XS and a D300. Neither (to me) seemed as good as my 1D Mark III.

I still think about going hardcore Canon - FD and EOS - and ditching my Nikon cameras.

 

[Wulfthari]

Nikon, Canon, Nikon, meh. Tell me about the Aston. Much more interesting than that old chestnut.

So you want Aston? You'll get Aston:

Enough DB5 for you? I can give this one:

This one:

And this one taken on the fly and counterlight:

Enough?

 

[Argenticien]

I must admit I've recently bodged my FD lenses onto the Sony a7 more often than used them on my AE-1P. I have a small kit: 50/1.4, 28/2.8, and 100-300/5.6 that I got with the AE-1P, which was given to me in 2012; plus a recent KEH purchase of a 20/2.8. This was all "back to basics" for me, as my first real camera was an AE-1 30 years ago. I still/again dig it.

Here's the 20/2.8 on the a7. This was a few months ago at Atherton Market in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. I believe this was wide open (first day with a new adapter, not locking it properly), but with that lens you'll get almost everything from your nose to Uranus in focus:

Tanner 1_crop by Argenticien, on Flickr

Public art project/bottle recycling apparatus. AE-1P with 50/1.4 and Delta 400. This was 2+ years ago at the South End food truck rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.

Recycling fence by Argenticien, on Flickr

--Dave

 

[Kate-the-Great]

I've still got my first "real" camera that I bought new on April 1, 1976. A Canon TX with the 50mm SSC f1.8 lens. That sunset pic above was taken with that camera and lens in the summer of 1976 as me and some buddies drove down the Pacific Coast Highway in California.

Canon TX was my first FD camera! Albeit, about 30 years after yours 😉 A Denver shop sold it to me for 5$ because it was "broken"- the DOF preview lever was jammed, but everything else worked great! I'll never forget the magnificent sound of the shutter on that camera.