Considering a Canon New F-1, tell me about them

[Ken Ford]

Any first hand body battery experience? I’m guessing a PX28L lithium is preferred over alkaline or silver oxide options, but all three are listed in the manual as being suitable.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Silver Oxides will last the longest, but they're hard to find. The lithium battery is common, they sell them at walgreens, kroger, and walmart. Alkalines used to be easy to find where I live but they're less so now. Icouldn't find silver oxides anywhere but the camera store.

 

[raid]

I used the PX28L. The battery lasts for a very long time except when the camera is used in very cold weather. I then used to use a motor drive with a cord that had at the end a battery for the F1N. The camera meter was then powered by the large batteries in the MD.

 

[Dwig]

Any first hand body battery experience? I’m guessing a PX28L lithium is preferred over alkaline or silver oxide options, but all three are listed in the manual as being suitable.

I recommend the Lithium version, if only because it doesn't leak as it dies. Both silver oxide and alkaline will leak and can damage the battery contacts. I switched to the CR1/3N in my old F2 Photomic and F3 for that reason and because they don't swell, a problem with the F2 that would break the battery housing. The PX28L is really 2 CR1/3Ns in a package. The PX28 silver oxide is 4 S-76s wrapped together.

 

[Ken Ford]

Good info, thanks!

 

[Ken Ford]

I used the PX28L. The battery lasts for a very long time except when the camera is used in very cold weather. I then used to use a motor drive with a cord that had at the end a battery for the F1N. The camera meter was then powered by the large batteries in the MD.

I’m not going to bother because this is just going to be a very nice toy, but I was thinking one of those cords rigged to a separate 6v battery pack would be the ticket for cold weather use without needing the nicad battery pack that has the receptacle.

 

[Mute-on]

We seem to be missing photos of these recent FD acquisitions. I think I recall what they look like, but I could do with a reminder ... 😉

 

[Ken Ford]

Well, the T90 and optical lens cap are up a few posts - I’ll do another after the New F-1 and 100 are here.

 

[Mute-on]

Well, the T90 and optical lens cap are up a few posts - I’ll do another after the New F-1 and 100 are here.

Ah yes. Missed that one. Looks very clean. Congratulations!

I’ve been eyeing off an F1 for some time. Not many available in Oz. Have to live vicariously for the present ... 😉

 

[Ken Ford]

Ah yes. Missed that one. Looks very clean. Congratulations!

I’ve been eyeing off an F1 for some time. Not many available in Oz. Have to live vicariously for the present ... 😉

It is quite clean, with just a little of the polycarbonate buffing that you see with these. It was an amateur’s camera.

The New F-1 will be the culmination of 35 years desire to have one. Even now they aren’t cheap, but I figure getting a CLA will keep it working properly for the rest of my life.

 

[Ken Ford]

Big day today at Chez Ford. The New F-1, 100/2.8, and hoods for both the 100 the 50/1.4 arrived.

The F-1N is a beast! I haven’t handled one in at least 25 years, and my memory of it was accurate - every inch and ounce a professional grade camera. It came with an AE screen which the manual states was standard with the AE finder.

After a few “I’m a moron” moments freaking out about why the camera wouldn’t fire in shutter priority mode (mount the motor, fool!) I attached the drive and battery pack and gave it some light exercise.

It’s funny how sounds can trigger memories - a motorized F-1N has a very distinctive hollow sound that takes me back to hot afternoons shooting football on the sidelines and nights in dimly lit gymnasiums trying to capture peak basketball action with about five stops too little light. Ha!

I’ll try to take a few beauty shots of the new gear in daylight tomorrow.

 

[Mackinaw]

Reading your posts inspired me to pull out my F-1N and take some pics at an airshow this past weekend. I attached the Power Winder when I needed shutter speed preferred automation, and switched over to aperture-preferred automation when I used my FD 500mm mirror lens. Such a well-designed camera. I love that it can be configured anyway you want.

Jim B.

 

[Ken Ford]

As promised:

BTW, the rigmarole you have to go through to attach photos from an iPad is nutty. I think it’s because the forum software doesn’t like Apple’s default naming conventions. And the allowable file size is minuscule.

 

[Mute-on]

Congratulations Ken. What a lovely beast! Enjoy her in good health.

Cheers

J 🙂

 

[raid]

As promised:

BTW, the rigmarole you have to go through to attach photos from an iPad is nutty. I think it’s because the forum software doesn’t like Apple’s default naming conventions. And the allowable file size is minuscule.

Such an outfit replaces going to the gym for weight lifting! Enjoy the F1N. It is an awesome "photography machine". The Nikon F3 and later models overshadowed this beauty. I stuck with Canon FD cameras though.

 

[GarageBoy]

Cool
I always liked them/read about them all the time. My dad used to take me to hang out at Ken Hansen's when I was a kid in the mid 90s. Used to seeing the Canon and Minolta promo material everywhere. I have a mechanical F1 and the winding is the smoothest and nicest ever

 

[View Range]

You guys made me so jealous. I went into my local camera store today for printer ink. They had an Old F-1 on the used shelf at a give-away price of $89.00. The original F-1 is my favorite variant. It looked a little ratty with paint smudges, but it seemed to work perfectly and there was no brassing. When I got it home, I cleaned it and found the smudges were just dirt. What a beauty. My lens selection is limited to 50mm, for now.

 

[iphoenix]

Even if you get the basic FN finder, setting the camera to A gives you aperture priority.

Just checked this on my F1N with plain finder, owned for around 20 years.

I now have priority aperture AE on my best handling camera.😀😀