Incoming L1...and a pair of questions

[Wulfthari]

I also thought they had repaired my L1 with latter parts but still I don't see the financial justification to fake a L1 converting a VL1 with a previous base plate, the quotation of the two cameras are more or less the same, the VL1 is even harder to find.

Anyway, the L1 looks good with a Jupiter 3!

 

[Mackinaw]

I also thought they had repaired my L1 with latter parts but still I don't see the financial justification to fake a L1 converting a VL1 with a previous base plate, the quotation of the two cameras are more or less the same, the VL1 is even harder to find........

As discussed a few weeks back, the answer is most likely a simple one. Canon engraved too many L1 baseplates and, instead of throwing them into the scrap bin, used them on the VL1.

Jim B.

 

[Bingley]

Congrats on the L1. It's a sweet camera, the best of the Canon RFs IMO. I had one for awhile and enjoyed using it. And you did well to go with the Canon 50/1.8 lens, which is an excellent and underrated optic. If yiur sample is slightly fogger, I'd recommend getting it cleaned. If you got a clean sample, it can be very, very sharp, but with smooth bokeh. A great kit. Find a nice Canon 35 to go with, and you're set.

 

[mcfingon]

The J3 works well on my FrankenCanon, too. I may call it the L1/2. This is my close-focus test in my shed mirror. Delta 100 film, ID-11 dev. Sorry about subject. I am finding it a nice camera to shoot with, which is what matters!

 

[mcfingon]

After reading everything I can find on my Canon, I've decided it must be an L2. It has cloth shutters, FP flash sync, 500th top speed, gold rangefinder patch and serial 523116. To be called the L2 from here on in, unless I'm convinced otherwise. I can see the spanner and screwdriver marks where the base plate has been changed as suggested by (Sherlock) Mackinaw.

 

[Wulfthari]

As discussed a few weeks back, the answer is most likely a simple one. Canon engraved too many L1 baseplates and, instead of throwing them into the scrap bin, used them on the VL1.

Jim B.

Mine has the L1 gold patch viewfinder though, IMO it's more likely the L1 was "upgraded" at the end of its production before becoming the VL.

The J3 works well on my FrankenCanon, too. I may call it the L1/2. This is my close-focus test in my shed mirror. Delta 100 film, ID-11 dev. Sorry about subject. I am finding it a nice camera to shoot with, which is what matters!

That's a cool shot, a little overexposed perhaps, were you in a hangar? However the central sharpness of your J3 is remarkable, which year was it produced? And which film did you use?

Mine is loaded with Tmax100 and ready to shoot, while I'm testing my new J3 on a Zorki 6.

 

[Mackinaw]

Mine has the L1 gold patch viewfinder though, IMO it's more likely the L1 was "upgraded" at the end of its production before becoming the VL......

The L1 was produced from February, 1957 until December, 1957; while the VL was produced from December, 1957 until December, 1958. I got to believe that there was some parts sharing going on between both models until the supply of L1 parts was depleted. And as Photomoof pointed out several posts before, both Canon and Nikon were reluctant to throw away any parts.

But hey, this stuff is for the historians. Your L1/VL hybrid is a great camera. Use it and enjoy it. My L1 is the only film camera I’ve used this summer. It’s a great camera and maybe Canon’s best rangefinder.

Jim B.

 

[mcfingon]

That's a cool shot, a little overexposed perhaps, were you in a hangar? However the central sharpness of your J3 is remarkable, which year was it produced? And which film did you use?

That shot is in my motorbike shed, which has got strong backlight coming through an open door about 8 metres behind me, and it's an old mirror that adds to the flare. So it's a real torture test for lens and film. The range from shadow to highlight is extreme, so I usually expose for the shadows with B&W film and let the highlights burn out. The film is Delta 100, developed in straight ID-11. It's a 1951 J3 from KMZ that should contain German glass. It certainly has lots of contrast for a lens of that era and good flare resistance.