OT- I fell for a Canon TX slr

[Fedzilla_Bob]

I have 3 FD lenses and I wanted something less fussy than my wifes old t70.

Saw a TX, a truly back to basics SLR for under 25 on a buy-it-now and went for it.

Anyone one of you Canon-philes familiar with the camera? Any links to manuals?

Bob H

 

[bmattock]

I have 3 FD lenses and I wanted something less fussy than my wifes old t70.

Saw a TX, a truly back to basics SLR for under 25 on a buy-it-now and went for it.

Anyone one of you Canon-philes familiar with the camera? Any links to manuals?

Bob H

Bob,

Congrats, the TX is a lovely model. It is essentially an FTb model - which is itself a classic FD-mount Canon from the F-series days. The real difference is the 1/500 max shutter speed. According to the Canon Museum, it meters differently. Remember, mercury batteries in those days means you'll have to come with a fix or workaround (there's a million of 'em).

http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/

One of the frequent problems with these Canon cameras is mirror delamination - if it looks like someone stuck cello tape into the prism when you look in the viewfinder, you have it and it's not fixable - you have to replace the pentaprism. Shutters can also have tapering problems with various shutter speeds, but generally are pretty durable.

A good CLA would go far, assuming the prism is nice and the meter responds to light. It is an excellent platform for FD-series lenses, nice and solid feeling, excellent viewfinder.

Congrats!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[CleverName]

I've got a TLb which is the cheaper version of the TX which is the cheaper version of the FTb which is the cheaper version of the F1. (whew)
I bought it off eBay just because it had a 50mm 1.4 attached. It works great but doesn't see much use. It's my back-up to my back-up camera.

Good luck with it, it's much easier than a T-70

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

Thanks guys- Hopefully the mirror survived the years. The batteries probably won't be an issue, I have a source for the Wein version of the PX625. In fact I have an extra in the fridge I keep for my QL17 (original type) and Canonet 28.

I checked out the Canon Museum site before I pulled the trigger. It was what pushed me over the edge. Someday I'll nail a Canon EF with the Copal Square shutter.

As for the T70 - yeah... that sucker can give you a headache. If I want that kind of pain I can try making art with with a digicam. But the t70 works nicely. I just seem to have more fun and better results with the more basic cameras like my Fed 3 and my C44. The Bessa R was such a nice combination of simplicity and tech.

So hopefully the TX will be that magical basic camera for me.

I had actually been eyeing the Pentax Spotmatics, but thought that would be silly when I have perfectly good FD glass on hand.

Wish me luck.

Bob H

 

[bmattock]

The Canon T60 also has a Copal Square shutter, plus Aperture-Preferred Auto-Exposure. Body made by Cosina, it is the basic form that the Bessa R and later rangefinders, plus the Bessaflex Tm were built off of. Not the highest build quality - you can tell immediately that it is not a 'Canon' when you pick it up, despite the badge that says so - but I find it quite durable enough, lightweight, cheap to buy, and uses all the FD glass. No funky mercury batteries either.

Cosina was interesting behind-the-scenes. They made cameras for just about ever buddy. Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Yashica, Vivitar, and so on. It seems that they had a basic camera waiting in the wings - just make a few cosmetic changes (not many) slap your company logo on it, change the lens mount to whatever your company uses, and bang you've got a new model out. No longer true in this world of DSLR's, of course...

Ah, where was I? Oh yeah, if you want a decent reliable FD platform that does not cost a lot and has a nice metal vertical shutter + AE, the T60 is ok. Lightweight and plasticky, but nice anyway.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[ch1]

Hi,

Craig Camera has you manual:

http://www.craigcamera.com/ib_c.htm

Scroll about halfway down the page for the TX.

Regards,
George
copake_ham

Usual disclaimer: Absolutely no connection to Craig except as a satisfied customer.

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

Bill- you have to get outa my head. I had been eyeing the T60's too!

🙂

 

[bmattock]

Bill- you have to get outa my head. I had been eyeing the T60's too!

🙂

Sorry, man. I will tell you this - the body is VERY light - not even as well-made as a Bessa R in terms of 'feel'. Canonistas puke when they see it. I've had three T60 bodies. One had a stuck slat in the shutter, which ruined a important roll of film for me. First failure of a Copal Square shutter I've ever seen. So you should know that. However, the other two - I gave one as a Christmas present to a 10-year-old nephew four years ago, he is still using and enjoying it, it gets knocked about a bit. I use mine all the time - even with (shhhh) M42 lenses when I want to use the AE feature and don't mind stopping down to meter AND shoot, instead of just to meter.

Wanna see something really sick? A Canon T60 mounting a Canon FL-mount 58mm f1.2 lens. Huge honking lens, weighs more than the camera body. The whole outfit costs like $50. Tell me where you get good high-quality f1.2 glass and Aperture Preferred AE for $50. Fun, man.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Poptart]

My Nikon EL2 has a Copal square shutter. Noisy little thing.

 

[pshinkaw]

I picked up a T60 a year ago for $14. It had a stuck shutter, but it turned out that a previous owner had tried to force something inside after the battery died. I repaired it in 30 minutes and thought I had a cool. light-weight camera. Added a 50/1.4.

Turned out that I have trouble focusing. The focusing screen and my eyes just don't do well in dim light even when the image is pretty bright. The I found a Vivitar Series-1 70-210 for a very good price (under $20). But, it's too heavy a lens for the light-weight T60. I was afraid that I would damage the lens mount.

So, I acquired a TX body for another $20. It turned out to be a good match to the Vivitar. I tried it out at a Christmas parade a few weeks ago.

-Paul

 

[bmattock]

My Nikon EL2 has a Copal square shutter. Noisy little thing.

I can't speak for the Nikon, but in general I don't find the Copal Square shutters to be any noisier than a focal plane shutter in an SLR. Certainly my T60 is no louder than my FTbN. But I hear that complaint a lot, so maybe there is some truth to it. My ears don't agree, but there you go.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[bmattock]

I picked up a T60 a year ago for $14. It had a stuck shutter, but it turned out that a previous owner had tried to force something inside after the battery died. I repaired it in 30 minutes and thought I had a cool. light-weight camera. Added a 50/1.4.

Turned out that I have trouble focusing. The focusing screen and my eyes just don't do well in dim light even when the image is pretty bright. The I found a Vivitar Series-1 70-210 for a very good price (under $20). But, it's too heavy a lens for the light-weight T60. I was afraid that I would damage the lens mount.

So, I acquired a TX body for another $20. It turned out to be a good match to the Vivitar. I tried it out at a Christmas parade a few weeks ago.

-Paul

I don't find the focusing screen in my T60 to be any dimmer than my FTbN or other F-body Canon SLRs.

I agree that the ultra-lightweight body of the T60 would be really off-balance with the big Vivitar lens (I have one of those too, it is a big 'un). I doubt it would break the lens mount, though - it's a metal mount and even though the body is made of plastic, I find that it is more durable than you'd think when hefting it.

I think the T60 is a nice choice for small lightweight lens like the later model 50mm f1.8 or even the slightly larger 1.4. Tiny, lightweight, good shuttter and excellent internal meter, even AP/AE when you want it. It is even cheap for going into danger zones. What's not to like?

But I agree, the TX just feels like a 'real camera' in your hands. I love 'em too. My favorite is the FX, but that's an older FL-mount design.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[ray_g]

Nice picture, Paul. Gotta love those series 1 lenses. 😉

 

[ChrisPlatt]

IIRC the Canon TX was the last all-mechanical Canon FD body.
It was an economy model, much like the Pentax K1000.

I bought mine ($89.00 brand new) as backup for an AE-1 and later an A-1.
In time I grew to prefer the classic design and simpler operation of the TX.

I no longer have any Canon, but I did have a lot of fun with that old workhorse...

Excelsior, you fathead!
-Chris-

 

[pshinkaw]

Bill:

It's not that the screen is not brighter. In fact it is very bright. The 50/1.4 helps in that regard. I think it is the microprism screen. I have trouble distinguishing whether or not the image is breaking up or not. Most of my problems ovvur when I am trying to shoot irregularly shaped objects like human faces. It's one of the worst sreens I have.

-Paul

 

[bmattock]

Bill:

It's not that the screen is not brighter. In fact it is very bright. The 50/1.4 helps in that regard. I think it is the microprism screen. I have trouble distinguishing whether or not the image is breaking up or not. Most of my problems ovvur when I am trying to shoot irregularly shaped objects like human faces. It's one of the worst sreens I have.

-Paul

Paul,

Sounds like you've identified it! Personally, I find the micro-prism collar around the split-field pseudo-rangefinder very useful, no matter what my target is - but everyone has their own preference in that regard!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Richard Black]

I inherited a nice AE-1 and had it seviced by Garry's Camera in Ill, I thiink, and it is like new. I have had pentax mounts and now Minolta MDs and if I didn't I'd pursue the FD lenses. I don't know anything about the 60 but the build on the AE-1 is incredibile.

 

[bmattock]

I inherited a nice AE-1 and had it seviced by Garry's Camera in Ill, I thiink, and it is like new. I have had pentax mounts and now Minolta MDs and if I didn't I'd pursue the FD lenses. I don't know anything about the 60 but the build on the AE-1 is incredibile.

The T60 is nothing like the AE-1 - pure plastic versus solid steel (AE-1).

However, as nice as the AE-1 is (and it is), the F-1, FTbN, and on back in the F series were more 'solid' if you're just going by the way they feel in the hand. I have never owned a Canon F-1, but I have two FTbN's, and they are mechanized artwork, IMHO.

The T60 is a little workhorse, and it feels plasticky as heck. But it works fine if that's what you want it for. If you want something that makes you feel like it is a real he-man camera, the T60 ain't it.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The AE-1 has a Plastic top plate, covered with thin Metal. It was one of the first cameras to quick using chrome over brass. The thin metal gave it the "look and feel" of a metal covering, but was much lighter and easier to produce. Somewhere I've got a Pop or Modern Photo review of it. It really gave the competition what-for back in the mid-70's. It was not until the FG that Nikon made a plastic camera that looked like it was metal. The EM always looked "cheesy". I was working in a camera shop when they came out. The first time into the shop, one of the senior salesman and Nikon Fanatics turned an EM upside down, held it over his head, and dropped it to the floor. It still worked, so he decided that HE would sell them.

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

WOW, 24 hours later and I have all of the ancient slr junkies coming out of the woodwork 😉.

Bill, you'll never guess... I just received a note from a seller who didn't sell a T60 and an AV1 pair for parts at $25. They are willing to sell at that price. This after a week before a response. I'm not sure if I want to do this deal though. I already have 4 parts cameras. Don't think I need more.

The images show very clean "looking" cameras.

Oh well.

Bob H