The Most Technologically Advanced 35mm SLRs, Part 2, Section 1: The tumultuous ‘60s
The Most Technologically Advanced 35mm SLRs, Part 2, Section 1
The tumultuous ‘60s: Built-in TTL metering, autoexposure, and more!
By Jason Schneider
The 1960s marked the time when the 35mm SLR became the dominant camera type, surpassing the interchangeable lens rangefinder 35 and blowing the once mighty twin lens reflex into the weeds. It was also a time when built-in metering systems were becoming increasungly sophisticated, with TTL designs taking over and selenium cells being ecliped by battery powered CdS cells that were not only more sensutuive, but also had a narriwer acceptance angle, enabling accurate readings to be be made fron shooting position. Here are 10 stellar examples that tell the story of the second phase in the evolution oif the 35mm SLR and how it went from being a niche product to a mass market phenomenon that shaped today’s digital landscape.
Topcon RE Super with 58mm f/1.8 RE Auto-Topcor and flash adapter: It pioneered built-in TTL metering with its CdS cell located behind slits in the mirror.
Topcon RE Super 1963. The first 35mm SLR with through-the-lens match-needle metering, it was manufactured by Tokyo Optical Company, Ltd. and initiated the basic trend that all other SLR makers were destined to follow. The RE Super was unique in having its CdS meter cell built into the mirror, permitting the use of simple interchangeable optical finders, but this system, designed in a joint project with Toshiba Electric Co., proved complex and expensive to produce. The RE was eclipsed on year later by the Pentax Spotmatic, which took TTL readings off the viewing screen, a simpler system adopted by virtually every other maker. Large, robust, and nicely finished, the Topcon RE Super features include; Interchangeable eye-level pentaprism and finder screens, single-stroke wind lever, full-aperture metering, cloth focal-plane shutter with speeds from 1-1/1000 sec plus B, winder/motor compatibility, and Exakta-compatible bayonet mount. Standard lens is the 58mm f/1.4 Auto Topcor. The RE Super was produced in four versions and provided the basis for the Topcon D-1 and Super DM that remained in production until the ‘80s. A clean original Topcon or Beseler Topcon RE Super with 50mmm f/1.4 lens sells for around $350-450.
The Olympus Pen F, the first half-frame SLR, sired the Pen line, This is the rare and gorgeous black version with red Gothic F and 38mm f/1.8 F. Zuiko lens
Olympus Pen F 1963: The original Olympus Pen F (with gothic F on the front) of 1963-1966 was the first half-frame (18x24mm format) 35mm SLR designed specifically for this size (Alpa’s earlier half-frame model was a masked-down version of the standard 24x36mm-format Alpa.) Designed by a team lead by the legendary Y.Maitani, the Pen F arrived at the height of the half-frame craze begun by its stablemate, the scale-focusing Olympus Pen of 1959. Though meterless, it created a sensation. Innovative features include: An excellent line of bayonet-mount Zuiko interchangeable lenses (eventually ranging from 20mm to 800mm plus 2 zooms and a macro), a 2-stroke film-wind lever, a unique rotary-sector, metal focal-plane shutter (similar to the one in 24 x 24mm Robots from Germany) providing flash sync at all speeds from 1-1/500 sec, a horizontally-moving instant-return mirror, and a porroprism finder with bright full-focusing screen. An accessory coupled CdS meter prism bayoneted in place over the shutter-speed dial. With standard 38mm f/1.8 Zuiko lens the svelte Pen F measures only 5x2-3/4x 2-1/2 inches. The later Pen FT (1966-1972) has single-sroke wind, a built-in inconvenient transfer-the-setting metering system, anda somwhat dimmer viewfinder due to the light siphoned off for metering. The final Olympus Pen Fv of 1967-1970 is basically a meterless Pen FT with a brighter viewfinder and is widely regarded as the best if the lot. All are charming, well made user-collectibles. Prices fot clean, functionasl examples with 38mm f/1.8 Zuiko Auto-S lens range from $125-$250 for a pen F, $175-$320 for a Pen FT, amd $350-$450 for a Pen Fv. Rare black Pen Fs and FTs similarly equipped fetch $400 and up.
Pentax Spotmatic of 1964 (note Honeywell logo) and superb 50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar lens. It was first in a long line of very popular M42 mount Pentaxes
Pentax Spotmatic 1964: The Spotmatic was the first though-the-lens- (TTL) metering 35mm SLR that took exposure readings off the finder screen, by means of two CdS cells placed on either side of the finder eyepiece. This brilliantly simple TTL-metering system was adopted by almost every other SLR manufacturer, and is still the dominant system in use today. The Pentax system, far less complicated and more flexible than Topcon’s clever mirror-mounted CdS meter cell (introduced a year earlier in the 1963 Topcon RE Super), has been refined to allow the sophisticated multipattern metering systems in current AF SLRs. In other respects, the Spotmatic (misnamed because it actually had a full-area averaging meter pattern) was quite conservative, providing match-needle metering at working aperture and using the traditional 42mm threaded lens mount pioneered by Praktica. Nevertheless it was a fairly compact, very attractive design and was one of the hottest-selling, most influential SLRs of its era. It was eventually developed into the similar-looking, full-aperture-metering Pentax Spotmatic F of 1974. Features include: Cloth focal-plane shutter with speeds from 1-1/1000 sec plus B, single-stroke wind lever, meter switch that strops down lens and doubles as an auto/manual diaphragm switch. The original Pentax Spotmatic and its similar variants, the Spotmatic SP and meterless SL are nice user-collectiblesand bargain priced at around $75-$150 with 55mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar lens.
Nikon Phiotomic T with 50mm f/1.4 Nikon Auto-S: Its new prism bought TTL metering to the Nikon F, and it became the mainstay of pros and enthusiasts.
Nikon F Photomic T 1965: Introduced in 1965 to counter the 1963 Topcon RE Super’s technological coup of TTL metering, the Photomic T’s meter prism resembles the original prism but without the external CdS metering eye. Mounting the new prism with its larger eyepiece required a small modification to the top deck of earlier Nikon Fs. The system works by diverting a small amount of light from the eyepiece that then bounces around the pentaprism until it’s focused through a small condenser lens onto the CdS meter cell, providing full area averaging readings. This broad, unselective metering pattern can result in exposure errors, which is why Nikon brought forth the center-weighted Photomic Tn meter prism in 1966, which employs two aspheric condensers that provide center-weighted 60/40-percent readings. Both meter prisms used a pair of PX13 mercury batteries to power the CdS cells and must be modified to work properly with current 1.5v silver-oxide or alkaline cells. It took Nikon another 2 decades to fit a spot meter. The rest of the camera was just a minimally updated version on the classic Nikon F. A chrome Nikon Photomic T or Tn in clean functional condition with 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens will set you back about $150-$325 these days, which is something of a bargain. However, updating the meter prism to take currently available 1.5v batteries typically runs $50-75.
Canon Pellix with 50mm f/1.4 Canon FL lens: The first SLR with a non-flipping pellicle mirror it worked and was a technological tour de force, but it had issues.
Canon Pellix 1965: Canon unleashed the remarkable Pellix on an unsuspecting world in 1964, one year after launching its first “advanced amateur” 35mm SLR, the Canon FX that debuted the new FL mount. The Pellix also featured the expected TTL metering system, albeit employing stop-down metering system, but it embodied a revolutionary new concept in SLRs—a fixed semitransparent pellicle mirror placed behind the lens (hence the name Pellix) instead of the usual flip-up reflex mirror. The CdS metering cell is placed behind the pellicle mirror on an arm that swings up in front of the film gate when you press stop-down lever on the front of the camera. It provides match-needle readings based on the the light passing through the camera lens and through the pellicle mirror. The pellicle mirror in the Pellix, the first of its kind, allows about 2/3 of the light passing though the lens to reach the film, reflecting the rest uo into the viewfinder, As a result there is no mirror-induced vibration and no image blackout as the shutter fires.
Disadvanages of the system: the loss of about ½-stop of light used to make the exposure, slight degradation of the image by the pellicle mirror, reduced viewing brightness, and the potential for dust accumulation on the nirror, requiring delicate cleaning or mirror replacement. Canon brought out two fast FL lenses to compensate for the light loss, a 50mm f/1.4 and a 58mm f/1.2. In March 1966 Canon marketed the Canon Pellix QL , which had a quick-loading mechanism, and contacts in the base for an optional electronic booster for the internal metering system. Both models employ metal shutter curtains to prevent burning when the lens is exposed to brught sunlight, and there’s a finder blind ring under the rewind knob to prevent potential film fogging. Note: In 1995 Canon marketed the EOS-!N RS, an AF/AE SLR with a substantially improved pellicle mirror. Based on the EOS-1N, the EOS-1N RS has a fixed, semi-transparent pellicle mirror with a hard coat and at the time of its release it was the world’s fastest AF SLR camera with a continuous shooting speed of 10 fps. You can currently snag an original Canon Pellix or a Pellix QL in excellent cosmetic and operational condition with 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 FL lens for the staggeringly low price of $75-$125. They’re an acquired taste all right but nevertheless cool and collectible.
Nikkormat FTn with 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H lens: Advanced for its day it gave photo enthusiasts access to the huge Nikon system and was immensely popular.
Niknormat FTn 1965. This tweaked version of the Nikkormat FT, Nikon’s first TTL-metering SLR, no longer requires keying in the lens maximum aperture for external meter coupling—it was designed for AI (auto indexing) lenses that couple by turning the aperture ring back and forth from minimum to maximum aperture. Its metering system was also upgraded to provide Nikon’s classic 60/40 percent center-weighted readings, and +/- over/underexposure markers and a set shutter speed indication were added to the finder. This robust, metal bodied, manual, mechanical SLR became the mainstay of countless photo enthusiasts, vastly expanding Nikon’s marketing reach as well as spurring the sales of Nikkor lenses. Both models employed the metal-bladed, vertical travel Copal Square shutter with speeds of 1-1/1000 sec plus B, and flash sync at 1/125 sec, with the shutter speed ring concentric with the lens mount, provided match needle TTL metering at maximum aperture using CdS cells at the sides of the prism, and had Nikon’s the standard fixed focusing screen with 4mm central microprism and 12mm matte focusing area. There are two PC terminals, but no hot shoe—the accessory shoe was an accessory— but there was a mirror lockup and (on the FTn) a mechanical self-timer. Quite advanced for their time, the Nikkormat FT and FTn paved the way for the succeeding generation of broad-spectrum Nikon SLRs, the FM, FM2 and FM2n which remained on production until 2001. A Nikkormat FTn in nice shape with period 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H lens can be yours for a piddling $50-75.
Konica Auto Reflex 1966. This is really the first truly successful auto-exposure SLR in terms of its impact in the marketplace, and its mechanical reliability. (Technically, the 1959 Savoyflex III, a French SLR with a Prontor leaf shutter and selenium-cell-controlled, shutter-priority metering system takes first-of-its-kind laurels, but it was trouble prone and not widely distributed.). The Auto Reflex (known as the Autorex in Japan) features and external CdS cell to the right of the lens that controls a trap-needle type, shutter-priority autoexposure system, a feature or all Konica SLRs until the series finished in 1985. The Copal Square metal focal-plane shutter provides speeds of 1/25-1/400 sec in automatic mode and 1-1/1000 sec in manual match-needle-metering mode. Other features: fixed pentaprism, single stroke-wind lever, andmost remarkably the ability to switch between full (24x36mm) and half-frame (18x24mm) formats at any time! I can think of no other SLR that offers such flexibility!Less than two years later, the Auto Reflex evolved into the through-lens- (TTL) metering Autoreflex T, the camera that established Konica as a major SLR maker from the late ‘60s to the late ‘70s. Though it’s a historically important camera that’s not too common in this country, Konica Auto Reflexes are often reasonably priced when you find them, and they’ll accept all Konica bayonet-mount lenses. Approximate price with 57mm f/1.4 Konica Hexanon lens, $300.
Konica Auto Reflex with 52mm f/1,8 Hexagon lens: The first successful autoexposure SLR, it also let you mix full and half frame images on the same roll!
Canon FT QL 1966. The second iteration of the Canon FT (the same camera sans the QL quick-loading feature), this was the camera that established Canon’s hugely successful Canon FL mount, compatible with a huge array of Canon lenses, and operable (in stop-down metering mode) with later Canon FD lenses. Aimed at a broad spectrum of shooters, the robust, crisply styled FT QL has an instant-return mirror, provides stop-down, semi-spot, CdS cell metering via a prism incorporated in the viewfinder condenser/screen assembly, but it has a fixed pentaprism and screens aren’t interchangeable. Other features: cloth focal plans shutter with speeds from 1-1/1000 sec plus B, flash sync at 1.60 sec, built-in mechanical self-timer, and a mirror lock that also enables the use of deeply set lenses liker the original 19mm f/3.5 ultra-wide Canon, albeit without reflex viewing. An accessory Canon Booster increased meter sensitivity by 16x, but it was clumsy and mostly used on a tripod. The long running (1966-1972) Canon FT QL was tweaked, with minor upgrades over the years, and it helped Canon compete with cameras like the Pentax Spotmatic. It was succeeded by the Canon FTb, which had an FD mount, full aperture metering, and other upgrades. You can snag a clean, functional Canon FT QL with 50mm f/1.8 Canon FL lens for a paltry $50-75, and for about a C-note with the excellent 50mm f/1.4 Canon FL lens.
Canon FT QL with 28mm f/3.5 Canon FL lens: Along with its non-QL predecessor it established the Canon FT mount and attracted a broad spectrum of users.
Please go to Section 2 of this article for more info on technologically advanced landmark 35mm SLRs of the 1960s!
The Most Technologically Advanced 35mm SLRs, Part 2, Section 1
The tumultuous ‘60s: Built-in TTL metering, autoexposure, and more!
By Jason Schneider
The 1960s marked the time when the 35mm SLR became the dominant camera type, surpassing the interchangeable lens rangefinder 35 and blowing the once mighty twin lens reflex into the weeds. It was also a time when built-in metering systems were becoming increasungly sophisticated, with TTL designs taking over and selenium cells being ecliped by battery powered CdS cells that were not only more sensutuive, but also had a narriwer acceptance angle, enabling accurate readings to be be made fron shooting position. Here are 10 stellar examples that tell the story of the second phase in the evolution oif the 35mm SLR and how it went from being a niche product to a mass market phenomenon that shaped today’s digital landscape.
Topcon RE Super with 58mm f/1.8 RE Auto-Topcor and flash adapter: It pioneered built-in TTL metering with its CdS cell located behind slits in the mirror.
Topcon RE Super 1963. The first 35mm SLR with through-the-lens match-needle metering, it was manufactured by Tokyo Optical Company, Ltd. and initiated the basic trend that all other SLR makers were destined to follow. The RE Super was unique in having its CdS meter cell built into the mirror, permitting the use of simple interchangeable optical finders, but this system, designed in a joint project with Toshiba Electric Co., proved complex and expensive to produce. The RE was eclipsed on year later by the Pentax Spotmatic, which took TTL readings off the viewing screen, a simpler system adopted by virtually every other maker. Large, robust, and nicely finished, the Topcon RE Super features include; Interchangeable eye-level pentaprism and finder screens, single-stroke wind lever, full-aperture metering, cloth focal-plane shutter with speeds from 1-1/1000 sec plus B, winder/motor compatibility, and Exakta-compatible bayonet mount. Standard lens is the 58mm f/1.4 Auto Topcor. The RE Super was produced in four versions and provided the basis for the Topcon D-1 and Super DM that remained in production until the ‘80s. A clean original Topcon or Beseler Topcon RE Super with 50mmm f/1.4 lens sells for around $350-450.
The Olympus Pen F, the first half-frame SLR, sired the Pen line, This is the rare and gorgeous black version with red Gothic F and 38mm f/1.8 F. Zuiko lens
Olympus Pen F 1963: The original Olympus Pen F (with gothic F on the front) of 1963-1966 was the first half-frame (18x24mm format) 35mm SLR designed specifically for this size (Alpa’s earlier half-frame model was a masked-down version of the standard 24x36mm-format Alpa.) Designed by a team lead by the legendary Y.Maitani, the Pen F arrived at the height of the half-frame craze begun by its stablemate, the scale-focusing Olympus Pen of 1959. Though meterless, it created a sensation. Innovative features include: An excellent line of bayonet-mount Zuiko interchangeable lenses (eventually ranging from 20mm to 800mm plus 2 zooms and a macro), a 2-stroke film-wind lever, a unique rotary-sector, metal focal-plane shutter (similar to the one in 24 x 24mm Robots from Germany) providing flash sync at all speeds from 1-1/500 sec, a horizontally-moving instant-return mirror, and a porroprism finder with bright full-focusing screen. An accessory coupled CdS meter prism bayoneted in place over the shutter-speed dial. With standard 38mm f/1.8 Zuiko lens the svelte Pen F measures only 5x2-3/4x 2-1/2 inches. The later Pen FT (1966-1972) has single-sroke wind, a built-in inconvenient transfer-the-setting metering system, anda somwhat dimmer viewfinder due to the light siphoned off for metering. The final Olympus Pen Fv of 1967-1970 is basically a meterless Pen FT with a brighter viewfinder and is widely regarded as the best if the lot. All are charming, well made user-collectibles. Prices fot clean, functionasl examples with 38mm f/1.8 Zuiko Auto-S lens range from $125-$250 for a pen F, $175-$320 for a Pen FT, amd $350-$450 for a Pen Fv. Rare black Pen Fs and FTs similarly equipped fetch $400 and up.
Pentax Spotmatic of 1964 (note Honeywell logo) and superb 50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar lens. It was first in a long line of very popular M42 mount Pentaxes
Pentax Spotmatic 1964: The Spotmatic was the first though-the-lens- (TTL) metering 35mm SLR that took exposure readings off the finder screen, by means of two CdS cells placed on either side of the finder eyepiece. This brilliantly simple TTL-metering system was adopted by almost every other SLR manufacturer, and is still the dominant system in use today. The Pentax system, far less complicated and more flexible than Topcon’s clever mirror-mounted CdS meter cell (introduced a year earlier in the 1963 Topcon RE Super), has been refined to allow the sophisticated multipattern metering systems in current AF SLRs. In other respects, the Spotmatic (misnamed because it actually had a full-area averaging meter pattern) was quite conservative, providing match-needle metering at working aperture and using the traditional 42mm threaded lens mount pioneered by Praktica. Nevertheless it was a fairly compact, very attractive design and was one of the hottest-selling, most influential SLRs of its era. It was eventually developed into the similar-looking, full-aperture-metering Pentax Spotmatic F of 1974. Features include: Cloth focal-plane shutter with speeds from 1-1/1000 sec plus B, single-stroke wind lever, meter switch that strops down lens and doubles as an auto/manual diaphragm switch. The original Pentax Spotmatic and its similar variants, the Spotmatic SP and meterless SL are nice user-collectiblesand bargain priced at around $75-$150 with 55mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.4 Super-Takumar lens.
Nikon Phiotomic T with 50mm f/1.4 Nikon Auto-S: Its new prism bought TTL metering to the Nikon F, and it became the mainstay of pros and enthusiasts.
Nikon F Photomic T 1965: Introduced in 1965 to counter the 1963 Topcon RE Super’s technological coup of TTL metering, the Photomic T’s meter prism resembles the original prism but without the external CdS metering eye. Mounting the new prism with its larger eyepiece required a small modification to the top deck of earlier Nikon Fs. The system works by diverting a small amount of light from the eyepiece that then bounces around the pentaprism until it’s focused through a small condenser lens onto the CdS meter cell, providing full area averaging readings. This broad, unselective metering pattern can result in exposure errors, which is why Nikon brought forth the center-weighted Photomic Tn meter prism in 1966, which employs two aspheric condensers that provide center-weighted 60/40-percent readings. Both meter prisms used a pair of PX13 mercury batteries to power the CdS cells and must be modified to work properly with current 1.5v silver-oxide or alkaline cells. It took Nikon another 2 decades to fit a spot meter. The rest of the camera was just a minimally updated version on the classic Nikon F. A chrome Nikon Photomic T or Tn in clean functional condition with 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor lens will set you back about $150-$325 these days, which is something of a bargain. However, updating the meter prism to take currently available 1.5v batteries typically runs $50-75.
Canon Pellix with 50mm f/1.4 Canon FL lens: The first SLR with a non-flipping pellicle mirror it worked and was a technological tour de force, but it had issues.
Canon Pellix 1965: Canon unleashed the remarkable Pellix on an unsuspecting world in 1964, one year after launching its first “advanced amateur” 35mm SLR, the Canon FX that debuted the new FL mount. The Pellix also featured the expected TTL metering system, albeit employing stop-down metering system, but it embodied a revolutionary new concept in SLRs—a fixed semitransparent pellicle mirror placed behind the lens (hence the name Pellix) instead of the usual flip-up reflex mirror. The CdS metering cell is placed behind the pellicle mirror on an arm that swings up in front of the film gate when you press stop-down lever on the front of the camera. It provides match-needle readings based on the the light passing through the camera lens and through the pellicle mirror. The pellicle mirror in the Pellix, the first of its kind, allows about 2/3 of the light passing though the lens to reach the film, reflecting the rest uo into the viewfinder, As a result there is no mirror-induced vibration and no image blackout as the shutter fires.
Disadvanages of the system: the loss of about ½-stop of light used to make the exposure, slight degradation of the image by the pellicle mirror, reduced viewing brightness, and the potential for dust accumulation on the nirror, requiring delicate cleaning or mirror replacement. Canon brought out two fast FL lenses to compensate for the light loss, a 50mm f/1.4 and a 58mm f/1.2. In March 1966 Canon marketed the Canon Pellix QL , which had a quick-loading mechanism, and contacts in the base for an optional electronic booster for the internal metering system. Both models employ metal shutter curtains to prevent burning when the lens is exposed to brught sunlight, and there’s a finder blind ring under the rewind knob to prevent potential film fogging. Note: In 1995 Canon marketed the EOS-!N RS, an AF/AE SLR with a substantially improved pellicle mirror. Based on the EOS-1N, the EOS-1N RS has a fixed, semi-transparent pellicle mirror with a hard coat and at the time of its release it was the world’s fastest AF SLR camera with a continuous shooting speed of 10 fps. You can currently snag an original Canon Pellix or a Pellix QL in excellent cosmetic and operational condition with 50mm f/1.4 or f/1.8 FL lens for the staggeringly low price of $75-$125. They’re an acquired taste all right but nevertheless cool and collectible.
Nikkormat FTn with 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H lens: Advanced for its day it gave photo enthusiasts access to the huge Nikon system and was immensely popular.
Niknormat FTn 1965. This tweaked version of the Nikkormat FT, Nikon’s first TTL-metering SLR, no longer requires keying in the lens maximum aperture for external meter coupling—it was designed for AI (auto indexing) lenses that couple by turning the aperture ring back and forth from minimum to maximum aperture. Its metering system was also upgraded to provide Nikon’s classic 60/40 percent center-weighted readings, and +/- over/underexposure markers and a set shutter speed indication were added to the finder. This robust, metal bodied, manual, mechanical SLR became the mainstay of countless photo enthusiasts, vastly expanding Nikon’s marketing reach as well as spurring the sales of Nikkor lenses. Both models employed the metal-bladed, vertical travel Copal Square shutter with speeds of 1-1/1000 sec plus B, and flash sync at 1/125 sec, with the shutter speed ring concentric with the lens mount, provided match needle TTL metering at maximum aperture using CdS cells at the sides of the prism, and had Nikon’s the standard fixed focusing screen with 4mm central microprism and 12mm matte focusing area. There are two PC terminals, but no hot shoe—the accessory shoe was an accessory— but there was a mirror lockup and (on the FTn) a mechanical self-timer. Quite advanced for their time, the Nikkormat FT and FTn paved the way for the succeeding generation of broad-spectrum Nikon SLRs, the FM, FM2 and FM2n which remained on production until 2001. A Nikkormat FTn in nice shape with period 50mm f/2 Nikkor-H lens can be yours for a piddling $50-75.
Konica Auto Reflex 1966. This is really the first truly successful auto-exposure SLR in terms of its impact in the marketplace, and its mechanical reliability. (Technically, the 1959 Savoyflex III, a French SLR with a Prontor leaf shutter and selenium-cell-controlled, shutter-priority metering system takes first-of-its-kind laurels, but it was trouble prone and not widely distributed.). The Auto Reflex (known as the Autorex in Japan) features and external CdS cell to the right of the lens that controls a trap-needle type, shutter-priority autoexposure system, a feature or all Konica SLRs until the series finished in 1985. The Copal Square metal focal-plane shutter provides speeds of 1/25-1/400 sec in automatic mode and 1-1/1000 sec in manual match-needle-metering mode. Other features: fixed pentaprism, single stroke-wind lever, andmost remarkably the ability to switch between full (24x36mm) and half-frame (18x24mm) formats at any time! I can think of no other SLR that offers such flexibility!Less than two years later, the Auto Reflex evolved into the through-lens- (TTL) metering Autoreflex T, the camera that established Konica as a major SLR maker from the late ‘60s to the late ‘70s. Though it’s a historically important camera that’s not too common in this country, Konica Auto Reflexes are often reasonably priced when you find them, and they’ll accept all Konica bayonet-mount lenses. Approximate price with 57mm f/1.4 Konica Hexanon lens, $300.
Konica Auto Reflex with 52mm f/1,8 Hexagon lens: The first successful autoexposure SLR, it also let you mix full and half frame images on the same roll!
Canon FT QL 1966. The second iteration of the Canon FT (the same camera sans the QL quick-loading feature), this was the camera that established Canon’s hugely successful Canon FL mount, compatible with a huge array of Canon lenses, and operable (in stop-down metering mode) with later Canon FD lenses. Aimed at a broad spectrum of shooters, the robust, crisply styled FT QL has an instant-return mirror, provides stop-down, semi-spot, CdS cell metering via a prism incorporated in the viewfinder condenser/screen assembly, but it has a fixed pentaprism and screens aren’t interchangeable. Other features: cloth focal plans shutter with speeds from 1-1/1000 sec plus B, flash sync at 1.60 sec, built-in mechanical self-timer, and a mirror lock that also enables the use of deeply set lenses liker the original 19mm f/3.5 ultra-wide Canon, albeit without reflex viewing. An accessory Canon Booster increased meter sensitivity by 16x, but it was clumsy and mostly used on a tripod. The long running (1966-1972) Canon FT QL was tweaked, with minor upgrades over the years, and it helped Canon compete with cameras like the Pentax Spotmatic. It was succeeded by the Canon FTb, which had an FD mount, full aperture metering, and other upgrades. You can snag a clean, functional Canon FT QL with 50mm f/1.8 Canon FL lens for a paltry $50-75, and for about a C-note with the excellent 50mm f/1.4 Canon FL lens.
Canon FT QL with 28mm f/3.5 Canon FL lens: Along with its non-QL predecessor it established the Canon FT mount and attracted a broad spectrum of users.
Please go to Section 2 of this article for more info on technologically advanced landmark 35mm SLRs of the 1960s!