Camera Talk

Canon made quite a few Half Frame cameras, from the first Demi in 1963 to the Sureshot MultiTele in 1988. The first Demi, pictured below, is a handsome and efficient camera that produces fine results. It is pictured with a Series V sunshade and the Flash Coupler which substitutes for a flash shoe-- it might take some perseverance to find that accessory.

Like the Fujica Half, the Demi has a five element f/2.8 lens; it is threaded for 27mm screw-in filters or a Series Adapter --Series V is about the right size and Kodak made an adapter that fits (No. 56). An exposure program sets apertures from 2.8 to 22 against shutter speeds from 1/30 to 1/250 ; there is no choice of speed and aperture except by setting the shutter to Flash and accepting the 1/30 speed. Time exposures are possible with setting “B” and the Demi accepts a cable release. Two marks on the lens read-out ring adjust the program up to +1.5 stops for filters or backlighting. Though the viewfinder has no frame lines, it is pleasant to look through and accurate. Focus is set by zone symbols on the lens ring which are converted to feet and meters by a permanent chart on the camera’s back. A lever film advance, a shutter release that benefits from a soft touch accessory, and a non-intuitive ASA/ISO setting complete the mechanics of the Demi. Unfortunately the selenium meter is the heart of the Demi’s picture taking and if it doesn’t work, the user has few choices except for the constant 1/30 speed and manual aperture setting mentioned above or to estimate the aperture that accompanies each shutter speed on the program (this has been figured out in an old Half Framer article copied below--though I can‘t guarantee it, it sounds about right). The meter on my unit works so I still use the Demi with the program. I remedy the lack of strap lugs by a handstrap screwed into the tripod mount.

The photos below were made with the Demi on Ilford Delta 400 a while ago, developed in D76, 1:1, and scanned at home. They come from Port Costa, California. The first one is a dyptych which some folks find to be a big plus for the HF format; I don’t have much luck with dyptychs , but, in this case, it is a good introduction to the other photos.
The Place


Abandoned Marquee followed by detail of Horizontal E




Cafe


Hotel



(Information below quoted from The Half Framer, January, 1999, p. 16)

Aperture f/2.8 is linked to speed 1/30
Aperture f/4 is linked to speed 1/45
Aperture f/5.6 is linked to speed 1/60
Aperture f/8 is linked to speed 1/90
Aperture f/11 is linked to speed 1/125
Aperture f/16 is linked to speed 1/190
Aperture f/22 is linked to speed 1/250


Bill Delehanty

The Demi looks like a very capable camera and those are very good sample pictures. I did not know that Canon had persisted in half-frame until 1988.

Is that "E" a high definition scan of the previous picture? If so, my hat goes off.

I have never handled a Demi, how would you compare it to the Pen series? It looks a bit larger.

Hello,Julio1fer:

Thanks for your reply, comments, and questions. I wish I could say that the Horizontal E was part of the larger photo of the marquee; but, I can't because it was a separate exposure-- I was struck at the time by the texture and the telltale deposits of tree debris in the angles. I thought that the Demi represented the texture (in the Horizontal E frame) quite well from an exposure that must have been made at ~1.5m distance or so.

I don't feel that much difference in handling (other than auto-exposure) between the Pen Series of the early 60's that I know (Pen '59, Pen W) and the Demi: the Demi is lighter at 317g compared to Pen '59 at 352g or Pen W at 370g. The most significant handling difference is that the Pen '59 has 1 lug and the Pen W has 2; for me, anyway, a neck strap is essential for a camera requiring manual setting of focus, aperture, and speed. The later Pen D's which I believe you use (I remember your posts on Nelsonfoto) are quite a bit heavier (selenium meter Pen D which is what I have is 431g) and I find mine harder to set aperture and speed (supposedly linked together)- the great results, though, are worth a little bit of inconvenience. The Demi can do quite a lot because the manufacturer put features on it that a photographer will need from time to time; the early Pens, in my opinion, can do more because of the full adjustability and, not to be forgotten, the close-up capacity.

Thanks for the opportunity to talk about HF. I hope to put up a post on the Canon Sureshot Multi Tele sometime in the future.

Bill Delehanty

Bill, you really are a half-frame aficionado. I am a big fan of the format.

This seems like a very camera to handle. I'm impressed that it has a five-element lens, and the sharpness of the results speak for themselves.

Hello, Bill,

I've never tried half-frame, but I am certainly impressed by the snap of your B&W photos. The subjects are well-chosen too. Thanks for an interesting post.

Dennis

Thanks for the data, Bill. The Demi is very light! And it has both strap lugs, which is an important point.

Indeed the Pen D3 which I use is in a different category. The Demi would fit with, say, the Oly EE-3 with is fully auto exposure. The Demi was a worthy opponent for the Pens, although I have no idea about how well it fared.