Camera Talk

Well, browsing the local auction site can be a dangerous thing, tempting the weak into giving in to their gas....

It's funny, you read about a camera model, then you start seeing them "everywhere". Probably because you're looking for it! Anyway, there were several of the older, less popular Canon SLRs being offered up on our local auction site (TradeMe). I watched a few to get a feel for the local prices, and spotted a black FTb QL with a 50mm f1.4 lens. Offered what a few others had recently gone for (with the standard f1.8 lens) and the transaction completed. A few days later the black Canon FTb turns up.

It's not been used for a while, so needed a bit of cosmetic cleaning to the outer body, plus some stick grease leaned from the mechanism under the bottom plate. The lens is nice and clean with smooth focus. The viewfinder has a couple of spots in which I'll address later. Meter seems to work fine, as does the self timer and mirror lock up.

I've been busy with some other weekend work, so didn't really have time for a photo-only day, so decided to run a test roll through the camera just in the garden. I loaded up a roll of recently expired Acros II (the Quick Load feature is quite good) and set about testing the new arrival. Having the f1.4 lens meant it was obligatory to shoot some wide open test shots!

I've not previously "clicked" with Canon cameras (I sold an AE1 a few years back), but I'm really liking this FTb.

Anyway, here's three pictures from the roll, shot at EI 100 and developed in some 10 year old PC-TEA (1+50). I'll try and post some some more pictures, including of the camera, later.

Some "product" shots. Just a hint of brassing.

Oh, yeah, that's a good one. I took some nice photos with one back when I was in my investigative mode. I think I still have a couple of them around here, and at least one is in black. Yours is working just fine, Paul, and the photos are lovely.

PF

That is a great classic, and Canon FT lenses are an excellent deal for their quality…and variety… yes, getting into a new mount system is very dangerous for GAS!

PFMcFarland wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:59 pm

... Yours is working just fine, Paul, and the photos are lovely.

PF

Well, it was sort of working just fine.

The shutter doesn't always full open, meaning a random chance of a random format picture - sometimes full frame, sometimes half frame, something no frame. It's a bit annoying, but given what I paid, I'm not too put out. The lens alone usually goes for more.

So, what to do? What many of us here would do - buy another body! I got a pretty near mint silver body from Japan, this one seems to be consistent with its format It's also the first revision which some internet people rate higher. It feels smoother, but that might just because it's in better overall condition.

Anyway, I did manage to rescue some frames from the roll. I had to go and pick the other half up from the airport, so between the carpark and the terminal (a very short walk) I snapped a few abstract-y shots
And what to do with the black body? I think I'll try and strip it down and service it. There are a few online videos showing a full tear down, it doesn't look too scary . If the worst comes to the worst, I'll have a parts body!!

Film was Fomapan 200 developed in homemade 510-Pyro.

The Canon FTb is one of my favourite cameras. Super reliable, I had a friend who was a press photographer and used two FTbs, and would use no other camera. It was superbly made. Older ones suffer from de-silvering of the prism, resulting in a dark vertical line in the viewfinder. I still have one, as well as an A-1. The lenses are superb and the 50mm f1.8 formula was carried down to the EF 50mm f1.8 AF lens of today. Nice find, Philip.

Sounds like some of that goo leaking out from the bottom was lubricant. You're looking at cleaning out the gear mechanisms and re-lubing to get rid of that intermittent shutter hanging. I forgot to mention that what you have is an FTbn as it has the newer self-timer lever. It's a great camera for a three-lens kit (wide-normal-portrait) to carry around, especially since Canon made such good glass for them. The abstracts look great.

PF