Good morning;

Since BenjiBoy's announcement (and Sean's confirmation) that the Canon FD Group had been accidentally deleted, there is a reconstruction effort underway as this is being written in late October of 2011. This, obviously, is a replacement for the prior place for welcoming people to the Canon FD Group, and a place where we can tell people who we are and what are our interests in and uses with Canon FD Mount cameras. New people who may appear are encouraged to tell us something about themselves here. The "veteran" participants are also encouraged to post their information here again.

This is the restart of this section for introductions and welcoming to the Canon FD Group, a group of photographers (and perhaps collectors) with an interest in and appreciation for the Canon FD and/or the Canon "Breech-Lock" lens mount. While this mount scheme often does seem to need three hands to do it properly, it is still a mechanical marvel in the way that it eliminates wear and changes in the lens mount and registration distance.

So, I am Ralph located in Latte Land, Washington; yes, the International Headquarters and Home of Starbucks, Howard Shultz's well known coffee company. While I am not unknown in photography circles, I cannot claim to be a major player with Canon. It was just this last summer when an orphan Canon Pellix QL with a 1.4/50mm lens (not the standard 1.2/50mm lens), and a film advance lever that would not move, was handed to me. While I have had an interest in Canon for many years, I had not actually done anything with that interest. With a CLA and a minor repair, that Pellix QL is back in operation here. A couple of years ago, I did learn about a need by a young man for a Canon F1 with the 1.4/50mm lens, and decided that I would try to find one for him around the time of his birthday or Christmas. That was when I joined this group; to learn more about the Canon FD cameras. Then suddenly there was that Canon Pellix QL in my hands, and I really did qualify for membership in the group.

Under other interests in photography, I range from 16mm film through 35mm and 120 roll film and up to 4 by 5 (5 by 4 or 125mm by 100mm for the people in Europe). Camera marques represented include argus, Canon, FED, Kiev, Kodak, Konica, Koni-Omega, Minolta, Nikon, Polaroid, SINAR, Vivitar, Yashica, and Zorki. (I hope that I have not forgotten something. They will be so disappointed if I did.) I can enlarge things up to 6x7, but I can only contact print the 4 by 5 with what is here in the house right now. And, yes, there are some digital cameras here also.

Enjoy;

Ralph
Latte Land, Washington

Re-introducing myself:

I've been running a Canon AE-1P since 1996 I think it was. I have CLAed it once a handful of years back and glad I did. It will probably last 20 years more. I have a selection of lenses for it (see my signature line) and take it hiking, sometimes biking, and skiing/snowboarding/snowshoeing. It also takes family photos, christmas photos, pets, etc.

35mm negative is my preferred format for all photos. I like it. I never got into big format. The heavier larger equipment turns me off a little. I grew up loathing the 110 cameras (before we moved up to 35mm) and the quality they had when I was a kid. I had a couple of auto-focus cameras growing up without much more than a shutter button on them. I never had an SLR until I took an intro photography class. There I learned to shoot B&W, develop and print it in a dark room on campus. It was valuable experience and has served me well (even though I have forgotten the minutaue and the minutes and the step-by-step process). I prefer not to develop my own, and send them out for processing. I have a place locally that does nice work in North Denver.

I'm working on getting an A-1 in shooting condition and also planning to disassemble and tinker with another A-1, both used.

I'm a big fan of FD cameras and the glass. It really was pure luck of the draw when I went into a shop unknowing and got the cheapest used SLR they had. My first was Nikon I think, and it had a major shutter problem (not closing all the way) so I went back and they swapped it out for the slightly more costly AE-1P ($20 more I think it was). Best thing that ever happened!

Thanks Ralph,
I've sent a PM this morning which would have been in the middle of the night to Sean to ask him how to re-invite all the people who were group members to re-join but I don't think he has seen it yet due to the time difference it's still only around 7 am in New Zealand.
I'll introduce myself I'm benjiboy, I started this group I've been retired for about six years, I've been interested in in photography since I was thirteen, I was a camera store manager and later an area manager for a group on ten camera stores and have been using Canon FD equipment for around thirty five years I have F1N-AE,EF, T90 and FTbn bodys and an assortment of FD lenses the majority of them Canon, my favourite subjects are people, either formal studio portraits or informal available light indoor or outdoor portraits and favourite films Kodak Portra, 160 and 400 Fuji NPS and NPH , ad slide films Fuji Provia 100F and 400X.

Hi.
My name's Fred, and I'm a... a cameraholic.
It all started some 44 years ago in grade school, taking pictures behind the school with a little plastic 127.
I thought I had it beat when I took up the trumpet a few years later... Then it was a see-saw battle for several years. I lost that battle eight years ago, and had to sell my trumpets in order to satisfy my craving. I was doing the easy stuff at first, Canon EOS, graduated to digital... regressed to film, film, and more film... Regressed even further to Canon FD bodies, mainlined on FTbs and F1s. Then I sampled older Minoltas, some of the SR-T series, then an XD-11, then another, and another... then I broke down completely and acquired a pair of Nikon F4s and some lenses. Having reached rock bottom, I had nowhere to go but up. And I discovered a T90 sitting quietly on a shelf, surrounded by L-series lenses. And I dusted them off, and took them out to play.

I'm feeling much better now.

I bought my FTbn second hand thirty five years ago and it's still going strong all I've had to do is put film and batteries in it, it's now in retirement because it could do with a CLA now, but I have so many other FD bodys I can't justify the cost and I can't use them all.

I think that every time I have another FTb CLA'd, with the battery circuit adjusted. It's sure going to be embarrassing if film actually does go away anytime soon...

Instead of having my FTbn serviced I replaced it with a Canon EF and had the EF CLAd instead, because it has a better Silicon metering system that is much more sensitive at low light levels and a self adjusting voltage regulator circuit that gives correct exposures with 1.5 volt PX 625 A alkaline batteries that are cheap and plenty full and require no modification to the camera.

The FTbn is my second favorite FD camera, after the T90. Polar opposites! I'm partial to the FTbn because there is absolutely nothing getting in the way of my taking a photo; I don't have that feeling with the EF. Still trying to decide if I want to unload mine. (See the thread Most disappointing cameras?)

If your EF ate batteries Fred and you were switching the meter off after use it had an electrical fault that needed correcting, if I buy a camera that is as old as the FD series I factor into the price of a CLA and before I use it seriously I have it checked over, serviced and have the light seals replaced, very few FD cameras have ever had any maintenance since they were manufactured more than twenty five years ago, and no machine works without developing faults, and if you just buy another from ebay it will probably just have the same or some other fault that might be worse.

Benji, those are similar to my own thoughts. I might forgoe a full CLA if it works and sounds good, but I'd definitely check the light seals and expect to have to look it over or have it serviced somehow.

I never knew there was an FD group! The FD system was the first serious camera I ever used. Before that it was Instamatics. I have only a few working bodies left at the moment, a TX and an AE-1. One FTb has a shutter bounce-back issue while another's shutter is totally dead and my other TX shutter is slow. I have lots of lenses from ultra wide to telephoto. There is almost always a roll of Ilford Delta 100 in my working TX body.

I'm a FD user with 3 bodies. An FTb, FTbn and an A1. My first Canon body was a AE1p with a 50 F1.8 that I used for awhile till I got a bad case of gas and started acquiring other brands. I eventually came across a travel/nature photographers website who used FTb's due to their hardiness in weather extremes and thought I try one out. The first one I bought was my FTbn and I was able at that time to buy the mercury batteries for it. A few years later I got an FTb off Ebay mainly for a lens that I wanted and the body has sat till now, but I am thinking of getting it cla'd just cause I like the mirror/timer lever better. Almost 2 years ago I got my A1. It came with a motor winder, 50mm F1.4 and a zoom I can't remember and now long gone. Along the way I've picked up flashes, bellows units, a teleconverter and 4 more lenses, a 28 now gone, another replacement 50 F1.8, a 35-70 and a 80-200. I would like to get a 35-105 eventually.
I like the metering patch in the FTB's as you can place it so the metering is biased towards highlights or shadows and I rarely have had a bad exposure. The other great feature is the mirror lockup with dof preview. The A1 on the other hand has great low light metering, is quieter and smaller in the hand. DOF preview tho is kinda bs, but you can get use to it. I think the only other bodies I would like to try is the T90 and the EF.

Re-introducing ...

I bought a Canon A-1 circa 1981 after my trusty old Konica FP started misbehaving. Initially I bought the 50mm f1.4 lens, then after my checking account recovered, I bought the 35-105 f3.5 Macro which met about 95% of my usual needs. Quite some years later, a friend who dabbled in used camera trading waved one of the super cheap and light 35-70 f3.5-4.5 lenses in front of me, and in a hypnotic state, I reached for my wallet. He got me a few years later with an original F-1 body -- "Hey, you have FD lenses -- this body will still work after a nuclear EMP wipes out all the electronic stuff." Well, I mean, who could argue with that logic -- so I bought it. In 1998 my dad died and I wound up with his AE-1, 50mm f1.8 and a 3rd party wide angle. And much more recently, I acquired a 70-210mm zoom, "just because." So that's about the extent of my FD stuff.

When shooting 35mm (except on Argus Day), I primarily use the A-1, although I don't shoot nearly as much as I once did. The F-1 functions, although I saw a hint of shutter curtain bounce in its last outing, and the focus screen in it would not be my first choice. So every now and again I find myself cruising the KEH site and wondering if I should invest more in FD stuff or not. I do have some EOS lenses used with "other" equipment and sometimes think I should get a film body to fit that stuff, but truth is, most of my "art" photography is medium format lately.

Decisions, decisions ...

DaveT "Great to be back!"

Hello all..

My very 1st SLR camera is Canon AE-1 Program (chrome body) with FD 50mm f/1.8 lens. The camera really great and gice me nice result. And then I get AE-1 black body and EF. After I get A-1, I sell my AE-1 and EF, big mistake because I really miss them
Recently I bought Ftb-ql, nFD 35/2.8 and nFD 28/2.8. Canon FD gives me a new thing on photography. So happy to use them

Hello FD folks,
I guess the fact that I just discovered this thread means that I don't check on my groups often enough. I'll try to do better.
My primary 35s are Canons (2 AE-1s,2 T90s) and Canon glass from 20mm to 200mm and I'm lusting for a 17.
Most of my work is landscapes, people, cars, old buildings, etc. It's almost all black and white except for happy snaps of the grandkids etc.
I'm not a pro, just a retired old geezer who's been making picture for longer than I care to admit.
I have a darkroom in my home and I process, print, mat and frame here also. I enjoy the process from end to end.

Happy to be back,
Larry

Welcome largely from another T90 enthusiast, I have three bodys and they are everything I could wish for in a camera, I've often wondered if auto focus SLR s and digital SLR s hadn't been invented what the current version of the T90 would be like.

Hello,

My name is Mark and I bought my first Canon, a new black AE-1 with a used FD 1.8 SC 50mm lens, in 1978 when I was 14. I shot with that camera for twenty-years before it developed a problem (the shutter only fires with the self-timer activated). I replaced it briefly with an EOS A2, went digital in 2003, and have headed back to manual-no- battery-required cameras with the purchase of a FTb-N body (I did break down and bought a Weincell for the meter just to know if it worked or not). I use a Canon 28-85mm and Canon 75-210mm most often but also carry around the 50mm prime since it is not heavy. I just recently bought a FD 50mm 1.4 that has oily aperture blades as a project (I got it cheap) to learn how to disassemble one and make that sort of repair.

Other photography interests include MF (Mamiya RB67) and LF (Cambo SCII). I've also had a darkroom since '78 also and do all my own B&W developing and printing. I've been referencing the APUG site for some time and finally decided in the fall to subscribe. Sorry to hear about the accidental deletion of the group. Everyone here I've met so far has been great and really helpful.

-mark

Welcome aboard Mark, I have the Canon FD 28-85 f4 mm zoom too, it's a wonderful (and quite rare these days) general purpose zoom.

Hi everyone, my name is Bill and while I shoot mostly with Nikon, I have a nice little Canon FD kit as well with a chrome FTb and and LA Olympics vintage F1n with a smattering of lenses ranging from the 24 f2.8, 28 2.8, 35 f2 with the radioactive glass, pre SSC 50 f1.4, late period 50 f1.8, 100 f2.8 and a ghetto cosmetics 200 f2.8. I am trying to resist the urge to pick up a chrome AE-1.

Hi Uncle Bill, sounds like you have a nice sampling of the FD series.

I inherited a chrome AE-1 from my dad, so that's covered. But I also have an original F-1 and an A-1 to share lenses. I haven't used the FD stuff much lately and pulled out the A-1 the other day to look at in trying to answer a question. I remain impressed with how compact and solid that camera is -- it had my 35-105 f/3.5 zoom on it which definitely lets you know there's a camera in hand!

So much for resisting the urge, I picked a rather nice AE-1 and it is in better shape than the first one I had 12 years ago.

Hello all, my name is Gary and I recently acquired a Canon EF body. I was the beneficiary of quite a bit of Canon gear, namely a mint Pellix with a 50mm 1.4, a 17mm 3.5, a 35mm 2.5 and finally a 55-200 3.5 zoom. It's always a shock to see how well cameras were made back in the '70's. I'm having a wonderful time shooting with them. The last Canon camera I had was a black rangefinder VI L in mint condition some 30 or 40 years ago; I foolishly traded it in for a song to purchase o new 50 2.8 Elmar to match an M3 I had recently purchased at that time. I've since vowed never to trade in a camera or lens again!

Hello everyone. My name is Onur and i shoot with the fd system for about a year. I have New F-1 body, nFD 50mm F/1.4, Sigma 16mm F/2.8 fish-eye and nFD 17mm F/4 now and i used A-1, AE-1P, nFD 28mm F/2.8, Tokina 17mm F/3.5 before and also thinking about getting an A-1 and a nFD 20mm F/2.8 these days. If anyone has any question about these equipments, i'm ready to share everything i know.

Welcome, Onur! I would like to take you up on your offer: How would you compare the New F-1 in normal use with the AE-1P or the A-1? I have used the AE-1P extensively and the A-1 a bit, but I've been curious about the older F-1 model.

Well it's Pentax Pete joined as I DO have CANON FD gear as well !! I was so annoyed with PENTAXwhen they changed from Screw to Bayonet in the 1970's i thought to change and bought a black AE1 then was given the opportunity to get an FTbn outfit with 4 lenses, loads of 55mm filters, extension tube set, etc from a Camera Club member who was 'disheartened' that he never won any prizes at Club and said he would sell all his gear to anyone who offered £ 150-00 -- so I OFFERED !! There was nothing wrong with his gear i -- it was HIM that could not 'see' a picture -- I sold the 24mmf2.8 Canon SSC Breechlock to another ( Professional) Camera Club member for £50--00 so all that gear cost me £ 100-00 ! I could use my 24mm f3.5 SMC Takumar on the Canon with a £ 5-00 Canon 'P' adapter and it was sharper than the Canon lens .. I also got a 50mm f1.4 Canon SSC Breechlock, 100mm f2.8 Canon SSC Breechlock, 200mm f4 Canon SSC Breechlock. I decided to KEEP all my Pentax gear !! I bought a 35mm f3.5 SSC Canon Breechlock at my Camera Club annual auction for £ 1-00,then many years later I was GIVEN an A1 outfit by a Gent whose Brother had died and he wanted NO MONEY for it just for it to go to a 'Good Home' -- it came in a metal case -- A1 with 28mm f2.8 Canon FD, 50mm f1.8 Canon FD, 70-150mm f4.5 Canon FD, motor wind 'A', magnifier eyepiiece some 52mm filters etc -- so I have a good collection and USE it !! I will put on some results to show you.