camera names

[benjiboy]

As for nomenclature, I think Canon made a mistake with the wonderful Canon EF. They had the F series and the A series and the EF just got lost; many people don't know it exists. I didn't know it existed until a few years ago (thanks, Ben!). It doesn't help that their EOS system lenses are called EF lenses.

A handy timeline reference for Minolta, Canon, Nikon Pentax:

http://minolta.eazypix.de/slrtable/

So now Nikon has Z cameras, Z lenses and Canon has EOS R cameras and RF lenses. We'll see what becomes of that, but I suspect it's the End.

The EF as you write Theo is a little known model even amongst camera enthusiasts and they can still be bought for reasonable prices, when it was introduced in 1973 ( the A series didn't come out until 1976 ) it had the same build quality as original F1 but a much more sensitive shutter priority AE Silicon cell metering system than the F1's Selenium metering together with a hybrid vertical running electro/mechanical shutter that would work mechanically at most speeds even if the battery failed. My EF with the FD 35mm f2 is my go-to camera for street shooting and it's great.

 

[Chan Tran]

The EF as you write Theo is a little known model even amongst camera enthusiasts and they can still be bought for reasonable prices, when it was introduced in 1973 ( the A series didn't come out until 1976 ) it had the same build quality as original F1 but a much more sensitive shutter priority AE Silicon cell metering system than the F1's Selenium metering together with a hybrid vertical running electro/mechanical shutter that would work mechanically at most speeds even if the battery failed. My EF with the FD 35mm f2 is my go-to camera for street shooting and it's great.

I have 2 of those EF.
Back in 76 a friend of mine when shopping for his first camera and was looking for the AE-1. The dealer has an EF and offered him a much lower price for the EF so he bought it. A year later he still think he got cheated by the salesman talked him into buying the EF so he bought the AE-1. His EF is barely used and he gave it to me later one.

 

[NB23]

F = Focal plane shutter. M = Merkwürdigliebe. Which means Strangelove, whoops wrong movie. Leica M means MESSSUCHER. Eyes wide open?

Messucher = mesucker= take my money

 

[mshchem]

Messucher = mesucker= take my monet

Funny!!!

 

[Oren Grad]

The EF... had the same build quality as original F1 but a much more sensitive shutter priority AE Silicon cell metering system than the F1's Selenium metering

The F-1, like most other Japanese SLRs of its era, had a CdS meter cell, not selenium.

I've been around cameras long enough to remember the EF very well, from when it was a current model. The EF was a one-off, a dead end for Canon. Internally it was a very complex camera, expensive to build. The AE-1 that most immediately replaced it, though heavily promoted for its automated features (does anyone else remember all the ads with John Newcombe?), was from the perspective of camera technology primarily an exercise in reducing manufacturing cost.

 

[benjiboy]

The F-1, like most other Japanese SLRs of its era, had a CdS meter cell, not selenium.

I've been around cameras long enough to remember the EF very well, from when it was a current model. The EF was a one-off, a dead end for Canon. Internally it was a very complex camera, expensive to build. The AE-1 that most immediately replaced it, though heavily promoted for its automated features (does anyone else remember all the ads with John Newcombe?), was from the perspective of camera technology primarily an exercise in reducing manufacturing cost.

you are quite correct Oran, Cadmium Sulphide was the word I was trying to remember.. Canon made the EF for six years from 1973 to 1978, I used to sell them at a pro. dealers in those days and as far as I remember they weren't much less expensive than the F1but many pro.. customers bought them as a backup for their F1 because of their low light and shutter priority AE capabilities without having to buy. the very expensive Servo AE and Booster Finder T for their F1.
I remember the Canon advertisement that said the EF was "particularly suitable for old people".

 

[Oren Grad]

I remember the Canon advertisement that said the EF was "particularly suitable for old people".

 

[benjiboy]

I have 2 of those EF.
Back in 76 a friend of mine when shopping for his first camera and was looking for the AE-1. The dealer has an EF and offered him a much lower price for the EF so he bought it. A year later he still think he got cheated by the salesman talked him into buying the EF so he bought the AE-1. His EF is barely used and he gave it to me later one.

The EF was an all-metal professional quality camera and cost almost as much as the F1 in 1976, the AE1 was a consumer camera made mainly of polycarbonate by automatic machines your friend got a bargain, you're a lucky man Chan.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

The EF ... had the same build quality as original F1 ...

Thank you for the confirmation, that is my impression as well. I've been using mine constantly this year; it is so enjoyable. I do get good battery life with it also - I switch it off when I'm finished with a series of photos.

Time now to switch to my F-1N - astounding build quality on that one.

 

[AgX]

The EF was an all-metal professional quality camera and cost almost as much as the F1 in 1976, the AE1 was a consumer camera made mainly of polycarbonate by automatic machines your friend got a bargain, you're a lucky man Chan.

The AE-1 got a cast metal chassis and I doubt there is any Polycarbonate part at it at all.

 

[Oren Grad]

The AE-1 got a cast metal chassis and I doubt there is any Polycarbonate part at it at all.

The AE-1 chassis is metal, the covers are metal-coated polycarbonate.

EDIT: that was my recollection. The Wikipedia article on the AE-1 has this:

In keeping with its cost-cutting philosophy, Canon designed the AE-1 to use a significant amount of structural plastic for a lighter and cheaper camera at the expense of being less impact resistant. Canon went to great effort to disguise the use of plastic - the injection-molded acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) for the top panel finished with either satin chrome (or black enameled) to give the look and feel of metal. The bottom plate were made of brass and then finished with satin chrome (or black enameled). Extensive use of electronics also allowed simpler modular internal construction instead of mechanical linkages. Five major and 25 minor internal modules reduced the individual parts count by over 300. Modular construction, in turn, allowed automated production lines in order to reduce cost. Unfortunately, cost concerns also resulted in the use of plastic in some of the moving/operating mechanisms.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_AE-1#Design_history

 

[AgX]

No, the covers are from galvanized ABS.
(A technique taken over from Pentacon.)

Some samples still got brass bottom covers.

 

[Oren Grad]

No, the covers are from galvanized ABS.

Yes, thanks.

 

[blockend]

No, the covers are from galvanized ABS.

Isn't that plastic?

 

[macfred]

Isn't that plastic?

Yes, but galvanized ...

 

[blockend]

Yes, but galvanized ...

 

[cuthbert]

There's a story, possibly apocryphal, that circulates periodically about the Canon F-1. In brief, Nikon had the F and F2, but never bothered to trademark F-1. Canon saw the opportunity and took it.

I think more likely the wanted to channel their message they were making a better camera than the F2.

 

[Chan Tran]

Thank you for the confirmation, that is my impression as well. I've been using mine constantly this year; it is so enjoyable. I do get good battery life with it also - I switch it off when I'm finished with a series of photos.

Time now to switch to my F-1N - astounding build quality on that one.

The only feature the AE-1 has over the EF is its capable of motor winder but only a slow 2fps winder. Otherwise the EF is much nicer. I have the AE-1 too I the EF is definitely the better camera.

 

[Oren Grad]

The only feature the AE-1 has over the EF is its capable of motor winder...

Dedicated flash, with the 155A and later - though the "dedicated" functions are primitive. But I agree that if you don't mind the extra size and weight, the EF is a nicer camera.

 

[AgX]

The first "F" designated SLR was....

Praktika FX (1952)

 

[Theo Sulphate]

The first "F" designated SLR was....

Praktika FX (1952)

Ok. However, there was also the Hasselblad 1600F of 1948: 1600 representing the top shutter speed of 1/1600s and F representing the focal plane shutter. In the 500C later, the C represented the Compur leaf shutter.

 

[AgX]

The "FX" stands for the two flash synchronisations.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

My bet is that the letter "X" has appeared more often in SLR names than any other letter:

Exakta VX
Pentax KX
Minolta XK
etc.

 

[Shootar401]

The same reason the real thing is called Dr Pepper, and the knockoff is called Mr Pibb...

Yeah but Pepper has a PhD and Pibb is just a regular guy.