Canon F-1 overexposing

Craig · Sep 30, 2016

I have a New F-1 with an AE finder and I have compared the meter to some of my other cameras as well as my intuitive sense of exposure ( which is usually quite close, even with slide film) and the meter in the Canon is overexposing by about 3 stops.

Is there a calibration for the meter? Could it be as simple as a low battery? I have no idea how old the battery is that is in it.

Larry the sailor · Sep 30, 2016

Anytime a battery is in question it's a good idea to replace it.

Chan Tran · Sep 30, 2016

3 stop? I don't think it's the battery not even out of calibration. I think something is wrong.

chriscrawfordphoto · Sep 30, 2016

The New F-1 has a voltage regulated system, so a low battery will not cause poor exposure. The camera needs serviced.

benjiboy · Oct 1, 2016

Since on the New F1 the metering pattern depends on which focusing screen is in the camera, which screen do you have in the camera ?

darkroommike · Oct 2, 2016

You could also look for something mechanical like the lens not stopping down. Dismount and remount the les and fire the camera while looking through the back (unloaded), try another lens, or try the aperture priority mode with the lens set to it's largest aperture.

Craig · Oct 2, 2016

This is somewhat embarrassing, I had the stopped down metering lever engaged, so it wasn't "in sync" with the lens. With the lever in the proper position for full aperture metering all is well now. Thanks for the suggestion!

flavio81 · Oct 3, 2016

Craig said:
This is somewhat embarrassing, I had the stopped down metering lever engaged, so it wasn't "in sync" with the lens. With the lever in the proper position for full aperture metering all is well now. Thanks for the suggestion!

I'm glad this was the cause. I had a hard time conceiving that the mighty New F-1 could give wrong meter readings. Many nights of bad sleep thinking that my two F-1Ns could someday have the same problem.
That camera is as reliable as the sun and the moon, tough as a rock and beautiful as Anne Hathaway...

benjiboy · Oct 3, 2016

I have 4 New F1's and 1 F1n , they were all manufactured in different years and have never been adjusted and the light meters when checked with a 1° spot meter on a Kodak Grey Card are within 3/10th of a stop of each other, I understand one the reasons F1 meters are so accurate is because the light meter isn't in the mirror box it's in the front left hand side of the body which the team that designed it thought was a better place, Canon spent 10 years in research and development of the New F1 because they knew that they had to come out with something special to compete with the Nikon F2 which had been out about eleven years and the Nikon F3 that came out in 1980, at that time these were the premier 35mm professional S.L.R. in the World, and in my opinion they did. I have owned both the Nikon F2 and F3 in the past and although the Nikons are very fine cameras I consider The New F1 a better camera .

In conclusion, I don't know if the New F1 was the commercial success that Canon hoped for but I.M.O they produced one the best 35mm SLR's ever.

benjiboy · Oct 7, 2016

I'm confused, I've been using Canon New F1' s for about thirty years and fail to understand If the stop down lever was pushed in stopping the lens down as the O.P wrote, how can the camera overexpose the film by three stops ?, it could however underexpose it by three stops in such circumstances.

flavio81 · Oct 8, 2016

benjiboy said:
I'm confused, I've been using Canon New F1' s for about thirty years and fail to understand If the stop down lever was pushed in stopping the lens down as the O.P wrote, how can the camera overexpose the film by three stops ?, it could however underexpose it by three stops in souch circumstances.

By failing to use the stopped down match metering mode as indicated in the manual, thinking that the camera is still on the "regular" mode. The camera will not tell you you're in stop down mode in the viewfinder. But then this is a camera for seasoned pros.

Canon F-1 overexposing

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