Canon T90
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I agree!
Jeff
Jeff
The address of Canon you got...
For Luigi Colani (no the T-90 was not his design):
info@colani.de
I got two of them.
For Luigi Colani (no the T-90 was not his design):
info@colani.de
I got two of them.
too much
Too much plastic for our tastes.
Too much plastic for our tastes.
The T90 was the last FD body that I bought new in 1987. Since then I've been buying older bodies - an F1-N and an EF, (The Black Beauty).
Although the T90 has a composite exterior the body is very rigid. No flexing or looseness in the controls. I never went down the EOS film path
after handling a few of the consumer grade bodies and lenses. After a few years use the consumer EOS lenses, both Canon and aftermarket seem to
have a lot of slack in the lens barrels. I don't think this is limited to AF lenses for Canons. After 30 years use none of my FD lens barrels have any
looseness.
If you think the T90 has too many gizmos, you probably wouldn't want to handle one other later AF 35mm SLR's of around 6 - 10 years ago. As an example
I was give a Minolta kit consisting of Dynax 7 bodies plus a Dynax 800i, HS5600 flash and a swag of lenses. The manuals for the bodies and flash total over 200 pages.
They are a technological tour de force with their wireless TTL flash and myriad other features. I just don't have the patience to get to grips with them and like you, i suspect,
I have no great need of autofocus for everyday photography.
The T90 is still a ripper camera though.
Although the T90 has a composite exterior the body is very rigid. No flexing or looseness in the controls. I never went down the EOS film path
after handling a few of the consumer grade bodies and lenses. After a few years use the consumer EOS lenses, both Canon and aftermarket seem to
have a lot of slack in the lens barrels. I don't think this is limited to AF lenses for Canons. After 30 years use none of my FD lens barrels have any
looseness.
If you think the T90 has too many gizmos, you probably wouldn't want to handle one other later AF 35mm SLR's of around 6 - 10 years ago. As an example
I was give a Minolta kit consisting of Dynax 7 bodies plus a Dynax 800i, HS5600 flash and a swag of lenses. The manuals for the bodies and flash total over 200 pages.
They are a technological tour de force with their wireless TTL flash and myriad other features. I just don't have the patience to get to grips with them and like you, i suspect,
I have no great need of autofocus for everyday photography.
The T90 is still a ripper camera though.
The T90 is still a ripper camera though
That is until the built-in special BATTERY needs replacing and not many technicians can do that now !
That is until the built-in special BATTERY needs replacing and not many technicians can do that now !
... And that's what I hate with electronics. Once something gets fried, or some battery gets done you're off. The old F-1s can do pretty well even with no batteries.
The T90 is a weird fish. A curious mix of old world manual focus charm and swoopy ergonomic plastic and push buttons, it shouldn't work, yet somehow does. I hated it when it came out but I'm rather fond of mine. It is heavy and the AA batteries do nothing to resist gravity but it's one of the strongest composite bodies I've ever come across.
The T90 takes 2 CR 1220 flat coin type internal Lithium batteries to power the memory they were supposed last only about 10 years when the camera was launched it's actually amazing how many of them are still working after more than about 25 years since Canon stopped making the T90. I don't think replacing them is actually much of a problem for a competent camera repairer who is used to servicing the much more complex modern DSLR's, certainly the repairer at the local professional dealers I use say's if the ones in my T 90 pack up it won't be a problem to replace them.
I downloaded the T90 repair manual and burned it onto a CD and gave it to my repair guy to help if he ever needs to repair it
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I liked mine too, but it had some flaws, which resulted in it going to another owner. The film advance motors are quite noisy, and the size of the cameras is just immense! I put mine side by side w/ a Nikon N8008s, itself a rather largish 35mm camera, and the differences were quite dramatic, especially in height. The T90 is pretty light though, considering it's bulk. I always got perfect exposures w/ mine, and if I were a photo journalist or an old time fashion photographer from many years ago, the T90 would have been a keeper, especially w/ all the excellent FD and FL lenses that are available for peanuts.
My focus screen wasn't the brightest, but since you can change them out that's not an issue. Finally, I just went to an old reliable FT QL that I have and am perfectly happy w/ that camera. My vote for the best manual focus SLR is an odd one, and it's not even a manual focus camera....that same old Nikon N8008s. The metering is even better than the T90, the Nikon lenses are no slouches either, and w/ an inexpensive lens mount adapter you can put Leica R lenses on them.
If you've never used an AF Nikon w/ a non Nikon lens mounted on it using stop down metering, you'll be surprised at how fast and intuitive it is because of the camera's AE lock feature. As for the viewfinders, other than a Leicaflex SL (another great SLR) the N8008s has the best I've ever used. It's amazingly bright, and w/ the focus confirmation light in the corner of the screen I never saw the need to put a split prism focus screen in mine, a process that takes about 20 seconds if you do decide to switch screens. Even w/ my glasses on I could see the whole frame too. You can buy these all day long for $20, and like the T90, it takes readily available and cheap AA batteries. I don't even own a Nikon or Leica R lens anymore but still held onto that N8008s because I like the sound of the shutter so much and the way the camera fits my hand. Watch some old news films from the 80's and you'll know what I'm talking about. All those photographers firing those Nikons away, "ka ching, ka ching, ka ching". Great stuff. Here's a fun write up from the Nu Yawk Times archives
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/17/style/camera-the-future-is-here.html
My focus screen wasn't the brightest, but since you can change them out that's not an issue. Finally, I just went to an old reliable FT QL that I have and am perfectly happy w/ that camera. My vote for the best manual focus SLR is an odd one, and it's not even a manual focus camera....that same old Nikon N8008s. The metering is even better than the T90, the Nikon lenses are no slouches either, and w/ an inexpensive lens mount adapter you can put Leica R lenses on them.
If you've never used an AF Nikon w/ a non Nikon lens mounted on it using stop down metering, you'll be surprised at how fast and intuitive it is because of the camera's AE lock feature. As for the viewfinders, other than a Leicaflex SL (another great SLR) the N8008s has the best I've ever used. It's amazingly bright, and w/ the focus confirmation light in the corner of the screen I never saw the need to put a split prism focus screen in mine, a process that takes about 20 seconds if you do decide to switch screens. Even w/ my glasses on I could see the whole frame too. You can buy these all day long for $20, and like the T90, it takes readily available and cheap AA batteries. I don't even own a Nikon or Leica R lens anymore but still held onto that N8008s because I like the sound of the shutter so much and the way the camera fits my hand. Watch some old news films from the 80's and you'll know what I'm talking about. All those photographers firing those Nikons away, "ka ching, ka ching, ka ching". Great stuff. Here's a fun write up from the Nu Yawk Times archives
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/17/style/camera-the-future-is-here.html
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How can you not like an SLR you pound on a carpeted floor to "fix" the EEEE problem? A camera you beat to fix it! What a beast. I also like that I can mount Exakta lenses on my T90 with an adapter (which can get expensive, yes) and get great metering via the LEDs in the finder.
Its hard to believe now looking back that when I got to briefly use one of these in a studio 25 odd years ago it just seemed so amazing and space age, a real look into the future against all the squared off cameras. I thought it was amazing but I was only 16 so couldn't afford one of my own. Oh how the world has changed over those 25 years.
Canon did publish Colani's design and their own design. Both being very different.
The T-90 ís kind of amalgamation of both designs. Maybe Coloni was involved in this process too. But Canon themselves did not call the T-90 a Colani design. (Haven't got the Canon text at hand now.)
Anyhow, Colani gave the impetus to a more organic design at Canon cameras.
Gee, how time flies. 25 years!!
By today's standards of cameras that followed, the T90 was a fairly unconventional design, but it hooked me! I can't vouch for who the designer was but something about him being the spark behind Ferarri or Porche?? The camera's strengths were a surprisingly compact, fluid fit for any hand (and I have small hands) with the controls easily found, and the snappy if kind of rudely noisy drive mechanism (how far Canon moved along with the EOS bodies right up to the 1V). The weaknesses, if you will call them that, were that cryptic EEEEE warning indicating anything from incorrectly loaded film to a dying battery (so a process of elimination had to be followed), high battery drain and a propensity to continue winding some film on beyond 36 (e.g. Kodachrome 200), resulting in tears. I owned one from 1987 to 1990 with an FD 28-105mm zoom, 24mm ultrawide and an awkward FD fisheye, and travelled widely with it, despite the weight. In hindsight it's not a camera I would seek out again to use for old time's sake. The modern-day EOS bodies borrowed a lot of benchmark technology from the T70 and T90 (e.g. push buttons and microdrives), but similarities stopped at the lens mount when the FD was tossed to make way for the EF — a love-hate relationship that again polarised photographers (not that they didn't see the change coming). I don't see many of the T90 at all in second-hand windows. Either people are holding on to them, they've entered antiquity in collector's basements or just become very sparse.
By today's standards of cameras that followed, the T90 was a fairly unconventional design, but it hooked me! I can't vouch for who the designer was but something about him being the spark behind Ferarri or Porche?? The camera's strengths were a surprisingly compact, fluid fit for any hand (and I have small hands) with the controls easily found, and the snappy if kind of rudely noisy drive mechanism (how far Canon moved along with the EOS bodies right up to the 1V). The weaknesses, if you will call them that, were that cryptic EEEEE warning indicating anything from incorrectly loaded film to a dying battery (so a process of elimination had to be followed), high battery drain and a propensity to continue winding some film on beyond 36 (e.g. Kodachrome 200), resulting in tears. I owned one from 1987 to 1990 with an FD 28-105mm zoom, 24mm ultrawide and an awkward FD fisheye, and travelled widely with it, despite the weight. In hindsight it's not a camera I would seek out again to use for old time's sake. The modern-day EOS bodies borrowed a lot of benchmark technology from the T70 and T90 (e.g. push buttons and microdrives), but similarities stopped at the lens mount when the FD was tossed to make way for the EF — a love-hate relationship that again polarised photographers (not that they didn't see the change coming). I don't see many of the T90 at all in second-hand windows. Either people are holding on to them, they've entered antiquity in collector's basements or just become very sparse.
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I've had many chances to get a T90 but have still not done it. I already had Nikon N90S and F90X bodies and just bought a second N90S for about $25. That has to be the bargain of all camera bargains for someone who still like to use film. It has a great feature set and a beautiful and bright finder. I use them mostly with manual focus lenses. The focus confirmation is a nice feature. I did recently get a nice Canon AE-1 Program. It has an Winder A and a plain matte screen. It's pleasant to use and didn't cost much.
Dynachrome,I've got a n90s myself and I like it a lot.It doesn't do for me what the T90 does though,and I prefer FD lenses.The T90 is a perfect fit for my hands,viewfinder is my favourite of any camera.As for the AE1,it doesn't impress me at all-I feel that the nikon cameras such as the FE from that time period are of a higher build quality -unfortunately I can't get my fd lenses to fit on my FE.Too many options really!
The T90 is a great fit for my hands also.
Jeff
Jeff
...just to add the T90 with 300TL flashgun is a very good combo. I suppose people are put off the camera because of the sticky shutter magnet problem if not used for a long time, well I've had mine for four years and do use other cameras also, so to make sure I don't get the EEE just fire it once a month in between, maybe it could be every 6 months or a year, but why take a chance with a great camera.
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- 35mm
For me the comparison between Canon and Nikon isn't an either or proposition. I have Nikons and Canons as well as Nikkors and Canon lenses. My AF Nikon cameras are used mostly with manual focus lenses. I agree that the Nikon FE/FM series cameras are more sturdy than the Canon A series models. I have three FEs and an FE2. In most cases I would rather use an FTb/N than an A-1. I just like the feel and the operation better. I prefer the Canon F-1/F-1n to the Nikon F2. The Canons are less unwieldy and I can see the finder information even even if my eye isn't exactly centered. If I don't need a motor/winder or a different focusing screen then I like the Canon EF.
I also like the FTb better than the A-1
Jeff
Jeff
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