Question About the Canon EF - (FD Body)

This is something that I've always wondered about... and I know I'm asking an esoteric quesiton about an esoteric camera, so we'll see if anyone knows.

The following operation has always felt suspect, and I'm wondering if it is in anyway damaging or not recommended.

Using the self timer w/ the mirror locked up.

To engage MLU, you have to stop down, lock the stop down lever, and then switch to MLU. This puts the stop-down/self-timer lever pointing towards the lens. Now, to engage the self timer you have to point this lever the other way, facing away from the lens, plus you have to press the little metal button to go past 12 o'clock. The fact that you've locked the stop-down lever in place, and then you go the opposite direction just feels wrong, but has never resulted in any known problems with the photographs. So in other words, it works.

Just curious, and wondered if it might have something to do with a repair that was needed not long ago.

p.s. I don't believe the owner's manual says anything about this operation

I've never done that, so of course I had to get mine out to see what you're talking about. Yes, it does seem odd, but there doesn't seem to be any resistance involved, so it must have been designed like that for a reason. I suppose.

There's a manual to this thing?

Well that's good to know. It certainly seems like a logical combination of functions, so hopefully it is ok.

Thanks for checking too.

I use very often "mlu"
on my cam it works like this - 1./ lower lever goes to "M" , 2. / then upper lever goes toward lens - mirror NOW is locked /viewfinder dark/ , 3./ top lever moves ccw toward mark "M" - self timer activated . Push top release button and you going to hear a noise from self timer " transmission" . When picture was made - upper pin Lever must be manually released back to white mark "O" toward Lens
Ring has three marks "O" as normal , Aperture Lock "L" and Mirror Lock "M"
Cheers

Yes, it's the same as on the original F-1 body. Picture the bigger lever having a tab inside that pushes on a tab on the mirror lockup... so as you push the lever from upright towards the lens, the tabs hit and it moves the mirror lockup mechanism. Now that long lever can actually flop around between the upright position and the mirror lock position, because the mirror lockup mechanism is already locked in place. Gravity typically keeps it pointing over towards the lens, that's all. However if you bring it back upright and then push it the other way, away from the lens, that little tab inside pushes on the tab of another mechanism - the self timer. It can go almost all the way to straight down for maximum self-time. Again, I think only gravity keeps it that way.

When you press the shutter button, the timer mechanism inside slowly circles back up, bringing the lever with it.

Oh, and to release the mirror lockup you have to release the aperture stop-down, which is the lower smaller lever. That's probably the part that is confusing you - it isn't like pushing the big lever towards the lens moves the mirror up, and pushing it back the other way pulls it down again; two different levers perform those two functions.

That's actually the one feature I sorely miss, having upgraded to the F-1 New: no mirror lockup.

Duncan

frobozz said:

Oh, and to release the mirror lockup you have to release the aperture stop-down, which is the lower smaller lever. That's probably the part that is confusing you - it isn't like pushing the big lever towards the lens moves the mirror up, and pushing it back the other way pulls it down again; two different levers perform those two functions.

Click to expand...

Well, what was confusing me was that if I've locked the stop-down, it seems like going the other way with the big lever is bad. But, what you say makes sense, and since it's been locked with the smaller lever, it doesn't matter what happens with the big lever, and it can be used for the self-timer.

Cool! I can sleep soundly now.. .. ..