Why does the Canon F-1 seem to get relatively little love?

[eli griggs]

Canon lenses pricey "L" or consumer, deliver the goods, and the FL/FD Cameras, in particular the Ftb ql, F1n F1AE as well as the A series have always given me warm, satisfying images, handle like a dream and the Ftbs and F1s n and N, are built like rocks, never failing me even once.

The only issues I've had have been with physical damage to the F1N AE finders, on from falling off a raised lifter platform on a tall truck, the more recent one, from a minor impact which is keeping me from locking down the viewing port for dark shoots.

When I bought my first F1N, the Nikon salesman at the camera store, tried his best to convince me to go his way, however, he quietly demurred when I pointed out that the Canon L glass, of which I was also buying about 4 lenses of, far outstripped the Nikon glass.

I also felt the Nikon lenses were too 'cold' for my type of shooting, mostly professional dance companies, wild life and Documentary, which at the time was all about b&w and Ektachrome slides.

I was doing my own darkroom work at the time and was very happy with what I was getting.

The only 135 glass I might of considered at that time, was colour matched Contax, how ever, it too, like the Nikon, was a bit too cool for my taste.

That said, I had/do owned/own Nikon F cameras and a FG I bought to use with Hasselblad glass.

I also have 2 EMs, a couple auto point AF shoots and had a Nikonos IV, which I sold and hope one day to replace with a Nikonos V for rainy day fun.

 

[George Mann]

I also felt the Nikon lenses were too 'cold' for my type of shooting,

I find Nikkors to be warmer than Canon lenses, and the most accurate rendering as well.

 

[Tony-S]

Considering that the A series cameras were consumer grade and how revolutionary the design and construction was using a laminated plastic body and automated construction of the electronic components it's amazing that after nearly forty years there are so many still around working reliably.
I had an A 1 for about 20 years and sold it a couple of years ago and bought another F1n body.
I sometimes regret selling the A1 because the body weighed half of that of the F1.

My A-1 is 40 years old this year and still works fine. It probably has tens of thousands of actuations in those years. My F-1n and F-1N have been used much less, though recently the F-1N gets most use (along with EOS 3).

 

[eli griggs]

I love my Canons, which include the F1N ae, two F1n, several Ftbn QL, and two each AE-1 and AE-1 Programes, with various Canon Squeaks in two, but I've no really shot the AEs but for use with a bellows.

One F1-n is under repair at the moment and it normally wears a quick finder and I'd like to find a second F1N AE but that'll have to wait until dollars repopulate my wallet.

One of the things I like about Canon is the great glass they've brought to the market, one of the two main reasons I did no go Nikon back in 1980, when I bought into the L-glass system, which I no longer have but will again keep an eye out for when I am able, but the "ordinary" Canon glass still gives great performances and I like I'm also able to us M42 glass from Pentax, etc, to help with filling out my 35mm system, even though it's a completely different look from the sharp, warm Canon lenses.

Soft and warm really is nice to have on hand on a day of road trip shooting.

Nikon is great too, I like that I can use Hasselblad glass on my FG and F, once I can buy a new finder for it, which a member here has been waiting for me to do for some time now, and I do rotate other cameras in my bag, but if it were down to what I have on hand as my only kit, Canon would be 'IT'.

 

[CMoore]

My A-1 is 40 years old this year and still works fine. It probably has tens of thousands of actuations in those years. My F-1n and F-1N have been used much less, though recently the F-1N gets most use (along with EOS 3).

If not for the F1-New, i would still have my A-1. It was a nice camera that fit my hands well.
They seem to have been a well made SLR.................but i am not a salesman or repairman.

 

[benjiboy]

If not for the F1-New, i would still have my A-1. It was a nice camera that fit my hands well.
They seem to have been a well made SLR.................but i am not a salesman or repairman.

The one regret I have about selling my A1 and buying another F1n body is that as I get older the A1 body was only about half the weight of the F1n.

 

[flavio81]

Perhaps your situation (or perspective) is different in the U.K., but here in the States what you cite as "revolutionary" is the very quality that has led the planet into its current plight. We are knee-deep in disposable shite. (...)
In cameras, Canon did indeed lead the way. Thanks Canon.

Marc

Wait, what?

When I see cameras in dumpster-like conditions (i.e. street sellers with heaps of antique stuff), the A-series (AE-1, AE-1P, etc) are some of the most likely cameras to be still working or require just service (no spares) to resurrect.

Canon did a great job with them, particularly with the AE-1P, the electronics are very resilient, far more reliable than the electronics in, say, the Nikon EM/FG/FG20. Which are brilliantly designed cameras with a very low build quality (for Nikon standards).

The body is a metal body and the mechanisms are made with good materials. Yes, the top and bottom of the camera are plastic, so what?

If you want to blame somebody for disposable cameras, blame Kodak... after all, they introduced the Instamatics in 126 and 110 format.

 

[benjiboy]

The Canon "A" range of cameras were probably the best consumer grade film S.L.R.s ever in my opinion, because after about forty years a great many of them are still giving reliable service which I should have thought was far longer than the original design concept for them to last.

 

[Tony-S]

The Canon "A" range of cameras were probably the best consumer grade film S.L.R.s ever in my opinion, because after about forty years a great many of them are still giving reliable service which I should have thought was far longer than the original design concept for them to last.

The only "servicing" I've had to do was replacement of the Motor Drive MA Ni-Cd batteries. I had Batteries Plus install Ni-MH cells. The charger seems to work just fine with them, although I never leave it on after the pack is fully recharged. I get a lot more actuations with the Ni-MH cells and they retain their charge for much longer.

 

[benjiboy]

I've been thinking about the Canon "A" series cameras recently and casting my mind back forty years to when they first came onto the World market and I recall that at that time Nikon was manufacturing only professional S.L.R.s because of the large r&d costs, and the small potential market because of their high cost, like all the other manufacturers pro. models make a relatively small profit.
Canon in 1981 brought out their "A" series range that used bodies of advanced laminated plastics fixed onto metal frames, using advanced electronic components, and highly automated production lines that produced very capable lightweight consumer-grade S.L.R.s that cost around a third to two-thirds of the price of a professional model.
The Canon AE1, Ae1P, the A1, and other models took the market by storm and were selling Worldwide initially in their hundreds of thousands and later their millions making them huge profits to which Nikon had at that time had no answer for, and forty years later there are many of the original " A " series buyers still using and getting reliable service from these remarkable cameras


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[BenW]

Totally acknowledging the history Canon/Nikon timing and how that plays into this, I wonder if part of it stems from digital shooters looking to get into film.
If I shoot a Canon 5D (insert any other Canon DSLR) and want to dabble in film, maybe I start looking at Canon film cameras and stop as soon as i get to the FD mount, as my EF lenses will only mount to EF mount cameras. Then see A series cameras for relatively low price of entry to the FD mount (if still interested) and stop there as the AE1, Ae1P, the A1 do so much of what the F-1 does and many times are in charity shops with a 50 or zoom already mounted.
If I shoot Nikon D700 (insert any other Nikon DLSR) and want to try film, maybe I start looking at Nikon film cameras and see that the mount hasn't changed since introduced in '59 (ok, I know it has but stay with me). So my cost of entry may be lower to get a Nikon film camera because as least my G lenses will mount, at least my D lenses will be fully interchangeable.

From my perspective, I started to grow my Nikon stash more (F, F2, F100) as I evaluated the lens/body matrix and saw more compatibility in Nikon. I JUST picked up a late Canon New F-1 and a 50/1.4SSC and am loving it so far but this question posed by the OP had me thinking.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

F 1 gets no love only from folks who don’t own it.

 

[benjiboy]

F 1 gets no love only from folks who don’t own it.

I've been shooting with F1s ( 2 New F1 AEs and 2 F1ns for most of my adult life, and have had a lifetime of reliability and pleasure out of them, they're the only cameras I need because I'm a photographer, not a collector.

 

[George Mann]

F 1 gets no love only from folks who don’t own it.

What would I gain by owning it over my Nikon F2?

 

[benjiboy]

To be honest George, not a lot, they are both first class professional film S.L.Rs and if you can't shoot good pictures with either of them you have nothing else to blame .

 

[Ko.Fe.]

From what I have seen on the streets, "Why does the Canon F-1 seem to get relatively little love?" is because they are not reliable. Much flakier than ugly made FTb.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

The Canon "A" range of cameras were probably the best consumer grade film S.L.R.s ever in my opinion, because after about forty years a great many of them are still giving reliable service which I should have thought was far longer than the original design concept for them to last.

Well, Minolta would give any brand a run for its money.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

What would I gain by owning it over my Nikon F2?

I'll try to rephrase: if you own it you love it, if you don't you won't know.

I never said anything about F2. I do own several F1 and built precision is there and dear I say, better than F2 in that sense ( yes I used F2). But we are all different and what fits one hand may feel awkward in another.

BTW, same thread could have been strated for the F2 and similar responses in favor of F2 would have found their way in.

 

[Tony-S]

Canon in 1981 brought out their "A" series range

FYI: The AE-1 and AT-1 were released in 1976, A-1 in 1978, AV-1 in 1979, AE-1P in 1981, and AL-1 in 1982.

 

[Tony-S]

From what I have seen on the streets, "Why does the Canon F-1 seem to get relatively little love?" is because they are not reliable. Much flakier than ugly made FTb.

Well, my F-1n has been going strong since 1979 and my F-1N AE has been going strong since 2012 (both bought used). Not sure why anyone would say they are "not reliable."

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Well, my F-1n has been going strong since 1979 and my F-1N AE has been going strong since 2012 (both bought used). Not sure why anyone would say they are "not reliable."

If F1 proved unreliable in one's hand, it were the hands that made it so.

 

[Huss]

It almost sounds like the Canon F1 is the SLR version of the Leica M5. Not much respect, but seemingly re-discovered. Except for the fact that the Leica seems to be more re-discovered as the prices of M5s have shot up, while the Canon is still dirt cheap.

 

[benjiboy]

If F1 proved unreliable in one's hand, it were the hands that made it so.

Very true, I've been shooting all the flavours of Canon F1n's for around forty years ( I currently have four of them ) and all of them have been absolutely reliable, you could knock nails in with them, and they would still take pictures! .

 

[Huss]

.. But maybe it's just me, all Leica Ms (except the M5) also feel the same to me.

...

The M5 is definitely the outlier. But the M3 feels much smoother than the M4-2. The M7's shutter feels different to the other non electronic cameras. The Ms with the big shutter speed dial feel different than those with the small ones.
The angled rewind crank feels different to the much more solid straight rod. The solid advance lever Ms (M3, M2, MP, MA) feel different than the hinged ones. etc.
But they all feel great!

Back to the Canon F1. I always thought it was a very cool looking camera - especially the OG - but was confused by the naming convention. Three 'different' cameras all called F1, so I kinda lost interest and just went with Nikon. F, F2, F3...
Also Nikons were/are easier to find.

 

[flavio81]

Back to Canon F1. I didn't buy it because it's old. When I decided to get an SLR to get access to focal lengths outside of the 35-50mm Leica limit, I simply got whichever was produced most recently: FM3a. Works great, just like the rest of them.

I have a strong suspicion the F-1 is easier to repar and service than the FM3a, though. There's an article on the FM3a on the nikon site (IIRC) and they describe how tightly packed is everything inside and how painful is to fit it in during assembly.