A true first for Canon Camera Company – 1959

September 6, 2025September 6, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Canon Canonflex

Canon’s first 35mm SLR. This one is likely from late 1959 as the serial number is just below 6,000. If you have a chance to get your hands on one, you’ll see straight away that the build quality is top-notch. This one is in mint condition and, except for the slowest speeds, operates like new. The Canon Super-Canomatic R 50mm f/1.8 lens is crystal clear. It’s also an <E.P> marked body. It shares lots of DNA with my early F-1 from August 1971, which is also <E.P> marked.

Canon’s first 35mm SLR. Released in May 1959.

Although modern and advanced for 1959, it didn’t catch on. Sales were reported as being disappointing. It’s reported that just shy of 18,000 were sold.

My camera’s serial number indicates it was number 5,998 in the first production run. The prism is removable, just like the 1971 Canon F-1.

The film advance lever was mounted on the bottom. Unusual but not unheard of for the period. The <E.P> mark was somewhat common in the 1950s, especially on Canon’s rangefinder cameras.

It looks just like any modern Canon film camera through the 1980s.

A snip from the instruction book from January 1960.

It’s claimed that you could shoot and advance up to 3 frames per second!

Shared DNA. The Canonflex on the left and my Canon F-1 (1971) on the right.

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Comments are always welcome; I’ve learned a great deal from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by. While there, visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios, hosted on Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Please respect that all content, including photos and text, is this blog’s property and its owner, Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic, Yashica Sailor Boy, Yashica Chris, Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris. Copyright © 2015-2025 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan. All rights reserved.

a comfortable old friend…

August 15, 2025August 15, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Goin’ Old School today.

Canon OD F-1 (1978) with a Canon Power Winder F and chrome-nosed Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 lens (early batch, May 1971).

Canon OD F-1 Olive Drab). A special edition Canon F-1 made in 1978 in limited numbers (about 3000).

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Happy SUNday! – this weeks cameras.

August 3, 2025August 3, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Classic Canon AE-1 with sharp Canon NFD 50mm f/1.8 lens. A late 1970s staple of the Canon ‘A ‘ Series cameras.

This one comes complete as part of the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics set.

Sharp little digicam from Fujifilm. The S3100 is a 4 megapixel bridge camera with an outstanding Fujinon 6x zoom lens.

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Making a good case for a nice bag…

July 11, 2025July 12, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Looking for a nice classic camera bag or case for your special and collectible camera? I’ve got some.

Classic Canon green and tan camera case.

Unique collaboration between Artisan & Artist and Canon. The only one I’ve seen in years.

I have all three of these in my Etsy camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com if you are interested.

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Canon F-1 Family

June 30, 2025June 30, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My original Canon F-1 from 1978 is on the upper left (with the motor drive)—the Canon O.D. F-1 is my most recent acquisition.

With their original instruction booklets.

With an early Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 chrome nose lens.

OD F-1. A limited edition olive drab version from early 1978.

My earliest model. The serial number indicates that this camera was in the first 20,000 built in 1971. It also has the <E.P> mark.

It’s one of my favorite 35mm SLRs in my collection.

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Canon’s amazing 35mm SLR, the EF (1973-1978)

March 9, 2025March 9, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

In many ways, it’s better than the much more famous F-1.

It’s also known as the Canon Black Beauty. It’s built on the F-1’s frame but does not have interchangeable viewfinders or the ability to use a power winder or motor drive.

The EF was first released in 1973, just two years after the F-1. It was Canon’s first aperture-priority camera, well before the AE-1.

The standard lens is the Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 S.S.C. shown here with its lens hood.

Here, a Canon EF and its cousin, the Canon F-1. The F-1 is shown in a limited-edition olive drab.

The Canon EF is a worthy camera for your collection. The ability to electronically time exposures from 1/2 to 30 seconds accurately makes it more versatile than the F-1 in its base form.

The view in the viewfinder. The later EFs had a split-image and microprism focusing screen.

An earlier EF with the FD 50mm F/1.8 S.C. lens.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Comments are always welcomed, as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

Why I clean (detail) previously owned classic cameras.

March 4, 2025March 4, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I often purchase used cameras and lenses from individuals in person and from online sites. Some of these gems are usually over forty years old and older, and even though they look clean, I know they’re not. I don’t think I’m a germaphobe (a bit, maybe), but the thought of putting an obviously dirty camera up to my face isn’t too appealing. The flip side to making a camera clean again is that it will go a long way to preserving the camera’s surfaces, preventing corrosion, and removing oils and contaminates that will deteriorate the camera in the long term. I think of it as preserving a bit of history.

Here is a camera I acquired recently. It looked in mint condition and, at first glance, clean. The camera is from 1976, and although it wasn’t heavily used, it’s been sitting around collecting pollutants.

Standard cotton buds (Q-tips) and household Windex and lots of time remove the dirt and grime trapped in and on the surfaces of the camera. These were from the leatherette on the back cover. Think nose oils and dirty fingers. The front leatherette is another grimy area.

After an evening happily spent detailing this gorgeous Canon (below).

I’ve cleaned cameras like this for over thirty years, and never has it damaged a camera or lens. Obviously, I dip the Q-tips in a small container of Windex. Don’t directly spray the camera.

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Monster Mash

January 25, 2025January 25, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Monster Mash

Choose or not. I use both.

The MF drive handles better for me. Its grip is so big that I feel confident toting it by my side.

Canon’s film eaters: The F-1 is on the left with the Motor Drive MF, and the Canon New F-1 is on the right with an AE Motor Drive FN. The grip on the New F-1 is slick, so it feels less secure in my hand. The most significant difference between these two is that the New F-1 is a shutter-priority AE camera, and with this motor drive, all one needs to do is focus. The original F-1 would need the rather large Servo EE Finder to achieve the same performance results.

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Canon AE-1 Olympic Set

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

From the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Classic Canon AE-1 35mm SLR film camera.

Shown with a sharp Canon New FD 50mm f/1.8 lens.

My set will include everything pictured (minus the display stand).

This is the last AE-1 in my extensive Canon camera collection.

This beautiful set is now available in my Etsy camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com. It’s been professionally serviced and returned to factory specifications, including a new battery. Just add the film!

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