A special place for Canons, www.ccstudio2380.com

December 21, 2025December 21, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My well-used but super-clean Canon New F-1 (F-1N) limited-edition Los Angeles 1984 camera set.

The LA Olympics F-1 is a favorite with collectors. Most ended up either being gently used or put on display. Fewer than 9,500 were made. My F-1 was obviously a busy camera throughout its life. It was assembled in November 1983, and the lens in October. Most of these were made with the AE finder, which makes mine a bit more unusual because it has an eye-level finder. Everything works as designed.

Canon New FD 135mm f3.5 short telephoto lens set. The 135 is a popular lens for portraits, sporting events, and wildlife photography.

It’s no secret that I love super-wide-angle lenses, the wider the better. I’ve used the 17mm and the 24mm; the 20mm is a nice compromise between those two.

Who doesn’t love a still-mint-condition instruction booklet?

Remembering a sharp camera from the late 1970s. My last cine camera before I got my first video camera.

As I continue to downsize my collection, these special Canons are now available in my Etsy camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com.

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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.

Canon New F-1 Los Angeles 1984 Olympics

December 10, 2025December 10, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

That’s a mouthful.

Canon made these limited-edition cameras for the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles.

My strange Canon New F-1 Los Angeles 1984 camera. I say “strange” because the gold paint on the logos is weak and missing. The camera is definitely well-used, with plenty of dents, but shows no brassing. It’s a genuine Olympics body with a date code X1123 (Nov 83) and a proper LA6312 serial number. It works perfectly (not film-tested yet). It could make a fun user camera, as most people wouldn’t use a limited-edition camera and risk beating the heck out of it. Please let me know your thoughts. Should I attempt to fill in the gold or leave it be? It would be difficult to match the gold without mucking it up, so I have that going for me.

A few dents and missing gold paint, but otherwise a good-looking camera.

Back view. The LA cameras got a special serial number.

It’s estimated that about 9,000 to 9,900 were made. My camera is an LA6312, made in November 1983. My guess is that Canon must have made at least another 3,000 units, but I don’t know that for sure. I have seen an LA9584, and it was made in April 1984.

The bottom plate looks amazingly good given its age and use.

The Canon limited edition Olympic cameras are a fun twist for collectors. There are the 1976 Montreal, 1980 Lake Placid, and 1984 Los Angeles models.

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How sexy is this?

December 4, 2025December 4, 2025Chris and Carol 2 Comments

A limited edition (1978) Canon F-1 in olive drab. The only F-1 not in black. Only 3K were made worldwide, and at the time, they were only available in Japan. No, it’s not a military camera, think more of a safari camera.

I’ve added a Canon Power Winder F and an early chrome nose Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 lens. A custom OD strap completes the safari look.

It’s been well looked after, and I use it on occasion, so it’s not just a display piece. One of my favorite Canons.

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Hong Kong 1979

December 3, 2025December 4, 2025Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Canon F-1 on Kodak Kodachrome film.

I’m sure the skyline looks nothing like this now.

My best friend Jim was negotiating for a good deal on a boat ride.

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hi-speed film-eaters

September 27, 2025September 27, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

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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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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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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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Happy SUNday! – Canon Crazy

March 30, 2025March 30, 2025Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Canon New F-1 set at the ready. The F-1 is from December 1982, and the lens is from April 1980.

Canon New F-1 with a Canon NFD 20mm f/2.8 lens.

Canon AE Motor Drive FN on my F-1. The drive is from February 1987.

The next time I go for a photo walk, I’ll use the Canon NFD 20mm super wide-angle lens on either this camera or my Fujifilm X-T2.

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