I was able to find a Canon Motor Drive MF, still new in its box, recently. It is an early model built in February 1974. Obviously, it’s getting much more difficult to find unused camera gear from the seventies, and as a collector, it’s a thrill when you do.
Canon OD F-1 with all the extras. The ‘OD’ stands for the limited-edition Olive Drab camera made in 1978 by Canon for its home market. About 3k were made.I attached the motor drive to this camera to show off the contrast between colors.The chrome-nose Canon 50mm f1.8 lens is an early version of the lens. This one is mid-1971.The motor drive is in perfect condition and works perfectly. It was made in February 1974, and it’s an early version of the drive.No doubt, combined, it’s a beast, but surprisingly easy to use, as it fits my hand perfectly.It arrived still wrapped in the factory plastic.A snip from a Canon book from June 1973.Canon’s Motor Drive Unit. This was the first motor drive for the F-1.A Japanese sales brochure for the Canon OD F-1.
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
Collecting classic camera sales brochures is fun, but it’s also educational. If the marketing departments did their jobs correctly, then the information should be entertaining and a great way to enhance your collecting experience.
Here are five recent acquisitions.
Likely the first and most complete brochure for the new Canon F-1, which was released in March 1971. This brochure is dated November 1970.An often overlooked early Canon camera. Dated November 1970.Part of Canon’s building blocks of sophisticated 35mm SLRs on their way to developing the F-1. Dated September 1969.I had the next model up from this classic. Dated March 1971.Check out these guys with their Canon Super 8 movie camera. Dated March 1971.Available Canon lenses as of late 1970.
I have more brochures in my collection, with the earliest being from the mid-1950s.
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
Chasing Classic Cameras After years of searching, I found a U.S. Navy-engraved Canon F-1 (later model, commonly known as the F-1n). As a bonus, it’s also one of the latest I’ve found in the 10-year run of the original F-1, and obviously, it’s the latest in my collection. This one was assembled in September 1981, which may be the last month of production (I’m still looking, since no exact date has been verified). Many thanks to a Canon friend who spotted it.
It’s been used but escaped the worst the Navy could have thrown at it.It started with serial number 100001 (supposedly) and ended in the high six-hundred-thousands. The date code on this one is V918. I haven’t found any F-1s within the 4xxxxx range.Early and late by ten years. On the left, my earliest F-1, and on the right, my latest one.This isn’t my image, and I’m not sure of its origin. If it’s a real camera, then this would be the first known serial number.This is the date code that’s stamped inside my early F-1. The ‘L’ indicates 1971, and the ‘7’ is July. The ’12C’ is an internal code used by Canon, and its meaning is unknown.My Canon New F-1 (the follow-on model to the original F-1, introduced in 1981) is pictured with my U.S. Navy-engraved FD 400mm f/4.5 lens, which is a bit newer (November 1985).
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
My early F-1, July 1971, with a matching July 1971 50mm f1.4 lens and a November 1971 instruction book (PUB. NO. 5366G). These very early books are almost harder to find than the cameras.
What’s interesting about this camera is that the serial number is less than 3,000, but the date stamp inside reads L712C, indicating July 1971. I have an August 1971 camera, and its SN is just shy of 20,000. My guess is that, for whatever reason, this body sat around long after its serial number was issued. The ‘C’ after the date stamp may tell the story that we’ll never know.
An early gem of a camera.Almost as new as the day it rolled off the line.The first F-1s began at 100001. This one should have been assembled in December 1970 or January 1971, based on the low serial number. The F-1 was released in March 1971.The baseplate is in excellent condition for such an old F-1.Canon stamps what is believed to be a factory date code inside the film chamber of every camera made. This code indicates that it was assembled in 1971 (L), July (7). The following two numbers are an internal code, as is the ‘C’ – lost in time as to their meaning.
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
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?My last unused Canon 50mm.Pristine.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.
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
I have a Nikon Nikkor-H Auto f/3.5 28mm lens set with unique <E.P> markings. The lens was manufactured between 1971 and June 1973. The <E.P> markings indicate that it was sold in a US military exchange store or could it have been sold in a duty-free shop. What I don’t know is where it was sold. Most likely in Japan, but it could be at any exchange store in Asia since there were many military installations in the Philippines, Guam, South Vietnam, or Thailand. The other possibility is that it was sold at a duty-free shop in Japan or Hong Kong, since by the early 1970s, such shops were common and available to foreign tourists.
The lens is clearly marked with the <E.P> symbol, as is the box. The serial numbers match. The kanji on the box translates to ‘Duty-Free for Export Goods Sales Outlets’, which I have never seen before. During my time in Japan (1977-1980), I never remember seeing a sticker like this on anything I purchased while shopping at the Navy Exchange shops in Yokohama or Yokosuka. Everything sold in an exchange was always ‘duty and tax-free’, so why put a sticker on the product?The translation. Please Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. Our trademarks, Nikon and Nikkor, are registered with U.S. Customs. Under U.S. law, Nikon products cannot be cleared through customs by anyone other than our sole distributor, even if they are sent by mail or as separate cargo to the U.S. Therefore, if you are bringing a Nikon product to the U.S., please be sure to carry it with you. The Nikon products that can be carried are one still camera, two interchangeable lenses, one binoculars, and one other optical device.
My first thought was that this was a lens sold at a civilian duty-free shop frequented by tourists, not necessarily by military personnel or their family members. But the <E.P> mark was mainly used on items sold exclusively at military shops, not duty-free shops. The pink card was included in the lens set and may hold the answer, since it mentions only the US.
I enjoy using and collecting early wide-angle lenses. This one is in like-new condition.Complete as it may have looked when sold in the early 1970s.
So, have I confused you or myself? The sticker on the box still troubles me a bit, but the pink card clearly indicates it was meant for export to the United States, suggesting it was sold at an exchange.
I can’t wait to use it on my Fujifilm X-T2. The results soon.
<E.P> marked camera gear isn’t necessarily worth more in the marketplace. As a collector, I enjoy collecting gear with the marks whenever I can. In some cases, they are extremely rare, so that’s an added bonus.
My Canon F-1 from August 1971. <E.P> marks on these early F-1s are hyper rare. This is the only one I’ve seen in decades of collecting.
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
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
These two from the mid-1970s are not often seen together. The RTS was released in 1975, and I purchased this F-1 in 1978. I considered buying the RTS instead of the F-1, but the representative from Canon at the Navy Exchange store in Yokohama convinced me the F-1 was better, and at the time, a bit less expensive than the Contax. Many years later, I was able to get the RTS, and I added the PMD W-6 as a bonus. The Canon handles better due to its larger rubberized grip, but the RTS is a bit more sporty (designed by Porsche). I use them both. The Contax can eat through film at 5 fps vs. the Canon’s 3.5 fps.
Heavyweight superstars.The Canon’s drive is much larger, but the Contax is faster.Designed to excel in sports and unmanned photography.I find the large rubberized grip on the Canon to be easy to hold, and the extra-wide base kept the camera stable on a table.The Contax is super slick; the drive almost disappears into the camera’s body. Conversely, the smaller footprint means the camera is not as stable on a table.The grip on the Canon is removable, which opens up additional possibilities and accessories..One of my favorite Carl Zeiss lenses.
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
Classic Nikon. This is the last Nikon F in my collection. I enjoy using and collecting the early Nippon Kogaku logo bodies and, of course, a Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f1.4 lens. The camera was built in mid to late 1964. The lens is from 1965. I like it when it all comes together.
Instantly recognizable.A classic 35mm SLR.It was first released in 1959. This one is from 1964.The reputation of the Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f1.4 lens is world-renowned.
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
Released in 1959.Instant classic.I enjoy collecting the early Nippon Kogaku models with the ‘Fuji’ logo.Clean lines.Can it get any more recognizable than this?
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
Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris 