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

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An elegant machine designed to capture light on film.

September 5, 2025September 5, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

From 1959. An Asahi Optical Company H2. Shown here with its North American market distributors’ engravings. No self-timer, accessory shoe, or light meter. A clean machine.

The Asahi Pentax ‘Original’ or just ‘AP’ as it came to be referred to. From 1957. Asahi’s first 35mm SLR with an eye-level pentaprism.

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The ‘Original’

August 28, 2025August 28, 2025Chris and Carol 2 Comments

Asahi Pentax 35mm SLR

The original Asahi Pentax 35mm SLR. The first eye-level pentaprism camera from Asahi Pentax (1957-1958). It’s also known as the ‘AP’ and ‘Original’.

It’s shown with its proper lens, the Takumar f/2 58mm and Asahi 46mm UV filter.

This camera pre-dates the original Nikon F, which was released in 1959.

I believe it’s a much better camera than the original Nikon F (I use both). Its sleek, still modern-looking design is unmistakably Pentax.

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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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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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Nikon L35AF Brochure – 1983

July 22, 2025July 22, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Nikon’s little gem of a compact point-and-shoot 35mm film camera.

If you can get your hands on a lovely, near-mint model, go for it! The lens, the autofocus, and the autoexposure can’t be beat.

Mine, but it just sold in my Etsy shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com.

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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! – I take an old friend out for a photowalk.

June 29, 2025June 29, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

The Nikon L35AF was Nikon’s first 35mm autofocus camera. Its reputation is top-notch, which is the name it is known by in Japan – Picaichi. No swooping lines here, just a solidly built gem from the 1980s.

The Nikon features a super-sharp f/2.8 35mm lens.

Loaded with fresh Fujifilm 200. Not my favorite since Fuji dropped the better versions, but it’s still colorful and contrasty.

They came in two models. The first was an ISO 400, and the updated one was ISO 1000. This is the latter ISO 1000 one.

I just added this very nice, unused Canon CPS Think Tank camera bag to my Etsy camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Comments are always welcome; I’ve learned quite a bit 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