In my camera shop this week (on sale).

March 13, 2026March 15, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve run my camera shop on Etsy for just shy of 10 years. Hundreds of happy customers and clients. Here is a sampling of what I have this week.

Visit http://www.ccstudio2380.com

The Nikon F2A set is exceptionally nice and complete. It even features a Nikon motor drive!

The Canon New F-1 is a limited edition 1984 LA Olympics set.

Sales brochures. I have hundreds of brochures and instruction books.

I ship nearly worldwide. Please reach out if there’s something specific you are looking for – I likely have it! Here are two of the best 35mm SLRs from the late 1970s and early 1980s (see below).

(Sold) The 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Special Edition Canon F-1.

The Canon F-1 LA Olympic set was just sold from my Etsy Camera Shop – thank you!

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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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 © 2015-2026 Chasing Classic Cameras with Chris (Yashica Pentamatic Fanatic), Chris Whelan. All rights reserved.

Canon FTb-N in Black

March 12, 2026March 12, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Appreciating my first FTb-N in gorgeous black. Now I can see the F-1 DNA. I’ve overlooked this model for decades. It’s simple and uncomplicated. It just works, and of course, the best part is Canon glass.

Shown here with a classic chrome nose FD 50/1.8 lens.

This camera is dated February 1977. The lens is from April 1972.

This isn’t a display piece; it shows its dents, dings, and brassing with pride earned from years of careful use.

The FTb was produced from 1973 (in this version) until late 1977.

I’ve added an early Canon chrome nose lens. They look good together.

Still has a glow to it after all these years.

The Canon FTb-N is still widely available, and with production continuing until late 1977, there are still some super sharp bodies out there at a fair price.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Canon FTb-N

March 8, 2026March 8, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My Canon FTb-N from 1974. It was an update to the original FTb, which was released in March 1971 – the same date as the Canon F-1. The FTb-N was released in July 1973. OK, that’s a lot of dates, how about some pics?

A big-bodied camera and lens. The ‘QL’ designation indicates it is ‘Quick-Loading’.

The Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 lens was released in April 1972. It’s affectionately called a chrome nose.

Actually, this is a depiction of the original FTb from March 1971, before the updates made on the FTb-N.

The Canon FTb-N is a worthy addition to your list of Canon must-haves.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Canon P*rn…

February 27, 2026February 27, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

They could have crossed paths in the past. The F-1 is from August 1971, and the lens’s SN (36594) could have been a late-in-the-run model. Anyway, I have them displayed together ATM.

The <E.P> marks indicate that they were purchased at a U.S. military exchange, likely in Japan.

Canon FL 28mm f3.5 lens with its correct Canon lens hood.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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When it all comes together.

February 8, 2026February 8, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My early Canon F-1 set.

Part of the fun of collecting is when all of the bits come together. My Canon F-1 is from 1971, the first year of the F-1 (released in March). The lens is from late 1972 and is affectionally known as a chrome nose (for obvious reasons). The chrome filter is from 1963, but it would have still been the appropriate filter for this later lens. The lens hood is an all-metal model designed for this lens. Even the rear lens cap is correct.

It’s a beautiful lens that Canon described as a super-wide-angle lens back in the day.

Top view with the correct front lens cap.

The beauty of collecting these early Canon F-1s is that they are still very affordable and still plentiful. Because of their popularity, they are easy to have professionally repaired and adjusted by qualified technicians at a reasonable price.

The early F-1. Serial numbers start at 100001, so my F-1 was number 2,597 and was assembled in July 1971.

1971 price list. It wasn’t an inexpensive camera.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Canon Chrome Nose 28/3.5 Lens

January 23, 2026January 23, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

An early Canon wide-angle lens with its desirable chrome nose.

I enjoy collecting these lenses. They are from the very earliest days of the Canon F-1, and they have a heft to them that’s very reassuring. Lots of brass and glass. The lens weighs 290 grams.

Considering its age, the markings are super sharp and crazy clean.

The JCII inspection sticker (the gold thingy) was likely placed before the lens was fully assembled.

Canon stamped a date code on most everything it produced. Here, M1010 indicates the lens was completed and passed an internal inspection in October 1972. N = 1972 and 10 = October. The last two numbers are an internal code only known to Canon.

Here is the lens mounted to my earliest Canon F-1 from late 1970 or early 1971.

The early chrome-nose Canon lenses are a fun way to collect classic camera gear. If you can find a nice, clean example, you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Contax RX – a gem and the end of an era.

January 20, 2026January 20, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

It is a beautiful and well-balanced camera set. The RX was first released in 1996, towards the end of Contax’s 35mm film era. Yashica was long gone by then.
Contax Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 Lens.

Contax Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 Lens.

The beauty of pure black & white negative film.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Nikon F2A Photomic Camera Set

January 18, 2026January 21, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

My Nikon F2A set.

I’m moving on from it. Enjoyed every minute of using and collecting all of the bits that make it special.

My set includes the super-sharp Nikkor 50mm f/2 Ai lens with hood, cap, and filter.

It’s available in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Yashica brochures in my camera shop. Let’s make a movie!

January 9, 2026January 9, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I’ve just added some hard-to-find Yashica sales brochures and instruction booklets in my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com.

Probably one of the most popular Yashica cameras ever made.

Yashica movie camera brochures are often difficult to find.

This was a very sophisticated Super 8 camera, as good as any made during that period.

A popular movie camera of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Thanks for stopping by, Chris

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Yashima Flex – 1954

January 9, 2026January 9, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

As it would have looked back in 1954, leaving the factory in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Built by the talented craftspeople of Yashima Kogaku Seiki Co., Ltd.

Yashima’s first twin-lens reflex camera was to bear the company name. The Yashima Flex launched a wave of TLRs manufactured by Yashima and later Yashica. By the end of the 1950s, Yashica produced more of these types of cameras than anyone else in the world.

We are very lucky to add such a historic camera to our collection. We enjoy sharing these simple machines with others and hope to pass along a better understanding of the importance of these classic film cameras.