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
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.
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
This is the last Canon EF 35mm film camera in my collection. I’ve owned quite a few over the years, but I kept this one because it’s in mint condition and works perfectly. This EF was made in early 1976. It’s affectionally know as the Black Beauty.
It’s a very close cousin to the Canon F-1. The original F-1 was released in March 1971. The EF made its appearance in November 1973.It’s one of the most underrated cameras of the 1970s, and in some ways was better than the F-1 straight out of the box.
If you’re looking to add a classic film camera from the seventies, the Canon EF is worth the chase!
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 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
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
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
Hi all! I have my last Canon Macrolite ML-1 electronic flash from my collection for sale. This one is the latest version from 1985. It will work perfectly with the Canon New F-1 as well as any of the earlier A-Series cameras. It’s 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
The Canonflex was released in May 1959. It was Canon’s first 35mm SLR. The Yashica Pentamatic was Yashica’s first 35mm SLR, and it was released in March 1960. It was designed with the help of the recently acquired Nicca Camera Company in 1958. It’s safe to say that without Nicca’s help after the acquisition, the Pentamatic wouldn’t have come to market when it did.
Likely two cameras many have never seen.
As a collector of classic cameras, I appreciate these designs from the late 1950s.What makes them different keeps them the same. Both cameras feature sharp standard f/1.8 lenses. The Canomatic lens is reportedly radioactive. No evidence that the Yashica lens is also radioactive. The lens on the Yashica was made by Tomioka Optical for Yashica. The Canon lens was made by Canon.The Canon is a slightly larger camera than the Yashica. The Pentamatic is slightly more compact compared to the Canonflex. Its all-metal construction puts its weight right there with the larger Canon.Rear view. The serial number on the Canon indicates it was the 5,998th camera made. The Yashica was manufactured in August 1960 and was the 8,101st model produced up to that point in 1960.
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 