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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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.

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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Unique Nikon Lens Set – <E.P> Marked

November 4, 2025November 5, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

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.

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Early Nikon F and Nikon S4

October 30, 2025October 30, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

From well-known Australian photographer and camera collector Bruce Thomas, used by permission.
Both cameras are marked with a ‘T’ on their rewind knobs, indicating Nikon’s approach to identifying tax-exempt or duty-free cameras sold in Japan in the early 1960s. Not to be confused with the more common ‘EP’ mark, which appeared across all camera brands in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and even a few from Canon in the early 1980s.

Nikon S4 top and Nikon F below. The ‘T’ mark appeared in 1960 on some Nikon cameras sold in Japan and possibly in Hong Kong, though there hasn’t been hard evidence yet.

The Nikon F was developed from the Nikon SP rangefinder camera from 1957. It’s easy to spot the similarities between the S4 and F. Finding a mint condition SP today is quite expensive, but there are “plenty” on online auction sites.

A translated Japanese document from Nikon.

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wordless wednesday

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

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Superstars of the 1970s (and beyond)

October 20, 2025October 20, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

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.

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..

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Happy SUNday! – Nikon F

October 12, 2025October 12, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

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.

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.

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eye candy – Nikon F from 1964

October 7, 2025October 7, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I enjoy collecting the early Nippon Kogaku models with the ‘Fuji’ logo.

Can it get any more recognizable than this?

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hi-speed film-eaters

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

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I have another Canon Macrolite available from my collection.

September 20, 2025September 20, 2025Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Canon Macrolite ML-1… 1970s Tech

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