Happy SUNday! – Canon WP-1

June 14, 2026June 14, 2026Chris and Carol 2 Comments

A favorite of mine: the Canon Sure Shot WP-1 35mm compact, take-anywhere film camera from the mid 1990s. My complete set is still new in its original box and waiting for the next collector to give it a home.

Weather- and water-resistant, not waterproof (not for underwater use). It features a super-sharp Canon 32mm f/3.5 lens and full automatic exposure and autofocus.

Easy-to-operate controls, even with wet hands and cold fingers.

Locks shut for a good weatherproof seal.

It fits snuggly in its nylon case and pouch.

It’s a high-quality plastic fantastic from the 1990s. This camera was designed to go on adventures without fear of getting wet. Here’s a similar camera from Fujifilm, a decade before the Canon.

An early 1980s rugged camera from Fuji Photo Film Company.

Fuji’s K28. How cool is that having a dozer on the box?

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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 U.S. Navy Lens

May 29, 2026June 11, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Canon New F-1 with a Canon U.S. Navy NFD 100mm f2.8 fixed focus lens. The lens was designed by Canon for use by the Navy as a point-and-shoot option for quick shots from aircraft and from ships’ bridges. Sailor Proof.

To use aperture priority on a New F-1, set the shutter speed to ‘A’ and release the stop-down slide (the chrome thingy with the red line to the left of the lens). The AE Finder will then set the exposure for the shutter speed it selects.
Canon calls it ‘Stopped Down AE.
The camera was made in December 1982, and the lens in September 1987.

Compact point and shoot short telephoto lens that can be used on the Canon New F-1 (pictured), and select other Canon FD lens mount 35mm SLRs.

Rare Canon NFD 400mm f4.5 U.S. Navy marked long telephoto lens.

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USS Midway (CV-41)

May 27, 2026May 27, 2026Chris and Carol 2 Comments

USS Midway (CV-41)
Anchored off the coast of Western Australia near Fremantle.
September 1977.
In the lower left of the image, you can see the Liberty Party about to board one of the many ferries that carried us ashore.
The Midway was a grand old ship, first commissioned in September 1945.
I served onboard in the Operations Department, OA Division, as an Aerographer’s Mate assistant forecaster from March 1977 to March 1980.

Yashica TL Electro X 35mm SLR on Kodacolor.

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Happy SUNday! – new, in my camera shop.

May 24, 2026May 24, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Lots of new items in my Etsy camera shop this week. Take a look. http://www.ccstudio2380.com.

Canon gear direct from my collection. Many are hard-to-find items in mint condition.

Visit http://www.ccstudio2380.com for more.

I’m also listing my rare Canon T70 U.S. Navy 35mm SLR film camera.

1985 U.S. Navy Canon T70 set. One of the best.

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Queen Elizabeth and Me

May 10, 2026May 10, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

New York City, sometime in 1961. Enhanced and colorized from the original Polaroid (below).

She was likely moored at Pier 90 along the Hudson River.

The original Polaroid image was taken by my Dad.

I don’t have an issue with using AI to help an image as long as it stays faithful to the original.

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Friday Fotos! – Early 1971 Canon Ad

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

Here is an early Canon advertisement for its F-1 (and others).

In the United States, Bell & Howell was the distributor for Canon products.

The Canon F-1 was first released in the US in March 1971. Some cameras were produced as early as September 1970 to meet the release date. If you find an F-1 with a very low serial number (less than 1000), it could have been made in 1970. The internal date code would carry a ‘K’ as its first letter (K=1970).

My earliest F-1 is from mid-1971.

A complete, early, original Canon F-1 set.

The F-1’s serial numbers started at 100001. Mine was number 2,597.

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Canon’s best compact 35mm SLR.

April 16, 2026April 16, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Carol’s new Canon AE-1, Japan 1978

Many photographers may disagree with my comment that the AE-1 was Canon’s best compact 35mm SLR. It was, at the time it was released, a hyper-popular camera and broke numerous sales records for the industry and made Canon a boatload of money. Some might say the A-1 was the best, but it was a bit more expensive, and although it was much more capable, it may have been too smart for casual users.

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Canon F-1 from 1976

April 2, 2026April 2, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Happy to say that my most recent F-1 purchase from Japan did not disappoint. It’s hard to imagine a camera from January 1976 can still be this nice.

I see these early F-1s as little bits of Canon art – few cameras can match the design, elegance, and toughness of these gems.

The Canon patch was included with a bunch of early 1970s Canon brochures. I believe it was made at the same time the F-1 was released.

My 1978 limited edition Canon F-1 in OD paint. Only 3,000 (or fewer) were made and only for the Japanese domestic market.

I believe the seller undervalued his camera by quite a bit. He did describe it as *Top Mint*, which is accurate. It’s unfortunate that more sellers don’t realize that when you call a camera mint, this is it.

It’s one of the best 35mm SLR cameras ever made.

Brochure from the late 1970, just before the F-1’s March 1971 release.

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Wow, what a rare Canon!

March 31, 2026March 31, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

I never knew this existed.
The Canon EF in a commemorative edition for the 1976 Montreal Olympics. It was never offered for sale, and only a few were built for Canon’s own use. Photo: Joseph DeLora.