Canon U.S. Navy Lens

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

Canon New F-1 with a Canon U.S. Navy NFD 100mm f2.8 fixed focus and aperture 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), the Canon AV-1, and the Canon A-1.

Canon NFD 100mm f2.8 fixed focus and aperture lens.

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

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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.

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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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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Nikon Nikkor Auto-S 50mm f1.4 Lens from 1970.

April 14, 2026April 14, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

Mounted on my Fujifilm X-T2.

Testing a classic Nikkor lens for a new listing in my Etsy camera shop. I’m very pleased with the results.

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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.

Previously unknown Montreal 1976 EF camera.

The F-1 Montreal 1976 was Canon’s first Olympic Games special-edition camera.

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Happy SUNday! – more cameras

March 29, 2026March 29, 2026Chris and Carol Leave a comment

As I continue to reduce my camera collection, I’ve added these two gems to my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com.

The original Nikon F 35mm SLR film camera was introduced in 1959. Here is my 1969 model.

Introduced in 1971, this is a mid-1973 model of the Canon F-1 35mm SLR film camera.

You can’t ask for a better camera in the Nikon line.

Canon’s top-of-the-line camera for a decade.

Off subject, here is a beautiful picture that a dear friend took along the north coast of Long Island.

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The Canon ‘Eagle’ – it’s likely a Phoenix

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

Could the Canon ‘eagle’ be a phoenix?

I’ve always viewed the Canon Seiki logo of the mid to late 1930s as a phoenix rather than any other bird. To me, the feathers on the rear of the head do not suggest an eagle or a vulture. The phoenix is almost always depicted with its wings outstretched.

I showed my wife the SEIKI logo and told her it was for a Japanese camera from the mid-to-late 1930s. She identified it immediately as a phoenix. When I mentioned that some see it as an eagle or vulture, she reminded me of how important a phoenix is in ancient Japanese culture.

The feathers on the rear of its head, which are a prominent feature of the logo and of a phoenix, whereas vultures are generally identified by a ‘bald’ head.

*A common trait of vultures found in Asia (Old World vultures) is their reliance on exceptional eyesight to spot carrion from high altitudes. They also have bare or lightly feathered heads to keep clean while feeding on carcasses.

If I were picking a logo for a new camera company in Japan in the 1930s, I would seriously consider the phoenix.

*In ancient Japanese culture, the phoenix—known as the Ho-o or Hoo—is considered the most sacred bird, symbolizing the imperial family, fire, the sun, and the virtues of faith, duty, and mercy. Often paired with the dragon (representing the emperor) to symbolize marital bliss and harmony, the Ho-o is a powerful emblem of longevity, rebirth, and political authority.

What do you see? An eagle, a vulture, a phoenix, or something else? Canon never acknowledged what it was.

Many thanks to my good friend Paul Sokk for providing some of his images. You can visit his wonderful site at https://leica-copies-japan.com/Canon.html#canonstory

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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).