| Peter Dechert -- Photographic Equipment Historian Peter Dechert is best known for his Canon Rangefinder, Canon SLR, and Olympus Pen books, the latter two long out-of-print. He was a monthly columnist for many years for SHUTTERBUG magazine, and has contributed to many others. Most recently he has written about the pre-WW2 Zeiss 35mm cameras, but his interests in camera equipment and optics are many and varied. As a pro protographer and honorary life member of ASMP, Peter is also expert in using the gear!
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Canon P mystery |
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01-04-2008
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#1
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Registered User
David Murphy is offline
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Pasadena, CA
Age: 56
Posts: 2,384
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Canon P mystery
Peter can you or anyone else here tell me what this "TE" marking on my Canon P means? Is this something special special? Apparently Google searches indicate there are at least a handful of other P's with such a marking.
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01-04-2008
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#2
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rangefinder user and fancier
xayraa33 is offline
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,140
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If it is not some ones initials, I would guess TE means tax exempt similar to the EP marking on cameras sold in PX stores.
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01-05-2008
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#3
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Registered User
David Murphy is offline
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Age: 56
Posts: 2,384
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Thanks, that's the best theory I've heard yet. It is unlikely to be someones initials since about three of these "TE" marked P's (to my knowledge) have been reported to exist.
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Contax IIa, Tanack IV-S, Canon L1, Leotax S, Kardon Civilian, Bessa R2S, Nikon S2, Leica, IIIa, Kalloflex, Kowa 6, Konica Autoreflex T, Canon Ftb QL, Pentax Spotmatic, Minolta SRT-101, Nikon F, Exakta VX
http://legacycamera.wordpress.com
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TE marking not done by Canon |
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01-09-2008
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#4
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"Dekkam" as was
pdek is offline
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Santa Fe
Posts: 59
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TE marking not done by Canon
Quote:
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Originally Posted by David Murphy
Peter can you or anyone else here tell me what this "TE" marking on my Canon P means? Is this something special special? Apparently Google searches indicate there are at least a handful of other P's with such a marking.
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Thanks for the question. I don't know the answer. But I can say that the typeface used for the "TE" is not one of Canon's normal ones.
I don't believe that "TE" stands for "tax exempt", simply because such a usage has never been recorded elsewhere.
My best guess is that the three Ps in question were part of a batch acquired by some sort of organization whose initials may have been "TE", and that these markings were applied simply to specify ownership. They were put on the accessory shoe because this part is easy to remove, engrave, and reinstall, and there's no danger of defacing the rest of the camera by mistake.
But who knows for sure?
Peter D |
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03-21-2008
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#5
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Digited User
jmilkins is offline
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: landdownunder
Age: 43
Posts: 701
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Intriguing. David do you know if the other TE Ps were close in serial number to yours? That might add weight to a "fleet" theory of company bought cameras...
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03-22-2008
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#6
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"Dekkam" as was
pdek is offline
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Santa Fe
Posts: 59
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I don't have any such list myself; my answer is just a sort of semi-informed conclusion. Peter D
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03-25-2008
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#7
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Registered User
CanonRFinder is offline
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Perth west OZ
Age: 69
Posts: 305
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HI Peter,
I have recorded four [TE] cameras #769864, # 771684, #773019 & #773139. I agree with your summation that it would be some company that used a number of cameras such as a newspaper group. Peter K
Last edited by CanonRFinder : 05-25-2008 at 17:41.
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08-05-2008
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#8
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Dad Photographer
raid is offline
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Florida
Posts: 21,727
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I have found online TE Canon P cameras with serial numbers starting with 773XXX which suggests a batch or group of cameras set aside for TE engravings.
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08-05-2008
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#9
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Kiloran
Terao is offline
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Southampton, UK
Age: 42
Posts: 972
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My TE marked P is 766168
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05-10-2009
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#10
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Registered User
qwu_us is offline
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Boulder,colorado
Posts: 10
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I saw a canon P with black paint has TE mark on it. The TE mark was painted over. This is likely one of "fake" black canon Ps. it seems to suggest that TE was engraved in the factory.
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05-10-2009
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#11
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Dad Photographer
raid is offline
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Florida
Posts: 21,727
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Not necessarily so; maybe TE stands for some company name, and at one stage the camera was painted black by someone.
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05-10-2009
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#12
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Registered User
qwu_us is offline
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Boulder,colorado
Posts: 10
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Raid,
My ignorance. I did not know that people paint their canon P black all the time.
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05-10-2009
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#13
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Dad Photographer
raid is offline
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Florida
Posts: 21,727
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Quote:
Originally Posted by qwu_us
Raid,
My ignorance. I did not know that people paint their canon P black all the time.
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I have such a black painted Canon P. You can tell that it was painted black later on. The original Black Paint P is rather expensive. |
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05-11-2009
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#14
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Native Texan
Bill58 is offline
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: So. Korea
Posts: 3,088
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Adding more to the mystery, the "TE" company must've been in the Western world as I can't imagine a Japanese company putting English alphabet letters on their "fleet".
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05-13-2009
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#15
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Registered User
qwu_us is offline
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Boulder,colorado
Posts: 10
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While we are talking about engraved canon P, I am wondering anyone here has a canon P with cherry blossom on the top.
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05-15-2009
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#16
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"Flim? You want flim?"
januaryman is offline
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Earth
Posts: 1,464
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I recall reading somewhere that TE was Tax Exempt for military. Can't recall WHERE I read that, but, for what it's worth...
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05-15-2009
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#17
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sans bokeh
dexdog is offline
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,455
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Quote:
Originally Posted by qwu_us
While we are talking about engraved canon P, I am wondering anyone here has a canon P with cherry blossom on the top.
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IIRC, those are supposed to be cameras issued to the Japanese military, and are quite the collector's item.
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05-16-2009
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#18
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Registered User
elgreco is offline
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Belgium
Posts: 16
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Hi David,
See here for some more details : http://canoncamera.ifrance.com/index.htm
See section "special markings / engravings"
Pictures are mainly from a japanese seller named jiri_e.
In addition : I have seen a Canon P marked TE serial 774054 sold yesterday (item 290316688178 on the auction site) and the original documents stands that the camera and its accessories have been bought in Tokyo in 1963. The mistery is not yet solved... 
Sorry 
ioannis |
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07-12-2009
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#19
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Registered User
qwu_us is offline
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Boulder,colorado
Posts: 10
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Just saw another TE Canon P on sale from Japanese Yahoo.  |
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07-12-2009
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#20
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Registered User
qwu_us is offline
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Boulder,colorado
Posts: 10
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07-12-2009
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#21
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Did you say Nippon Kogaku
NIKON KIU is offline
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Washington DC suburbs
Age: 51
Posts: 1,870
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I have to go with the Tax Exempt theory.
All the Nikons that are engraved T on the rewind were thought to have been sold in Tax exempt stores such as airport shops.
Kiu
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07-12-2009
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#22
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Registered User
mr_phillip is offline
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 581
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My understanding has always been that the TE marking is the final form of the Central Purchasing Office markings and was used, for a short time only, after the CPO and EP diamond marks. Were that the case, then it makes plenty of sense that it'd stand for Tax Exempt.
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07-12-2009
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#23
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Registered User
qwu_us is offline
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Boulder,colorado
Posts: 10
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Thank Nikon Liu for the information on Nikon engraved with T.
There was an article on Nikon Historical Society Journal #53 page 8 (Sep 1996 issue) about those engraved Nikons. I am wondering anyone can share the article with us.
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07-12-2009
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#24
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Registered User
qwu_us is offline
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Boulder,colorado
Posts: 10
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