Which Canon FD camera is most like a Nikon FE?

[wakarimasen]

Hello Folks,

I love FD lenses. They are relatively cheap (due to their 'obsolescence') and seem to me to be good quality: especially the primes. Consequently I have a bought a few (from 28mm to 135mm) and have been very pleased with the performance.

It's the camera bodies that I struggle with. I currently have an A1 and a T90. Prior to that, I have had a TX an AE-1 Program and AE-1s, but I just can't take to them. They seem to:

• lack information in the viewfinder (TX)
• provide aperture information in the viewfinder, but no shutter speed (AE-1)
• use LED readouts instead of a scale readout (A1 and AE-1 program)
• offer good auto exposure modes but are horrible to use 'manually' (A1)
• be too much like an EOS 3 (T90)

The Nikon FE is much more to my liking and has everything that I look for in a body - i.e. pretty much the opposite of the points mentioned:

• shutter and aperture information in the viewfinder
• provides auto exposure as well as match-needle metering for simple manual work
• a scale readout rather than LEDs

Would an F1 or an EF fit my requirements? I'd be grateful for comments from users of these cameras.

If I can't find an appropriate body, I may be forced to defect to Nikon!

Best regards,
RoyM

[kdemas]

Even though I'm a Nikon guy I can tell you the New F1 nearly fits the bill. The only potential issue might bethe weight, it's a tank. Great camera though.

[Mackinaw]

As mentioned above, a New F-1 with the AE finder would be what you want.

The EF is another fine choice, but no full-aperture manual metering, only stopped down (from memory, I owned one back in the mid-1970's and have long-since sold it). Still, a great picture taker and extremely well made.

Jim B.

[mervynyan]

new f1 would do just anything other than autofocus, so you have the answer.

[raid]

The prices are so low these days, why not get an FE or FE2 with a Nikkor 50mm? I love the F1N. It allowed me to use spotmetering before any Nikon camera had such a feature. I complemented my Canon camera collection with the FM, FE, and then the FE2. I kept only the FE2 in the end.

[loquax ludens]

I also believe the New F-1 with AE Finder fits the bill. There are a couple of things worth noting.

- There is no mirror lockup.
- To shoot in shutter priority mode, you must have the AE Power Winder FN or the AE Motor Drive FN.
- It is not a quiet camera.


Of the two motor drives, the AE Motor Drive FN is the faster one. Five frames per second as opposed to two fps for the Power Winder.

I have the Motor Drive with the 12 AA cell battery pack. There is also a Ni-Cd and a High Power Ni-Cd battery pack. If you get a drive with one of the Ni-Cd packs, it's likely you will need to recell them. The motor drive with AA batteries loaded is heavier than the camera. The Ni-Cd battery packs are much lighter.


Although I've owned several Canon SLRs made for the FD lenses, if I were starting over, I'd go with Nikon because of the F-mount that has remained consistent over the years.

[raid]

The motor drive helps when taking photos in sub freezing weather. There are companies that replace the old NiCad cells with better new ones. There is no need for the AE finder for AE photography. Canon kept this a secret, but you can set the lens to A and shoot away. The F1N will use AE, but the camera will not tell you the exposure.
The screens allow you choice of metering types (average, partial spot, spot).

[dogberryjr]

Originally Posted by raid

There is no need for the AE finder for AE photography. Canon kept this a secret, but you can set the lens to A and shoot away. The F1N will use AE, but the camera will not tell you the exposure.

I had no idea about this. I'll have to give it a go.

[gb hill]

I like my Canon AV-1. Aperture priority only. No AE at all.

[Mackinaw]

Originally Posted by dogberryjr

I had no idea about this. I'll have to give it a go.

Just be mindful that you'll have no idea what shutter speed the camera is setting.

Jim B.

[raid]

Originally Posted by dogberryjr

I had no idea about this. I'll have to give it a go.

Check it out. It should work.

[raid]

Originally Posted by Mackinaw

Just be mindful that you'll have no idea what shutter speed the camera is setting.

Jim B.

This is OK if you know which ISO film you are using, and you have a faint idea about a range of exposure settings that may work. It certainly is a peice of cake in sunny weather.

With ISO 100 film: I know that with 1/125 I use f 16 with the Sunny 16 Rule. Using AE allows you to err on the side of guessing the exposure. You could use f 8 and let the F1N choose the speed.

[raid]

Originally Posted by gb hill

I like my Canon AV-1. Aperture priority only. No AE at all.

Aperture priority is AE.

[wakarimasen]

Originally Posted by raid

The prices are so low these days, why not get an FE or FE2 with a Nikkor 50mm? I love the F1N. It allowed me to use spotmetering before any Nikon camera had such a feature. I complemented my Canon camera collection with the FM, FE, and then the FE2. I kept only the FE2 in the end.

I already have an FE, an F3 and an F4S - purely out of curiosity. I just don't have so many lenses and am thinking of choosing between the two systems. An F1n might be the one FD camera that makes me keep the lenses.

[raid]

There is a Canon F1n and there is a Canon F1N. They are quite different cameras. The "modern" camera is the F1N. The camera with mirror lock-up is the F1n. The F1n is a slight improvement over the orignal F1. I have the F1n and the F1N.

[wakarimasen]

Originally Posted by raid

There is a Canon F1n and there is a Canon F1N. They are quite different cameras. The "modern" camera is the F1N. The camera with mirror lock-up is the F1n. The F1n is a slight improvement over the orignal F1. I have the F1n and the F1N.

Hello Raid,

Sorry I meant the new F1N.

Best regards
RoyM

[Paulbe]

How about the A-1?
Seems to have both aperture and shutter priority.
Neat readout, too.
Paul

[ChrisPlatt]

Originally Posted by Paulbe

How about the A-1?...Neat readout.

Help! My camera seems to have swallowed a pocket calculator!

Chris

[raid]

I like using th T90 and the F1N more than any other models.

[Brian Legge]

How is the A1 hard to us manually? I grew up shooting one in manual but haven't used it in years. What makes it difficult? I must be forgetting something.

[Contarama]

If I already had the FD glass I wouldn't even think about changing to Nikon...I'd be saving up my money for a 55/1.2 SSC Aspherical and the 85 also!

[raid]

I have the 50/1.2L and 85/1.2L. The 55mm ASPH is claimed to be even sharper.

[mervynyan]

carrying f1n with 85/1.2l all times, other shoots use different camera. A1program with 50/1.8, much lighter set.

[Paulbe]

ChrisP--you're right! The A-1's readout looks a lot like the HP35--
BrianL--to use the A-1 in manual mode, the IB says to take the lens off the "A" setting, and turn the Av/Tv selector dial to Tv. That puts it in manual mode.
Really a nice camera. Lots of features, really well-built, easy to use.
Paul

[wakarimasen]

Originally Posted by Paulbe

ChrisP--you're right! The A-1's readout looks a lot like the HP35--
BrianL--to use the A-1 in manual mode, the IB says to take the lens off the "A" setting, and turn the Av/Tv selector dial to Tv. That puts it in manual mode.
Really a nice camera. Lots of features, really well-built, easy to use.
Paul

The problem with the A1 in manual mode is that there is no indication of exposure. The display simply shows - if I remember correctly - what the camera suggests rather than what is actually selected, and how they compare.

Best regards
RoyM