Need recommendation for vintage film camera

Hey everyone, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this. I'm looking to get a vintage Canon film camera (super old that should still perform), can anyone recommend a model. Thanks in advance!

norman

What do you consider super old?

EF mount or older?

If you stick with an EF mount camera, you can use your current lenses on it.

In that case, I'd recommend EOS-3 or EOS 1V... saw a 1V HS locally on Craigslist recently for $300 US and was really tempted... that was a real bargain! The "HS" stands for High Speed and is simply the 1V with a PB-E2 "power booster" added.... the same can be added to the EOS-3. With the rechargeable battery pack it will give about 10 fps on the 1V and about 8 fps on EOS-3. With standard alkaline AA batteries, I think it's about 8 fps on 1V and 6 fps on EOS-3.

EOS-3 is unique in that it has Eye Control. Never worked well for me, but a lot of people like it.

Both the EOS-3 and the 1V use 45-point AF system, that was the forerunner to the AF system used in all 1D-series until the 1DX. It was introduced on the EOS-3, in fact.

If you want to get an even cheaper model, Elan 7 (in the US) or EOS 30 (elsewhere in the world) is a really nice model that's super quiet. There is also an "E" version of this camera, with Eye Control. Other than that, the Elan/30 AF system is simple, 7-points if I recall correctly, pretty similar to the 9-point used in today's xxD and Rebel/xxxD models. A vertical/battery grip is available for the Elan/30, but I never was much of a big fan of it. Rather than a drawer for the batteries or a door on the back, some "genius" designed it so you had to load the batteries from the top... so have to remove the grip to put new batteries in it! I don't know what they were thinking! Otherwise, it's a nice camera... was designed to be and is very quiet operating. It's one of the few SLRs that rivals some of the rangefinder cameras of the period. I used one especially during wedding ceremonies, when the clack and whirrr of my EOS-3s or 1Vs would have been intrusive.

If you were interested in even more vintage film Canon, well there are quite a few to choose among that use the FD or FL lenses, some of which are excellent. But you cannot use those lenses very conveniently on modern EF mount cameras, and certainly can't use modern EF mount lenses on the old FD/FL mount cameras. So you'd have to look at buying another lens kit, for all practical purposes.

The T90 was the last or close to the last of the line. It's similar feeling to the later EOS/EF and a pretty high performance camera. It was a popular pro camera, though it doesn't have interchangeable viewfinders or other accessories of the F-1.

Earilier models I'd recommend...

The AE-1 Program is a fairly straightforward camera that has some nice features over the original AE-1... interchangeable focus screens and it can be fitted with the Motor Drive MA to give about 4.5 fps shooting.

The earlier AE-1 can be fitted with a Winder that gives about 2 fps, doesn't have interchangeable focus screens. The Program adds program mode, of course... but it also can still be used as an aperture prefered mode, or manually set.

The A-1 from 1978 or 79 was one of the first cameras to offer all the modern AE modes - Av, Tv and P - as well as M and B manual modes, of course. It's a fairly full featured, high end model, just below the F-1 (A-1 doesn't have interchangeable viewfinders, but does take a fairly extensive line of accessories, some shared with F-1 model).

All the A-series cameras use a horizontally running, cloth shutter. Sort of "old school" even when they were new. They are limited to 1/1000 top shutter speed and 1/60 flash sync. Those models tend to develop "shutter squeek" when not serviced or used for a long time. You'll know it when you hear it... It's actually not the shutter making the noise, but another part of the mechanism. It can be fixed with a single drop of oil in the right place, but really means the camera is due for a proper Clean/Lube/Adjust or CLA. Often new light seals are needed on these old cameras.

Both the AE-1 are pretty easily found for $50 or less in chrome finish, maybe a little more in the rarer black finish. The A-1 usually sells for a bit more, upwards of $100, and was only offered in black finish. The T90 tends to hold up to $200 value, and you have to be careful to avoid copies of that model with a failed LCD screen... it's not repairable.

There is also the F-1.... there were three different versions. The F-1 was Canon's top of the line model in FD/FL mount from about 1971 to approx. 1992 or 1994. There was a Highspeed version with pellicle mirror offered in 1972, that's capable of 9 fps, the highest speed offered by any film camera at the time. It's huge, with a camera on top of a motor drive, which is in turn on top of a large battery pack! The F-1 model was mildly updated in 1976, to the F-1n. The last version or "New F-1" from 1982 on tends to be the priciest and is a relatively sought after collectible. The main thing offered by the F-1 series is a great deal of flexibility: various interchangealbe viewfinders, film backs, motor drives, focus screens, as well as the broad range of lenses, macro tools, flashes of the system, and more.

The New F-1 continued to use a horizontal running shutter, but now with titanium parts that allow a 1/2000 top speed, 1/90 flash sync, was tweaked for durability and reliability under a wide range of shooting conditions, but probably most importantly was electronically controlled for a higher degree of accuracy than purely mechanical shutters can offer. Most manufacturers were going to electronically controlled shutters in the early 1980s. The F-1's shutter was both mechanically and electronically controlled, so that it was fully usable across all speeds even if the camera's battery died and you didn't have a spare on hand. (By comparison, the Nikon F3 of the time only offered a 1/60 mechanical "backup" speed, without battery power. All the other speeds were battery dependent.)

There are some other cool Canon film models. But the above are all relatively easy to find and ones I have the most experience with.

All can be fun cameras to shoot with. Though I cited frame rates... when you only have 36 images on a roll of film, you might want to stick with single frame shooting a lot!

One feature the Motor Drive MA (on A-1 and AE-1 Program) that I really like and wish they would implement on modern cameras was an "instant high speed" button (not sure if other, contemporary Canon drives had this). You could set the camera to shoot single frame, then if an opportunity called for it bump to the highest frame rate momentarily by pressing that button on the grip. It was a cool feature I think they'd do well to bring back on modern cameras.

If you want older, and rangefinder, there were some great ones:

http://www.antiquecame​ras.net/canonrfcameras​.html

Ask here as well.
http://www.rangefinder​forum.com/forums/forum​display.php?f=37

I use an Elan 7NE. Great camera, and it uses all the EF lenses. Does not use EF-s lenses. One good advantage is that it is fully compatible with all of the E-TTL-II flash units. That is all of the EX models. You can find an Elan 7, 7N or 7NE on e-bay or craigslist for about $75. It is a great camera for that price. Full-frame for $75!

Elan IIe, many available on eBay at good prices. After you get it go to the thread on "Eye Controlled Focus" and advise what you thing of the system. Almost new at http://www.ebay.com …meras&hash=item​27c76e9249 for $30, no lenses. Also many offerings with the 28-80mm kits lens.

Canon 7... End of thread

John from PA wrote in post #14618408
Elan IIe, many available on eBay at good prices. After you get it go to the thread on "Eye Controlled Focus" and advise what you thing of the system. Almost new at http://www.ebay.com …meras&hash=item​27c76e9249 for $30, no lenses. Also many offerings with the 28-80mm kits lens.

He's looking for a vintage Canon camera. The Elan series still used EF lenses, not vintage by any stretch.

I agree with the previous poster. Take a look at the Canon 7.

wow! amphoto1 thanks so much for your help! that was completely informative. I was thinking of both, and ef mount body to shoot along side my 5D and a vintage body with like a 50mm or 35mm lens just to bring around for fun. Thanks!

the ELAN 7 series looks good! I've got an ELAN with one focal point and it's just too dificult for me to shoot wide open with.

canon 7... Thanks everyone!!!

Here is the thread on Eye Controled Focus Point Selection that John from PA recommended:

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1195887

It will explain all about EC if you are interested.

any of these?

PHOTOBUCKET EMBEDDING IS DISABLED BY THIS MEMBER. Photobucket sends ads instead of embedding photos from their free galleries. Click the link (if available) below to see the image in a gallery page. http://i11.photobucket​.com …175/ninobrn99/o​ldies1.jpg HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO

PHOTOBUCKET EMBEDDING IS DISABLED BY THIS MEMBER. Photobucket sends ads instead of embedding photos from their free galleries. Click the link (if available) below to see the image in a gallery page. http://i11.photobucket​.com …175/ninobrn99/o​ldies2.jpg HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'image/gif' | Byte size: ZERO