This Old Camera Twofer: Two Canon SLRs Return Courtesy of The Kindness of a Friend.
First off, a thank you. A friend of mine and former coworker (Now retired, the lucky soul) gifted me two SLRs.
Thank you.
He messaged me, and days later I received:
- Canon T70
- Canon AE1 Program
- Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 x 2
- Vivitar FD 28-70mm f/3.5-4.8 Macro
- SIGMA FD 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6 w/ case
- Camera bag
Nice.
Why do I say return?
I have had both of these cameras before.
Canon AE1 Program
Notes from that post.
The positives.
- Feels good in hand.
- Auto meters well.
- Looks the business.
- Decent top shutter speed at 1/1000s.
- Holds on to some great FD lenses like the 50mm I had for it.
- Full Program mode is great for those just learning or if you just want to shoot without thinking about it.
- Both shutter priority, aperture priority, and manual are available for those who want more control.
Down side (singular).
- Maybe their value on the market right now is a little high for my liking since I have picked up similar cameras from other brands for less? But that is a stretch. I would not second guess anyone who picked up a copy.
Canon T70
The first copy I had of this camera was a bit of a dud, but I really liked the second. Why? I am glad I imagined that you asked.
One mode. Program Tele.
The big deal? Easy.
It is the perfect exposure mode for the perennially absent-minded and bokeh-obsessed. Please allow me to explain.
As indicated, I am a bit bokeh-obsessed. Why else would my everyday rig be a manual-focus f/1.2 lens sat in front of a medium format digital sensor? Troublesome. Not really. I have gotten quite handy with it, and when it hits…
…good graavy.
Always shooting wide open works just fine with the variable ISO and fast shutter speeds of digital cameras. But on film?
Fine in low light. Aperture priority all day. Let the camera choose the appropriate shutter speed.
But aperture priority is problematic in bright conditions. Shutter priority is the better choice. Choose the fastest shutter speed and let the camera shut the aperture if need be.
If you did use aperture priority, you have to remember to pay attention to the shutter speed recommendation and shut the aperture down in bright conditions, or it will be blowout city.
Why not regular old Program mode?
It tends to find a happy balance between aperture and shutter speed.
Said another way, it leans towards deeper depth of field by using a reasonable shutter speed to avoid blur and shutting down the aperture.
This will not do for the bokeh-obsessed like myself.
With the T70’s Program Tele mode, you get the best of both worlds. It leans towards the fastest shutter speed and brightest aperture available. Which for me is basically…
Set it and forget it.
During a great SLR purge years ago, I let go of both of these cameras.
And immediately regretted it.
Camera return review done.
It is good to have them home again.
Posts of the test rolls up next.
But I know they work. Because my friend would not have sent them to me otherwise.
Welp. That is it for now.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
6 Replies to “This Old Camera Twofer: Two Canon SLRs Return Courtesy of The Kindness of a Friend.”
Comments are closed.