The Canon EF - the only Canon FD body to sport a Copal Square shutter

#photography #filmphotography #film #canon #canonphotography #canonef #filmcamera #filmcameras

Today we're taking a look at a very unique camera from Canon - the EF. Why is it so special?? It's the only FD-mount camera body that utilized the Copal Square shutter. It was the first from Canon to have built-in Shutter-Priority autoexposure. It had the widest range of shutter speeds available at the time, which was 1/1000 sec all the way to 30-secs. And it uses a voltage-regulating circuit. Which means we can put modern batteries in it, and it will work just fine!

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[romarklin]

Awesome video on a underrated camera these days.
This gem is maybe hided by the modern EF lenses system…

Anyway, always a pleasure to watch your videos!
Greetings from Belgium

[AnaloguePhoto]

Got my Canon EF back in 1978. Had sold my Yashica TL electro and was extremely happy with this camera. After 1996 I hardly used it at all. Got some digital cameras (still use digital) that made the Canon EF just live in a cupboard. But I always liked the user interface... Except for that AE lock button. Later on when mercury batteries were not sold anymore, I was very happy about the voltage regulator. Then, at around covid, I pulled this old camera out of the cupboard again, and it worked perfectly, like it always had. The fact that you can see the exposure values in the viewfinder and easily change shutter speeds makes it quite easy to use. Never payed much attention to the bottom centered light measuring pattern. But compensating to increase or decrease the exposure is a bit fiddly.

[garoldcarlisle]

Convinced me to acquire an EF. Ordered from Japan today!

[wglassiter]

Thank you, great refresher on how the old brick operated. I still have my FTb and EF. A year or so ago I dusted off the EF and shot a few photos but never finished. Ha, the camera is still sitting there with that roll of film, hope the door seals are not leaking light. Your video has inspired me to get back to shooting with some of the enthusiasm I experienced in my youth with a great camera. Cheers.

[RobertFalconer]

Got mine when I was a kid back in late '77; my first 35mm camera. Still have it. Still love it.

[nikoswypych]

This is my favorite analogue camera since i shoot mostly at nights. I'm currently filling up my first roll with it and can't wait to see the first results. Thank you for teaching me 1 or 2 new things about it 😊

[TubaSolotheHiker]

I love my 3 EF film cameras. They are sooo easy to use for an older camera.

[ravajaxe]

Thank you for this well laid out presentation of the Canon EF. Your overview of the controls is thourough and helps understand the ergonomics and use of this "black beauty". I was aware of this model from Canon, but was not enough interested about it to make my own research, until your video popped on my subsciption feed. It is a very interesting piece of kit. And it feels solidly made, on top of being beautiful and convenient to use. The reasonable level of automation and compatibility with modern PX625 alkaline batteries certainly helps. From your pictures, we can assume that the metering and control electronics work like a charm.

I have a bit too much film cameras, so I will have to curb my gear aquisition syndrome (that you have reignited with this video). But it feels very derirable indeed. Keep up the good work.

[soup]

love these videos.
so calm and comforting.

[frstesiste]

EF was the camera I couldn't afford. Got the FTb instead and was very happy with that - particularly the semi spot metering which I believe was unique for an entry level camera at the time, but no auto exposure.

[sevenantony]

Got no rangefinders on my two EF, must be the earlier ones. Thanks for the video

[CMCSenior]

Steven, great video showing the positives and negatives of this grand old camera. I’m glad you got to put it through its paces. Look forward to more of your videos.

[TheDamnGarage]

I have two EF’s one of which the light meter is not functional on, hence the second one. I LOVE the way the shutter speed dial is proud off the front, the focusing screen seems HUGE and bright. If it had a removable pentaprism for a waist level finder it would be perfect!

[joefaracevideos]

Thanks for a great video. I put the EF on my "want list" as a compliment to my A-series cameras. These days I take walks with my camera just for the exercise and sometime I get some nice pictures, sometimes I don't. But I always get the exercise. Meeting new people and having conversations with them happens to me many times when shooting, whether I'm inspired or not. Thanks again!

[michaelwhiles]

Always liked the EF which was far better made than the newer A series cameras. On my bucket list ( there are many) thanks for posting 😎👍

[Jennifer_Prentice]

Not sure id be all that thrilled with that model either.. Its funny cause I still to this day am not a canon fan.. So normally I make sure I have a plan and location I want to go to and take photos.. I look outside and pick the ISO film as best as I can for the amount of light and lens I plan to use. I almost never have to shoot any faster then 1/250 or so anyway so almost all of my old cameras work pretty decent for hand held work if I want to do so.. When I get to the location and find I still have shots left I often reserve these extra shots to shoot things id normally not shoot .. Examples like strange plants, Up close shots of structures to get abstract shots.. Before I know it the roll is done. Then I put the rolls back into there plastic containers and label them and toss those into a cardboard box that you can date when you started tossing rolls in there.. I mix up chems in full batches that allow me up to so many rolls and after I get that many rolls or so in the box I mix up the chems and spend a month or so developing a couple of rolls at a time and when I end up scanning them I find those random shots I took and sometimes I go wow thats kinda cool and sometimes I think my god why did I shoot that ? lol. But its always good to toss in some random photos or methods of taking photos that you normally do not and sometimes you find a gem you would have normally never taken :).

[christophewagner]

thank you for this very nice video. I shoot with canon new F1 and its very cool. The EF seems like to be his little brother... Like this black finish

[carbonejack]

Very good run down on this camera. I have this camera. I haven't used it much, but I love the build and simplicity of it. It's got a solid build. I'm downsizing my 35mm gear and will put this up for sale, if I can get over my emotional attachment to it. Same problem selling my Nikon vintage cameras.

[thecaveofthedead]

The wide pics of the ducks under the tree and the bridge were very pleasing.

[toms]

“… it’s not a bad looking trash can.” (14:07) That was top notch! The usual very good video otherwise as well.