Canonflex
Canonflex was the name of the 35mm SLR cameras for the Canon R bayonet . The first Canonflex appeared in May 1959, followed by three other models: Canonflex RP , Canonflex R 2000 and Canonflex RM . With the appearance of the Canon FX, the first camera for the subsequent Canon FL bayonet , production ended. The Canonflex was the first Canon SLR camera.
Canonflex
casing
What was unusual about the Canonflex was the film transport lever on the underside of the camera, it had to be pushed back 130 °. The arrangement was supposed to enable a particularly fast sequence of images, but it took some getting used to, which is why Canon soon abandoned it. The rewind crank was, however, in the usual place on the top left of the housing cover. Before using it, the rewind button had to be pressed, which was located near the transport lever. It also made multiple exposures possible by pressing it after the first exposure and then only cocking the shutter with the transport lever.
The Canonflex was characterized by clear controls, and the very large wheel for the exposure time was noticeable. It weighed 940 g without lens, its housing caps were chrome-plated, and the viewfinder was black. In contrast to the Nikon F, the rear wall could be opened, so it was not pulled down.
Viewfinder
The standard prism viewfinder was held in place by elaborate guide rails and could be removed by pulling it backwards. A light shaft finder was available as an accessory. However, the viewfinder screen could not be replaced. There was no accessory shoe.
The Canonflex had a swing-back mirror that was not yet taken for granted at the time, so the mirror folded down immediately after exposure and not only when the film was transported.
Exposure metering
The Canonflex did not have a built-in light meter, but a special device could be attached to the front of the camera. Then the shutter speed dial of the camera was coupled and only the aperture indicated by a pointer instrument had to be transferred to the lens. This light meter worked with a selenium photo element .
Clasp
A horizontally running cloth fastener was built into the Canonflex. Its shutter speeds were already based on halving, which was not yet taken for granted. The shutter speed dial was already labeled: B / T - X - 1 - 2 - 4 - 8 - 15 - 30 - 60 - 125 - 250 - 500 - 1000. The X position related to the flash synchronization time of 1 ⁄ 55 s, where the Flash was connected to the left of the housing cover with a sync cable.
The release button could be locked by turning the ring around it. The Canonflex also had a self-timer; it was located to the right of the lens in the direction of the camera and had to be opened by turning.
Super Canomatic
The Canonflex worked together with lenses which Canomatic or Super Canomatic had. While the film was being transported, a lever moved to open the Super-Canomatic and when the film was released, the pin was pressed to stop the shutter.
Canonflex RP and Canonflex R 2000
The RP and R 2000 models came out in September 1960 and replaced the original model.
Canonflex RP
The Canonflex RP only differed from the original model by its built-in prism viewfinder. Usually it also had a chrome-plated case cover, very few RPs were delivered with a black cover. This included the normal Super Canomatic R 50mm, f / 1.8 lens with a black instead of a chrome-plated clamping ring.
Canonflex R 2000
The Canon R 2000 differed from the Canonflex in terms of its faster shutter speed: A few months after the Konica F, the Canon R 2000 was the second SLR camera with a 1 ⁄ 2000 s exposure time. In contrast to the Konica, the Canon did not have the Copal metal focal plane shutter, but like the rest of the Canonflex a horizontal cloth shutter. The flash synchronization time was 1 ⁄ 55 s.
Canonflex RM
The RM model appeared in April 1962 and remained in the range until the Canon FX appeared .
casing
On the Canonflex RM, the film transport lever was in the usual position at the top right. The RM usually had a chrome, rarely a black case cover.
Viewfinder
The RM had a built-in prism viewfinder that was smaller than that of the RP, so that the camera was only 92 mm high instead of 100 mm. It also weighed only 680 g without the lens.
Exposure metering
The main difference to the other Canonflex was the built-in light meter. It worked like the accessory instrument on the rest of the Canonflex, so it had a selenium cell and was linked to the shutter speed dial. The aperture value could be read on an instrument to the left of the viewfinder. The film speed could be set on the shutter speed dial between ISO 10/11 ° and ISO 800/33 °.
Clasp
The Canonflex RM also had a cloth shutter with a time range of up to 1 ⁄ 1000 s, but its flash synchronization time was already 1 ⁄ 60 s, so that no setting X on the shutter speed dial was required.
distribution
Only around 16,000 copies of the original model were built, around 9,000 of the RP and just 9,000 of the R 2000. The RM produced Canon about 70,000 times. In Germany, the Canonflex remained practically unknown because of the large number of local cameras, but it was not widely used in Great Britain and the USA.
Web links
- R series cameras in the Canon Camera Museum
- Extensive Canonflex page (Canon-R)
- Canonflex with R lenses
swell
- Alexander Decker: Solid Bolide , in PhotoDeal III / 1995
- Alexander Decker: Unorthodox Canon SLR cameras , in PhotoDeal I / 2000