SLRs using the Copal Square shutter
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- čas přidán 9. 01. 2020
- UPDATE: My faith in the XR-1 remains intact. CameraRescue's instagram account, managed by Juho, invited questions about the interview I mention in the video so I asked, "Is the Ricoh failure rate driven by electronics, or does that apply to their mechanical models as well, such as the XR-1?" The reply: "Electronics are the main culprit."
There were three manufacturers which made extensive use of the Copal Square shutter: Nikon, Konica and Ricoh. Two of those provide very affordable "built like a tank" options most definitely worth considering, and I'm willing to take a chance on the third.
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#copal #shutter #35mm
Being a mechanic at Cameramakers (Kamerastore - Camerarescue) I can confirm Juho was talking about electronic cameras being increasingly fail prone. Copal square is one of the most reliable shutters I know.
Thank you! I very much appreciate your input.
Thanks for getting right to the point. I can count on only one hand those who get to the point right away.
I just bought a used Ricoh XR-1 and I'm blown away by the build quality, even the black finish is in pristine condition. Costing me £35-00, with a couple of lenses thrown in, the only thing needing attention is the perished light seals around the back, a very simple fault to rectify. I'm really gratified that the XR-1 has a Copal shutter.
Sounds like you got a great deal; enjoy!
One of the first uses of the Copal Square shutter was in the Nikkorex F I bought at 16 in late 1961. It worked without fail until I replaced the camera with a Nikomat FT2 in 1976. The very first model of shutter developed a few repairable problems, but it seemed bullet--proof after that. The first auto exposure version of the shutter was in the Nikkormat EL. Nikon seems to have worked closely with Copal over the years to develop versions of the shutter to use in various Nikon bodies.
FINALY a youtuber that appreciate the Copal Square FPS! I just love it. Here is a list of cameras with the Copal, at least to my knowledge:
* Konica Autoreflex T (Hi-Synchro Copal Square S)
* Konica Autoreflex T3 (Hi-Synchro Copal Square S)
* Nikkormat serie (Copal Square S)
* Konica Autoreflex TC (Copal Square CCS-M)
* Konica Autoreflex T4 (Copal Square CCS-M)
* Nikon EL/EL2 (Copal Square SE)
* Nikon FM (Copal Square S)
* Yashica TL Electro X (Copal Square SE)
* Canon EF
Keep it up! :)
May I ask what you think of CCS-M vs CSS in terms of durability and presicon?
@@raining_macondo I could not tell the difference in that matter. I have a lot of cameras with Copal focal plane shutters, and it is never the shutter that is the problem with them. But in many cameras from the seventies, the electronic time governers has reached an respectable age. 40-50 years. That is something to consider. Both the Square-S and the CCS-M are mechanicaly time governed shutters.
The Cosina built Olympus OM-2000 has a vertical travelling shutter. But I'm not sure if it's made by Copal
I found your videos after purchasing a Konica T. To watch this video and see My Dads FTN just made my evening. Now for the heck of it, Ive seen the KS1000 and Richo XR-1 at a Flea Market Swap Shop stores. I have to admit, I bought an AE-1 Program with lens for $10, sent it for tune up for less than $100 and now I have a great camera.
A CLA'd AE-1 Program for a total investment under $110 is a darn good deal. Well done!
I have a Ricoh kr-5 super. It's built like a tank, super underrated system with just the right amount of features to take it seriously. Certainly a camera that will last me for a long time.
Dozens of Japanese cameras used that Copal shutter all through the 70s... Chinon, Yashica, and a host of Cosina-made brands come to mind. It was pretty much the go-to shutter once it was introduced. And for that matter, East German Praktica L-series cameras had a Copal 'inspired' metal shutter that has held up pretty well too, in my experience.
Thanks Brian, valuable info. great video!
Great video, awesome info for those of us wanting basic and reliable cameras to last us the rest of our lives. I just found a nikkormat ftn at the thrift store for the equivalent of 20 usd with a 50 f2 attached. I was honestly shocked by how good this camera is, I expected it to be great based on your praise but seriously it blew me away. The only reason they aren't more popular I suppose is that they're not exactly pretty, unlike the f series with its utilitarian beauty. This thing looks more 'agricultural' for lack of a better word. Anyway I shoot an om1n primarily but this nikkormat will be a great backup or option when the mood strikes. I love the weight of it 😍
Wow, that's a great deal on the Nikkormat. Nicely done; enjoy!
as David mentioned the Copal Square was also used on the Canon EF marketed in 1973. A wonderful mechanical construction with only one plastic wheel (for electrical contact support) and two nylon cable guides. the rest 760 gr of metal. for the exposure meter and the control of the times beyond the second it uses two 1.35V batteries that can be changed without problems with 1.5V batteries having the camera a voltage regulator already inside it
Metal shutter has a high pitch sound which is louder than cloth shutter, also copal has light leak when use in rangefinder camera such as Yasuhara T981
The shutter on my manky old Nikkormat is infallible. The thing is in awful condition, but the shutter is bulletproof. It will sometimes not fully arm the shutter, the self timer is stuck, light leaks, light meter gone, slow speeds stick, mirror has goop. All of that but the shutter works flawlessly.
Copal stopped making shutters about 7 years ago, but made a huge surplus and has been selling out of its warehouse every since. The end is reported to be near. While I prefer my F100 with all of its electronics, I have a minty FT3 I bought a few years ago plus the Nikkomat FT2 I bought new in Japan in 1976. (Needs a shutter CLA I was told about 35 years ago; we'll see.) One thing remains clear: They will all outlive me. To clarify, the FT2 uses a version of the Copal Square shutter, but the F3 and F100 do not. I do not know if Copal was a partner in development of these other shutters.)
I learned on a Nikkormat FTn - was my dad's that he bought new. Gave it to me when I graduated highschool (I'd been the only one shooting it for several years at that point - he'd moved onto a new Minolta with AF [oooh, ahhh] that I wasn't much allowed to touch haha) but it was stolen, along with all my Nikkor glass from my car in summer 1999. Years later I moved on and now have a Konica T3 that I love just for that sound, but I priced and bought a Nikkormat for my dad for his birthday about year ago and you're right - they are going UP in price. The one I got was a bit a loose all around - the aperture coupling felt really tired and would stick occasionally - the lens a bit loose as well..... but the one thing on that camera that wasn't tired was the Copal. Bang-on from top to bottom.
These un-sexy all mechanical clunkers are going to be the ones which survive well into the future. The smart money is buying them up now.
The Yashica FX series- also mechanical and use the Copal square shutter
I did not know that, thanks!
I believe that the main goodness of Copal shutters was not their durability but the possibility of shorter flash synchronization times In a double curtain system . Leica and many other brands used horizontal fabric shades and many of them are still working after almost 80 years and many Copal shutters broke when shortening their shade times. (for example Nikon first used titanium blades with their FM as a symbol of durability but later changed them to aluminum as they could decrease their mass and therefore break less.
The Canon EF also had a Copal Sq shutter
Canon EF also
Great video. RS.
I have three cameras with the Copal Square Shutter. A Nikon FE, a Yashica fxd quartz and a Nikkormat ft2.
I also have a Practica L which has a vertical metal shutter, it has no battery or meter, I have no idea who made the shutter. Still works perfectly.
Apparently the Praktica shutter was developed contemporaneous with the Copal but was not a stolen or reverse-engineered design.
Just got a Konica T3 , best sounding shutter!! I have a Nikon FM2n as well, I don't know why but it just doesn't sit well in my hands. You forgot one other camera that uses the Copal is the underrated and forgotten Minolta Xe-7/ Xe-5 . The shutter was a collab between Leitz/Copal. very very smooth shutter.
I did not know that about the XE-series Minoltas. Thanks for the info!
@@BriansPhotoShow yup, Leica R3 is basically a XE-7, XE-1...or vice versa depending on how fragile your ego is 🤣🤣 thr XE-5 is a slightly watered down version, but with all the great bits left.
Hello, thanks for the video i am interested in shutters too. What do you think Copal Square vs its CCS-M version, as for precision and durability.
I am not intimately familiar with the variations of Copal's designs.
Author did not mention that Topcon D-1 also used the Copal Square shutter. Sold in US under the Beseler brand name.
I am a camera repairman. The problem I have is to find a complete shutter unit for a FM2. The honeycomb model I have a received a finger just in the middle and the blades are dead. Neither Nikon nor copal can supply replacement. Do you know where to find replacement copal shutter noadays ?
I wish I could help, but I have no idea. There are several vintage camera repair groups on Facebook. Perhaps someone there knows.
Are you familiar with the XR 10? It's an electronic shutter but wondering where it lands in relation to this XR1
I'm not familiar with that model and there doesn't seem to be much information online about it
Chinon CS M42 is a camera with a Copal Square Shutter, built like a Tank and sells for peanuts. It has synchro at 1/125 sec and is the best value for money camera one can buy. Fully Mechanical, Full Metal and M42. For a student is the best choice. The other one is a Praktica BX20. Electronic full manual and reliable with cheap batteries and Praktica B lenses are dirty cheap and good glass. The other is Konica. Cheap, reliable. Always wanted to get into this mount and never got.. unfortunately. Cosina K mount cameras are plastic but bulletproof cameras with very reliable shutters adopted by Voigtlander. It is a cheap way to enter K mount. In general Film SLRs and lenses were dirty cheap 10-15 years ago. Today they are not. People return to film and use them in digital SLR. The really good glass never was cheap.. except maybe Konica and Minolta MD gems.
Primary?? My butt...missed the Canon EF using Copal shutter
Nikkormats going up in price at the time you posted this video is for a reason..they were well built solid cameras meant to last..not to break in order to promote additional camera purchases to replace a broken camera. Now of course they have come back down significantly in price for good examples. Even the 'higher grade' Nikon film cameras have come down a bit in prices lately.
Yes, and I think we'll see prices trend downward for a while yet.