I haven’t shot film for years and just picked up one of these on eBay, and got in my hands today. Thanks for the shutter trigger tip as regards storage, and all of this information, really helpful. There’s a lot of hipster ‘reviews’ that actually barely talk about the camera itself, so just a straight up informative introduction to this beauty is really appreciated mate!
FTb was my first SLR. Bought mine second hand in 1978 and lost it 2 years later. I totally loved it and when I found one at a flea market a couple of years ago, I couldnt resist to buy it. Still as good as I remembered.
Thank you for this video! I recently discovered my mom's old canon ftb which she purchased in the mid 70s. Video helped me to get to know all the features of the camera =)
One omission in this great tutorial is the mirror lock up, it's activated by pushing the stop down metering and pushing the lever to M position, this will lock the mirror up for shake free still life or close up work.
I am a lifelong Nikon fan, but I am a photographer first and love Canon glass and especially the breechlock lensea. I bought a Canon 50/1.4 SSC lens and needed a body to go with it, so I bought an FTB QL. I still have both, along with a 2nd body and an original Canon F1. A highly underrated camera, IMO, with an underrated lens selection! Another great review, David! Thank you!
Heading on to video 2 but first let me thank you for this great video. I was given one and wanted to get up to speed with this cutie before trying any shooting. Thanks!
Canon FTb did not come with an FL Lens (which is what you have on yours), but with FD breechlock lens! "b' meant open aperture metering, FL lenses only had stop down metering! I bought my FTb in November of 1971 with an FD F1.8 50mm lens.
If you can get one in good, working condition, the FTb will yield excellent results! I like b/w film which has more exposure latitude then say, slide film. But, with care my slides turn out great too!
The Canon FTb N QL was my first SLR camera & the reason for my passion for photography & cameras. Mine was originally owned by my aunt & then my parents before it was passed down to me. It is a wonderful camera & a great piece of kit for learning about photography. In regards to the QL (Quick Load) mechanism, many sources indicate that the Canon dropped the QL feature as it was not compatible with motor drives. Any Canon camera from that time that had a motor drive option did not have the QL feature. Seems plausible.
Thank you! That makes a lot of sense. I can see how those would be incompatible as the QL take-up spool has a much different design, and I imagine would struggle to survive the torque from a motor drive.
Great video, David! I have the Canon FTb N. A joy to shoot with! I also own the AE-1. Question, between the two, which do you prefer shooting with? Do you notice any difference in the end result, your photos? Or perhaps in performance while shooting?
Thank you! In general, I prefer manual cameras versus shutter-priority cameras, like the AE-1 is. In terms of image performance, the camera does not make a difference beyond how light-proof it is, how flat it keeps the film, and how accurate the mechanical components are. The lens, the subject, but most importantly your own creative vision will determine how good the photos are. Use the camera you enjoy the most and photograph things you're passionate about and your images will be good.
@@DavidHancock I agree completely. And thanks for your comments. The AE-1 was my first film SLR that my wife gave to me several years ago for my birthday. But in addition to it’s sentimental value, I love the aesthetics of this camera. Beautiful! I really like my FTb for its nuts and bolts pure mechanical functionality. I get great results from both cameras, both fun to shoot with! Right now, I have Kodak Portra 400 loaded in my Nikon F (Ftn photomic prism) and Ilford HP5 Plus loaded in my Minolta SRT-303.
Thank you for the very informative videos on this Camera. Beginner photographer here! Are there other lenses that compatible with this camera besides the one it originally came with?
It would have been the Nikon F, as a key example. Removable film door for 250-shot rolls, swappable prisms and focus screens, and some other expandable items.
Hi im thinking about getting one of these but it doesnt have a lens just a body. How do I know which size of lense to get? Whats compatible with this camera?
Great video! I have a concern about my ftb not triggering my canon new fd lens, is there a way i can fix this or i should just shoot wide the whole time?
Hmm. It should. IF you take the FDn (I assume it's an FDn) lens off the camera, it should stop down to f/5.6-ish. If it does, then the aperture works. I think that the FD lenses were backwards-compatible with FL-mount bodies (if I'm wrong, someone will correct me) and in that case you'd just be shooting in full manual. To check compatibility, try taking a very long photo, like a second or bulb mode, and set the aperture to f/16. Look at the lens and it should stop down during the exposure.
@@DavidHancock thanks for the tip, i tried it and it didnt shrink. I opened the back and looked, through bulb mode, at the aperture sistem and it wasnt touching the lens trigger. The fix was to bend the lever on the side straight. Thankfully its working now.
Great video! My Canon FTb N QL is jammed, It won't take photo, when I press the shutter button nothing happens, also the film advance lever can't make it to the end (about 20%). Everything look clean and in it's place even the plastic cover of frame counter and the shutter lock button is on A. Any help please?
Thank you. My first idea would be to make sure that there's no film in it. If there is, simply rewind it and see if the problem resolves (this would be most true if the film is at the end of the roll.) If there is no film, I'd run that question past the Fix Old Cameras channel.
@@MehdiBenchaabane Then I'd run that past the Fix Old Cameras channel. Sounds like a mechanical issue. Might be easy to fix, might not. I'm not sure what's causing it.
Ebay is the easiest place to sell it. Look at how other ebay sellers lost similar cameras, take good photos of it, and describe the functionally accurately.
Thank god for this video, I just bought my first camera, and it's one of these. I can't even explain how helpful this video is. Thank you!
Thank you!
I haven’t shot film for years and just picked up one of these on eBay, and got in my hands today. Thanks for the shutter trigger tip as regards storage, and all of this information, really helpful. There’s a lot of hipster ‘reviews’ that actually barely talk about the camera itself, so just a straight up informative introduction to this beauty is really appreciated mate!
Thank you and very nice! This will be a great camera to get back to film with.
FTb was my first SLR. Bought mine second hand in 1978 and lost it 2 years later. I totally loved it and when I found one at a flea market a couple of years ago, I couldnt resist to buy it. Still as good as I remembered.
They were great cameras, definitely one of the best of their day.
Thank you for this video! I recently discovered my mom's old canon ftb which she purchased in the mid 70s. Video helped me to get to know all the features of the camera =)
Thank you!
The Canon FTb is severely underrated compared to the Canon AE-1.
Caldera way better camera than the AE1
Definitely yes.
I absolutely agree.
Nice to see the face behind the voice! Cute pup.
One omission in this great tutorial is the mirror lock up, it's activated by pushing the stop down metering and pushing the lever to M position, this will lock the mirror up for shake free still life or close up work.
That is a good catch and thank you!
I am a lifelong Nikon fan, but I am a photographer first and love Canon glass and especially the breechlock lensea. I bought a Canon 50/1.4 SSC lens and needed a body to go with it, so I bought an FTB QL. I still have both, along with a 2nd body and an original Canon F1. A highly underrated camera, IMO, with an underrated lens selection!
Another great review, David! Thank you!
Thank you! These do remain really good and reliable cameras, in general.
Watched a few videos on this camera and just bought it! Glad I found your video - super super helpful. Will be watching Part 2 now!
Thank you!
Great tips on how to keep my FTb safe, thank you David...!
Thank you!
this was so informative! thank you
Thank you!
Heading on to video 2 but first let me thank you for this great video. I was given one and wanted to get up to speed with this cutie before trying any shooting. Thanks!
Thank you!
I just purchased one of these and found this video to be very helpful thank you!
Thank you!
Canon FTb did not come with an FL Lens (which is what you have on yours), but with FD breechlock lens! "b' meant open aperture metering, FL lenses only had stop down metering! I bought my FTb in November of 1971 with an FD F1.8 50mm lens.
Thank you!
If you can get one in good, working condition, the FTb will yield excellent results! I like b/w film which has more exposure latitude then say, slide film.
But, with care my slides turn out great too!
Definitely yes!
The Canon FTb N QL was my first SLR camera & the reason for my passion for photography & cameras. Mine was originally owned by my aunt & then my parents before it was passed down to me. It is a wonderful camera & a great piece of kit for learning about photography.
In regards to the QL (Quick Load) mechanism, many sources indicate that the Canon dropped the QL feature as it was not compatible with motor drives. Any Canon camera from that time that had a motor drive option did not have the QL feature. Seems plausible.
Thank you! That makes a lot of sense. I can see how those would be incompatible as the QL take-up spool has a much different design, and I imagine would struggle to survive the torque from a motor drive.
Great video, David! I have the Canon FTb N. A joy to shoot with! I also own the AE-1. Question, between the two, which do you prefer shooting with? Do you notice any difference in the end result, your photos? Or perhaps in performance while shooting?
Thank you! In general, I prefer manual cameras versus shutter-priority cameras, like the AE-1 is. In terms of image performance, the camera does not make a difference beyond how light-proof it is, how flat it keeps the film, and how accurate the mechanical components are. The lens, the subject, but most importantly your own creative vision will determine how good the photos are. Use the camera you enjoy the most and photograph things you're passionate about and your images will be good.
@@DavidHancock I agree completely. And thanks for your comments. The AE-1 was my first film SLR that my wife gave to me several years ago for my birthday. But in addition to it’s sentimental value, I love the aesthetics of this camera. Beautiful! I really like my FTb for its nuts and bolts pure mechanical functionality. I get great results from both cameras, both fun to shoot with! Right now, I have Kodak Portra 400 loaded in my Nikon F (Ftn photomic prism) and Ilford HP5 Plus loaded in my Minolta SRT-303.
The FTb N also has a cover over sync cord socket
Thank you! I always forget about that.
Thank you for the very informative videos on this Camera. Beginner photographer here! Are there other lenses that compatible with this camera besides the one it originally came with?
Thank you! And yes, you can use any Canon FL mount lens with this camera, and also the FD lenses, I believe.
@@DavidHancock Yes. FD lenses fit just fine.
If this was meant for "advanced amateurs," I'm curious, what extra features would a truly "professional" camera have in the early 70s?
It would have been the Nikon F, as a key example. Removable film door for 250-shot rolls, swappable prisms and focus screens, and some other expandable items.
Hi im thinking about getting one of these but it doesnt have a lens just a body. How do I know which size of lense to get? Whats compatible with this camera?
Video 2 covers lenses in more detail. I can't recall off the top of my head all of the compatibly nuances.
Very informative. Thanks! Also what is the film you’ve used in the video?
Thank you! As for the film in the video, I don't follow. I don't think I have sample photos. Are you asking what type of film this camera uses?
Yes, I’m asking the type of film the cam uses? Thanks 😊
@@maimunafathima7494 Got it. And any 35mm film will work. Ideally, something like a 200 ISO film is a good starting film.
I'm pretty sure you can swap lenses with film in
That's correct. Any time except during a photo exposure.
Great video! I have a concern about my ftb not triggering my canon new fd lens, is there a way i can fix this or i should just shoot wide the whole time?
Hmm. It should. IF you take the FDn (I assume it's an FDn) lens off the camera, it should stop down to f/5.6-ish. If it does, then the aperture works. I think that the FD lenses were backwards-compatible with FL-mount bodies (if I'm wrong, someone will correct me) and in that case you'd just be shooting in full manual. To check compatibility, try taking a very long photo, like a second or bulb mode, and set the aperture to f/16. Look at the lens and it should stop down during the exposure.
@@DavidHancock thanks for the tip, i tried it and it didnt shrink. I opened the back and looked, through bulb mode, at the aperture sistem and it wasnt touching the lens trigger. The fix was to bend the lever on the side straight. Thankfully its working now.
Great video! My Canon FTb N QL is jammed, It won't take photo, when I press the shutter button nothing happens, also the film advance lever can't make it to the end (about 20%). Everything look clean and in it's place even the plastic cover of frame counter and the shutter lock button is on A. Any help please?
Thank you. My first idea would be to make sure that there's no film in it. If there is, simply rewind it and see if the problem resolves (this would be most true if the film is at the end of the roll.) If there is no film, I'd run that question past the Fix Old Cameras channel.
@@DavidHancock there's no film in it
@@MehdiBenchaabane Then I'd run that past the Fix Old Cameras channel. Sounds like a mechanical issue. Might be easy to fix, might not. I'm not sure what's causing it.
@@DavidHancock thank you for your help
I have this camera which I want to sell with extra lances please tell me what to do?
Ebay is the easiest place to sell it. Look at how other ebay sellers lost similar cameras, take good photos of it, and describe the functionally accurately.