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It was 1972,the Spring of the year, and I was ready to buy my first good 35mm camera. I had been using a Nikkorex F, but it did nott have an internal meter and while Nikkor lenses were excellent,on the whole Nikon products were about 25-30% more in those days. However, I did not buy my first Canon SLR because of that. Rather the reasons were somewhat more subjective. I had been raised to believe that everything good was German, Leica cameras, Zeiss binoculars, even the lowly Volkswagen Beetle. However, in the camera world in 1972, the mantle had passed from German to Japanese. So I set out to buy something equivalent and I settled on a Canon FT. Before I could buy a Canon FT, however, I read about the Canon F1 in Modern Photography, and so I went back to that same store, where I learned that the Canon FT was transformed into the Canon FTb. I bought one, complete with a 50mm f1.8 normal lens, and that purchase began my life long preference for Canon cameras. The Canon F1 was Canons direct challenge to the Nikon F, the reigning professional SLR of the time. Introduced with the F1 was the Canon FD lens line, which, unlike the earlier FL lenses, were configured for open aperture metering and auto exposure operation. The F1 was a modular camera which could be fitted with any number of accessories suited for the photographic task. However, Canon knew that most photographers would not want or need all those features. So, the FT was adapted to take Canon FD lenses, resulting in the FTb,which became the crown prince of the line relative to the F-1, the king. Like the F1, it had a semi spot meter which measured only 15% of the frame. Thus there was a dark rectangle around the micro prism focusing aid in the center of the screen. That was the metering area, and the only metering area in the viewfinder. Other features were a B,1-1000sec shutter: depth of field lever and mirror lockup. Unlike the F-1,the FTb would not take a motor drive or winder nor interchangeable prisms or focusing screens. Finally, Canon included the Quick load feature that helped fumble fingered amateurs load 35mm film without a lot of fuss. Power to the meter was supplied by a single PX-13/625 mercury button cell. So that was my first good 35mm camera and I still have it to this day. It needs a good CLA, but it will still take pictures. I got used to the meter and from then on I would get 36 pictures out of a 36 shot roll of film. By todays standards it large and heavy, but a lot of cameras from the brass and glass era would feel chunky. However, great pictures can still be made with cameras such as the Canon FTb. All you have to do is learn what it does, and then take pictures with one of the best crown princes of the SLR era.Read full review
Phenomenal camera, built like a tank. Great meter and selection of lenses. I've had the 50mm 1.8 and 55mm 1.2 both were stellar. The 35mm 2.5 was a big disappointment though. The only real con of the camera is that it is heavy, weighs over 3lbs with the 55 1.2. Everything else is spot on, even better than the AE1. The FT is also great, only difference I see between them is how you select the meter. The FTb has a switch to turn it on/off/check. The FT has a quick lever. Both work well. I use 1.3 alkalines, have seen zero issues with exposures.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
For those lucky souls still shooting film, this is a fantastic camera. Except for the light meter, everything on it is mechanical and the meter uses so little power that the battery lasts forever. The camera is solid and bulletproof. Well made and kept clean and cared for, will probably last forever. No power anything - no bells and whistles - just really good basics. Combine that with ease of use and, with a good lens, it take phenomenal pix. A really good all around 35mm film camera.
I owned a couple of cameras before I bought an FTb, but it wasn't until I began to use my "new" FTb that I really began to learn the craft of photography. All too soon thereafter, my modern, automatic-everything cameras lay forgotten, accumulating little more than dust. Why was this? you may be wondering. Well, back in the day, I shot almost exclusively slides. Even now I still prefer slides over any other sort of photo emulsion. But one of the characteristics of slides is a very narrow exposure latitude. With the A-series Canons I was using before, their centerweighted metering patterns were not very well suited for slide photography because they would take in too many stray light sources, which would negatively affect the images -- often causing severe underexposure. But the FTb meters only the central 12% of the screen -- indicated by a rectangle visible when looking through the viewfinder. Metering occurs only within that rectangle. So for unusually lit scenes, I could maneuver the camera around so that the rectangle was, in effect, averaging the light from the sources I wanted to pay attention to. Set the camera to that exposure value, and *bing!* Nailed it. The FTb's meter was also very accurate, which helped a lot. I got to where I was so comfortable with this metering practice that I never felt the need for a spot meter for unusually lit scenes. The fact that the camera is all mechanical and the battery powers the meter only is always a big plus. I've been in situations then and now where my camera's battery has died, just leaving me in the lurch. Not a problem with the FTb. Besides there are charts that you can get a hold of that explain exposure situations to such a level of precision that if the FTb's battery should fail, you could use one of those charts and wouldn't really need any sort of meter at all. Speaking of the battery, since the 1.35v mercury battery is no longer available, one can buy the Wein battery for about $6 to $7, or one can buy 675 hearing aid batteries. They are a little smaller, but they are zinc-air just like the Wein and deliver the same voltage. They don't last as long as the old mercury battery, but the good thing about the 675s is they are cheap. I buy them in a 30-pack at Costco for $10. Yup, 30 cents apiece. One of the big reasons why I bought my FTb was because it had mirror lock up. I do a lot of high-magnification photography, whether it be long telephoto work or macro lenses with bellows. Either way, the smallest vibration can degrade an image. Being able to lock the mirror up so that only the shutter moves for the exposure is a very valuable tool, and one that I've always preferred to have on my mechanical cameras. Two areas where the FTb falls a bit short is 1) no interchangeable focusing screens, and 2) no motor drive option. Back when the FTb was introduced in 1971, it was introduced more-or-less simultaneously with its big brother, the F-1. The F-1 has interchangeable everything, darn near, plus a few different motor options, so Canon felt at the time that the FTb would serve the amateur market just fine and that if somebody wanted more, they could always move up to the F-1. It makes sense, really. But you know? To be honest, I've always been happy with my FTb just as it is. I have an F-1 also, and maybe that's some of it. :) So if you're looking for a solid FD-mount workhorse, the FTb is just about the best there is.Read full review
This is my favorite type of 35mm film camera as it has the ability to change lenses quite quickly. T The QL means "quick loading." I would add "fumble free" to the QL as there is no need to touch the film once it is inserted under the clasp. Click the shutter a couple of times to advance the film and you are ready to shoot. I personally like the ability to "manually" set the focus and shutter speed. This always the photographer to ignore foreground objects and variations in lighting. Useful when the subject is back-lit. This particular camera came with several interchangeable lenses and filters that I didn't have already. Purchased separately, this particular camera package could have cost several hundred dollars more.
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