Today was the last day of the school year, England is also out of the World Cup, so I should have a little more time to update the blog…unfortunately, for the latter reason.

This camera came to me a few weeks ago when a friend got back in touch. He had decided to quit social media, so keeping in touch was a little trickier. He made the effort to drop by and brought this camera with him. A while ago, he noticed it wasn’t on the blog and offered to lend it to me. At the time, I was just about to go on a trip to Stratford, so I decided to take it with me.

This Canon was released in 1960 and is considered quite rare. Mike Eckman’s wonderful site says it was only produced for a short time, and only 8800 were made, making it the least common of all the Canonflex models. There are a few things that strike you when looking at the camera. The position of the film winder on the underside is unusual and, in fact, makes it awkward to use a tripod. Then there is the removable viewfinder, which always looks cool. Plus, on the lens, there are two aperture rings. Finally, for me, it is the switch around the shutter button…It took me ages to figure that one out. It actually makes it possible to choose between bulb and timed mode depending on its position. This is what the manual says.

The owner of the camera said he wasn’t keen on the viewfinder; he found it difficult to focus because it lacked a split screen or Fresnel. I had the same issue, and it was also mentioned in Mike Eckman’s piece. Other than that, they both seemed to really like this SLR. If I were you, I would read Mike’s post as it is much more technical and informative. It details how this camera was a rival to the Nikon F, the issue of compatible lenses, and the breach lock mount.

For this example’s test, I loaded a roll of Adox Colour Mission and shot half the roll around Charlecote House and the rest around Wentworth Castle Gardens, both National Trust sites.

I found the inner aperture ring a bit superfluous, so I taped it open at f/1.8. It is actually a kind of preview button replacement; having it wide open made focusing much easier. As for the winder, I got used to it, but found I had to move the camera away from my face/eye to advance the film, which slowed things down a little.

Another thing I noticed was the weight; it is a chunky monkey. It really needs a comfortable neck strap to carry around all day. The lack of a light meter wasn’t an issue as I used a phone app. There is a compatible meter that can be attached to the front, but I didn’t have one. Plus, if you click the link, you will see the one for this camera is a little ‘ugly’ in my opinion.

Here are some of my results.

I have to say, I really liked the film, it has a lovely warm tone without being ‘too much’. AND look at the sharpness! For a camera that is hard to focus, it really hits the spot well. The weight of the camera and the f/1.8 lens made capturing the interiors of the churches easier. The top speed of 1/2000 meant you could obtain a higher depth of field in bright sunshine, too.

I have to give the camera back to the owner very soon, and I am OK with that. I enjoyed using it and love the results, but not so much that I would choose it over any of the SLRs I already own. I already own one camera with a winder at the bottom, the Canonet. That one is not an SLR, but it is all the bottom winder I require.