I just bought an original model F1 and a 55mm f1.2 FL lens (for which I think I overpaid, but that's another story). Changing the aperture on the lens does not move the aperture ring in the viewfinder. Is this a quirk of using the older FL lens? My FD lenses seem to work fine.

Thanks for any info, Bart

-- Bart Sharp (bmsharp@home.com), January 03, 2002

Answers

You have to use the lens in stop down mode. That means you'll have to lock push the stop down lever in and lock it. Then turn the aparture ring until the meter needle is over the index mark in the viewfinder.

A bit unconvinient since the viewfinder turns dark. If I remember correctly there is a ring on the lens that makes the aparure open all the way up. Then you can focus and just turn the ring to meter the scene. You can also push the stop down lever only when you use the meter and turn the aparture ring with your other hand. It depends what you prefer. But in ether way the meter is correct only when the needle in on the mark.

Ketil

-- Ketil Johansen (ketiljo@stud.ntnu.no), January 03, 2002.

Bart,

I'm a long time F1 user with lots of FL lens experience. Cradle the camera and lens in your left hand. Use thumb and forefinger to move the focus and aperture rings. Use your middle finger to operate the cameras stopdown lever. With the lens stopped down, rotate the aperture ring until the meter needle aligns with the blue index on the meter display. Fast and easy once you get accustomed or if you grew up on the old Canon FT like I did. The FL lenses do not have the aperture keying lever of the later FD lenses. Optically, the FL and FD 55/1.2 are the same.

Bill

Bill

-- Bill Salati (wsalati@hotmail.com), January 05, 2002.

Bart,

I've had this lens for quite some time, and it is easy to use in stop-down mode with my F-1N. However, the older F-1 probably has a stop-down lever like my FT-QL, or some other method of easily doing stop-down photography. This actually is quite a nice feature, since you see the depth-of-field in the stopped-down mode. With other cameras, you can only estimate it.

One other nice, really nice feature with this lens, and the one that I use it for a lot, is that it serves as one of the best loops you've ever seen. Since it is always full-open when off the camera, simply take the caps off both ends, and look at a slide on a light table, looking through the lens from the front--wonderful magnification and definit

-- John Ratliff (cratliff@easystreet.com), February 17, 2002.