The Cameras
Canon Made a lot of cameras! They are still doing it. To comprehend this output is not easy as there are so many models and variations on models. The best way to approach it is to break down
cameras into series and then into models and variations. This will take a long time and if you are reading this I am sure I am still not done. There will be gaps and omissions I am sure. But patience will be rewarded.
I will not be doing real reviews of cameras. There are others who do so much better than I could do. And there is just one of me! I just want to give you my comments on each, how they feel, where they fit, what they are like to shoot.
A Word about Camera Descriptions
I am trying to do a write up on each camera I acquire. However, it is not my intention to go into great descriptions of the technical details of the camera. Rather I want to tell you about its history, where it fits into the Canon lineup, and what it is like to shoot it if I have done so. There are many other sites that will give you all kinds of details but I want to give you a feelng for the camera and its place in its series. Also, I am trying to get you manuals for the cameras where you can revel in all of the technical stuff to your heart’s content.
As for the condition of individual pieces I have I am treating cosmetic/physical condition seperately from operability. So if I say it is “excellent” I mean that is how it appears physically. If I say nothing about whether it actually works then I probably have not tested it. But remember, all of these mechanical devices, which are very delicate in some respects, willl cease to function eventually. To do maintenance work on them to keep them operating is hard on them: screws get stripped, screw drivers damage screw heads, paint gets knocked off. I would rather have a perfect albeit non-functioning example than a marked example that works.
Canons first SLR was the Canonflex in 1959 and SLR’s have continued to be offered to the present. The date ranges of the various Series are as follows:
| R Series | Canonflex(1959) | thru | Canonflex RM(1962) | |
| Canonet Series | Canonet (1961) | thru | Canonet G-III 19 (1972) | |
| F Series | FX (1964) | thru | New F! (1981) | |
| EX Series | EE (1969) | thru | EX Auto (1972) | |
| A Series | AE-1 (1976) | thru | AL-1 (1982) | |
| T Series | T50 (1983) | thru | T60 (1990) | |
| EOS Series | EOS-1 (1989) | Present |
This AV-1 has its “JCII” sticker on the side of the prism housing.
A Note on those Gold “Passed” Stickers
We have all seen them on Japanese cameras and lenses. But what are they? Well, after the war Japanese products had a reputation for being shoddy and of poor quality. To some extent this was racially motived after a particularly difficult war and to some extent based on the truth. After the war materials were in short supply, factories were in ruins, and producing anything was difficult. So much of Japan’s output was not of the highest quality and understandably so.
To counter this perception about their cameras the government and the manufactures in 1954 created the Japan Camera Industry Institute who’s job it was to inspect Japanese cameras and lenses to ensure they were of sufficient quality or they could not be exported. Each piece of equipment had to receive the Institutes sticker before it was sent abroad. This continued as a
requirement until 1989. By that time, as Japanese cameras set the standard around the world for quality, it was seen to be an unnecessary requirement.
There are undoubtedly fake stickers out there. However, the real ones say “PASSED” and they have the initials “JCII” on them. Any stickers after 1989 are not official and have been used as a marketing strategy or just for the sake of nostalgia. For a more complete discussion of these stickers go to this page.
A Note about Photographs
Most of the pictures in this discussion of my Collection are of cameras, lenses and accessories in the Collection that I have taken myself. Some images are not the best and for that I apologize. Where I have used outside material I have attempted to give proper credit.
Most of the copies of Manuals and Instruction books are scanned from actual booklets in my possession. I have used some manuals found online. I have tried to clean all manuals up so that they read well and look like the originals. I have no rights to the Canon and other trade marks that may be visible and make no claim to them. The photos and scans are placed here for your personal enjoyment and no commercial use may be made of anything you find on this website.
This website is the work of R. Flynn Marr who is solely responsible for its contents which are subject to his claim of copyright. User Manuals, Brochures and Advertising Materials of Canon and other manufacturers available on this site are subject to the copyright claims and are the property of Canon and other manufacturers and they are offered here for personal use only.