Mechanical! and if any other camera become dirty in the wievfinder you must send it to a workshop for cleaningn (Yes try to use a camera in the fine brown dust in Lebanon and you will seen what i mean, my A-1 must go to an expensive cleaning after mi UN service.My F-1 i cleaned ny self And at last:The FD lenses(with chromium ring) they is the best you can get!!!

The somewhat clumsy battery control (forget it , instead replace the battery every year (Yes, the battery last for a year or two or..)

In tte early 1980 i begin photographing whith a 35mm SLR. i begin whith the canon A1,because this was a camera whitc was affordable there, but after few months i tired of the electronic and buy the CAMERA! I use the F-1 for abt 10 years, and it has been my best friend for theese years.i want still to use the F1, but in 1988 i buy a second hand FTb for general Photographying.The best camera it,s of course the F-1, now im is afraid of this masterpiece, and only use my trusty FTb. when i get a second F-1, i will use it for rest of my life

Customer Service

None, None!!a F-1 it,s your thrusty old friend.The F-1 will last longer than i (I am 43 year old)

Similar Products Used:

Canon FTb Canon A1 CanonTLb

All of it, I love it, its photographic perfection.

With my type of photography I never had any problems and never found something that I did not like with the product. (I know it seems a bit biased, but its true, NOTHING I have ever used on the market comes even close to this, neither in the past, nor today).

I have never, repeat NEVER had any problems with this camera, and I have abused it hideously in all sorts of ways. When I have been freelancing I have had things falling on it (20 Kilos from 2 meters height), I have travelled with it in deserts and jungles, I have dropped it numerous times on all types of surfaces. I even had to use it as a weapon in some fights I had... and it still works like a clock... what a marvel this piece of work is... it never let me down I am soooo impressed and would never go for anything else.

Customer Service

No experience in this area.

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Lots of manual cameras of different brands.

Super tough build quality...solid assurance!

a bit primitive by today's standards

I have both the original F1 and the later second series (F1N/F1NAE)- my preference is the original type, regarding the build quality it is superb. My F1N is a bit scruffy now as a lot of the paint has come off. I never did understand why the makers put on the semi-matt paint that comes of with any use. I also like the original because the shutter is not reliant on battery power...

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Nikon F/F2/F3

Built like a tank compared to my A1 which it replaces.All metal constuction.

Not quite as automatic as the A1 , heavy.Hard to get spare parts!

Just purchased a good example of Canon F1 with AE Finder. Camera is in excellent condition. Always wanted one of these.Just needs a clean.

Customer Service

None from Canon

Similar Products Used:

Canon A1, Canon EF

Interchangeable prisms, many accesories, cheap for what it is, quiet, rugged, and works without its batteries in.

Need motor drive for shutter priority, prism for aperture priority, and its still kinda heavy compared to today's plastic marvels.

This was my regular shooter until I got a T-90, and it still comes out for certain situations. Overall its a very nice camera with the AE prism. Easily available for $300, for a camera that cost over $1000 originally, a pretty good deal.

Customer Service

Had to have it repaired and cleaned recently, used KEH since its not really supported by Canon.

Similar Products Used:

T-90, AE-1, AE-1P

Built Quality

No TTL

Dear Reader I am avid photo buff that owns Canon, Hasselblad, Leica, and Nikon systems. In my opinion, The Canon F1 (New) is the best built 35mm SLR ever made. It and the Nikon F2 represent the zenith in 35mm SLR's. The meter and control lay-out on the Canon F1 (New) are excellent. However, this product does lack both TTL and mirror lock-up, which are both offered on the excellent Nikon F3hp. Nikon did a great job with the F3hp, but made an error in the shutter design. The Nikon F3hp only works at one speed (80th second)if the battery fails. This speed is almost useless for most serious users. The MD4 may cure the problem, but it makes the F3hp a moster to carry. I for one, do not need a motor to take still life photos. As a product, the Canon F1 (New) is and will always have a place in photo history. It is a true masterpiece. Thank You Russell Ruggiero

Customer Service

Good

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Own Nikon F2, FT3, and 4004s

(original model) Enormously tough, superb viewfinder, marvelous 'fit and feel'.

(later model) Just doesn't feel that nice!

There are two cameras bearing the Canon F1 name: the original, superb mechanical model and the later electronic shuttered machine. I have used both and they are very different. The original camera was intended to go head to head with the Nikon F/F2 series and succeeded admirably. It is a solid, reliable camera with a marvelous viewfinder (use it with the grid screen to get the full benefit) and a simple reliable metering system. The shutter operates with a subtle 'thud' which doesn't attract attention - very useful for street photography. Everything about it breathes quality and it is more than a match for the Nikon competition with the advantage that the metering system works with all viewfinders. The motorwind is also relatively quiet and unobtrusive (inasmuch as such things ever are). The later model, unfortunately, is a cheapened, coarsened product in several ways. The black chrome finish feels nasty, the electronic shutter has a noticeably tinny sound that immediately attracts attention and the whole camera looks ill thought out, especially by comparison with its predecessor. Both cameras benefit from the huge range of excellent Canon FD and FL mount lenses which rival Nikon in both range and quality.

Customer Service

Never used it

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Nikon F, F4

This camera is exceptionally well built. It's over 30 years old, has had hundreds of rolls of film run through it, been subjected to backpacking trips, rain, snow, extreme cold, desert heat and it just keeps going and going.

Lack of hotshoe for flash.

I've bought this camera used about 5 years ago...I intended it to be a backup to my A-1, instead I quickly fell in love with it and made it my camera of choice. Yes it's heavy, no it doesn't have any automation, electronics or power anything. If I wanted that stuff, I would have bought a EOS system. What this camera does offer is rock solid dependability, awesome pictures, total control over pictures, reasonably priced (used) lenses and accessories, minimal battery usage (important when shooting outdoors in subzero weather)....by the way, did I mention that it takes awesome pictures?

Customer Service

This camera's 30 years old...I don't expect any customer service and haven't needed any yet.

Similar Products Used:

Canon AE-1, Canon A-1, Canon T-90, Nikon F3, Nikon F, Nikon FM2, Olympus OM2, Minolta SRT, 4x5 Field Camera, Pentax RB67,

Solid Reliable Tough

Heavy

I owned and used two F-1 (mechanical bodies) for 20 years before making the jump to these new-fangled cameras we got now-a-days. I carried these two bodies and a half dozen lenses with me to dozens of countries and they consistently performed on-demand and as-needed without a hitch. The only problem I ever had with either body was that one of the flash synch sockets fouled out. I never got it fixed since flash photography was never my strong suit, and I had one body that was uncompromised. These cameras were reliable in the extreme. I never babied them either. They were banged and scratched from 20 years of travel and field use. They still performed wonderfully. I hemmed and hawed about making the switch. The event that made me do it, was I (for the first time in my life) dropped my camera. It fell onto a conrete floor. It barely survived and functioned marginally after that since it landed on the upper left side of the body and damaged the meter switch, the rewind crank, and the door mechanism. Sad day. I do not miss the weight of these tanks. But I do miss their simplicity and reliability.

Customer Service

never used in 20 years

Similar Products Used:

Canon FTb, TLb, AE-1, Elan IIe, Elan 7e

* Modular design lets you build just the camera you want. * Availability of both aperture-priority and shutter-priority automation. * Various metering patterns available.

* No mirror lockup -- absolutely inexcusable in a "professional" model camera. * Top shutter speed is limited to 1/1000 second in aperture-priority Auto mode. what''s that all about? The Nikon F3 has no such limitation, as well as more accurate shutter timing. * The finder is very poorly sealed against dust -- I was constantly having to remove it and clean it out. You can actually see light if you look through the finder from the side, indicating the absence of any seal. * Requires accessories to perform many basic functions, such as exposure automation. Yes, you can use aperture priority without the AE finder FN, but you get no exposure information. Shutter priority requires a motor drive. *Changing the metering pattern requires replacing the focusing screen. *Fairly noisy and prone to vibration. *Needlessly complex design.

I bought a New F-1 new in 1981 or 1982, and was impressed by its specifications. But its performance didn''t really measure up to its promise. The entire shutter assembly needed replacement after less than 100 rolls of film. It just froze up one day for no apparent reason, and I babied that camera -- didn''t treat it roughly at all. Its flash system was fried by a "non-Canon" flash that worked perfectly on all my other Canons. The New F-1 is needlessly complex, particularly its electromechanical shutter design. If you look at the original review of the camera in Modern or Popular Photography (I forget which), you can see a wildly inaccurate shutter, especially at the higher speeds. (This is also true of the Pentax LX, which uses a similar electromechanical shutter.) By comparison, the New F-1''s direct competition, the Nikon F3, has an incredibly accurate shutter -- and its operation is smooth as silk, something I cannot say for the Canon.

Customer Service

Expensive and slow.

Similar Products Used:

Canon Ftb Canon A-1 Canon F-1 Nikon F3 Nikon F4 Nikon FM2 Nikon FE2