The Canon F-1 is a professional 35 mm single-lens reflex camera manufactured by Canon of Japan, unveiled in September 1970 at Photokina and commercially released in March 1971, designed to compete with the Nikon F and F2.
Featuring a titanium foil shutter, FD mount, and modular system, it became a benchmark for professional photographers and was Canon's first professional SLR. It was sold from March 1971 until the end of 1981, at which point it had been superseded by the New F-1 launched earlier that year. The Canon FD lens mount was introduced along with the F-1, but the previous Canon FL-mount lenses and older R- series lenses were also compatible with the camera with some limitations. The Canon F-1 was marketed as a competitor to the Nikon F and Nikon F2 single lens reflex cameras by Nikon.
The F-1 was Canon's first successful professional-grade SLR system, supporting a huge variety of accessories and interchangeable parts so it could be adapted for different uses and preferences. Their earlier professional Canonflex of 1959 had failed due to a premature introduction—before professional accessories were ready.
In 1972 Canon launched a Highspeed model with a fixed pellicle mirror that allowed the user to see the subject at all times. Equipped with a motor drive, the camera was able to shoot up to nine frames per second—the highest speed of any motor driven camera at the time.
Lenses
The Canon F-1 uses the Canon FD lens mount, which was introduced alongside the camera. Between 1970 and 1979, a total of 68 different FD mount lens models were produced, ranging from 7.5mm to 800mm in focal length.
Most earlier FL and R series lenses are compatible with the F-1, though they must be used in stop-down metering mode. One exception is the FLP 38 mm F2.8, which was designed for the Canon Pellix. This lens' rear element extends further into the camera body than other FL-mount lenses, and would obstruct the moving mirror of the Canon F-1.
Canon introduced a number of innovations in the FD lens line, including the first use of an aspherical lens element in a 35mm camera system with the release of the FD 55mm f/1.2 AL in (launched alongside the F-1 in March 1971). Canon's super telephoto FD lenses were also the first to use white-colored housings, which were designed to keep the thermally sensitive fluorite lens elements from expanding or cracking. Canon continues to use white housings for its L-series lenses today, though the modern versions are made with ultra-low dispersion (UD) glass rather than fluorite.
Accessories The Canon F-1 has one of the largest set of accessories of any 35mm SLR ever produced. The viewfinder is removable (interchangeable with four other viewfinders); The focusing screen can be changed out with 4 (later 9) types; the mirror can be locked up to allow deep seated lenses or for high magnification work, the back is interchangeable with a data and bulk film back (250 exposures), The bottom plate is removable and there are 4 Motor Drives and / or Power Winders that can be used (one was a special order 9 frames per second high speed motor drive); three different flash couplers allowed a wide variety of flashes; the eyepiece can take threaded diopter adjustment lenses, magnifiers or angle finders; and the lens collection numbers over 50 FD (and a few special purpose) lenses from 7.5 mm fisheye to 1200 mm super telephoto, and includes the world's fastest 300 mm at the time (the 300 mm F2.8L) and the world's fastest 400 mm lens (the New FD 400 mm F2.8L) both of which incorporate special fluorite and ultra low dispersion glass elements for superb optical quality at the widest lens opening.
Viewfinders
Like most professional 35 mm cameras of the 1970s, the F-1 had interchangeable viewfinders. To remove the viewfinder, one depressed the two small buttons at the rear sides of the finder, and slid the finder toward the back of the camera (or depress one button on the bottom of the Speed Finder).
The camera shipped with a standard pentaprism finder, called an "eye-level finder" by Canon.
Other finders available included a waist-level finder, Speed Finder, Booster T finder, and Servo EE finder.
The waist-level finder was patterned after the design of waist-level finders common to medium format SLR and TLR cameras. It had a pop-up hood to shield the focusing screen from stray light, as well as a magnifier to help with critical focusing. The waist-level finder did not allow the metering information to be seen.
The Speed Finder had a rotation feature. This had an arrangement of prisms such that it could be swivelled between eye-level and waist-level positions. It also allowed the entire finder image to be viewed from 60 millimeters away and was suggested for use when wearing goggles or anything else that could prevent the user from placing the eyepiece right up to their eye. It allowed full metering.
The Booster T Finder and Servo EE Finder were both essentially variations on the standard eye-level finder. The Booster T Finder contained two sensitive metering cells, powered by a single 6 V #544 (4SR44) silver-oxide button cell battery. It has a metering range from EV –3.5 to +10 with a film speed range of ASA 25–12800. When outside the metering range of the Booster T, the in-body meter is used instead. Just like the metering range was shifted towards the dark side, this finder also shifts the shutter speeds the camera provided towards the long end. Instead of the normal range of shutter speeds (1 – s), the Booster T Finder provided stepped shutter speeds of 60 – s. It completely covers the shutter speed selector and shutter release on the body. The finder also had a shutter release button, which went through the finder down to the normal release. The shutter speed dial on the finder locked on to the camera's normal shutter dial and drove it through a coupling pin for the standard range of 1 – s. When the Booster's shutter speed dial was turned further, towards longer times, the camera's dial stopped at the B(ulb) setting, and the finder kept the shutter release on the body pressed for the duration of the exposure. The mechanics of this connection also resulted in the oddity that there was no 2 s setting, but 4, 3 and 1 seconds.
The Servo EE Finder added shutter priority automatic exposure to the F-1. Like the Booster T, the Servo EE contains two CdS metering cells; its metering range is from EV +2.5 to +18. A servo mechanism in the finder drove the aperture lever on the lens via the "EE Coupler" arm, stopping the lens down to the correct value. This finder used the same coupling pin on the shutter speed dial as the Booster T Finder did, to sync the finder's shutter speed setting with the camera. It required a cord connected battery magazine (8 AAs) or the Motor Drive MF and a special power cord.
Motor drives The originally available Motor Drive was named the "Motor Drive Unit", which attached to the bottom of the camera with a long, cylindrical extension which housed the winding motor and gearbox. It was commonly referred to as the Motor Drive MD – because all of the accessories had MD in their suffix, but that was not the official designation. The Motor Drive Unit originally required a corded Battery Case which either used the Battery Magazine 15V battery pack (which took 10 AA batteries) or the NiCd 500 FZ and plugged into the bottom of the cylindrical extension, making it unwieldy for field or sports action use. The same Battery Case could be used with the Battery Magazine 12V (8 AAs) for the Servo EE or Booster T Finders. An alternative battery pack ("Battery Case D") was released by 1973 which directly connected to a bracket around the tripod socket of the unit. The Motor Drive Unit also contained a built-in intervalometer for delays up to 1 frame per minute. The maximum speed was 3 frames per second.
In 1972 Canon made a special modification of the F-1 called the "High Speed Motor Drive Camera". The moving mirror was replaced by a fixed pellicle (semi transparent) mirror and the motor drive was permanently attached; the camera's wind lever was removed, making it impossible to use without the motor drive. It used a corded battery case which took 20 AA batteries The slowest shutter speed was limited to sec. Maximum speed was 9 frames per second, the fastest available at the time. Its use at the 1972 Olympics in Japan produced fantastic sequential shots that were previously impossible to achieve.
In 1973, Canon introduced the Motor Drive MF, which was divided into two parts: a drive unit which attached to the bottom of the body, and a battery grip. The Motor Drive MF had its batteries (10 AAs) in a vertical grip that normally mounted to the front of the camera, where it could be gripped by the photographer's right hand, but could be detached and connected via the coiled "Connecting Cord for Grip MF" for remote operation. It had a maximum rate of 3.5 frame/sec and was much better suited to action / sports photography, especially when paired with the Speed Finder or Servo EE finder. A special cord ("Connecting Cord MF") allowed the Servo EE finder to draw its power from the Motor Drive MF – thus making a much more compact setup than the original Motor Drive unit. The Motor Drive MF did not have a built in intervalometer, but the Interval Timer L (and later the Interval Timer TM-1 (Quartz) could be plugged into the remote control socket as could remote switches and a wireless control unit, the Wireless Controller LC-1. These all allowed either remote and / or unattended use of the camera.
Later, Canon introduced the Power Winder F, a 2 frame/ sec power winder with a grip for ease of use. It used 4 AA batteries in the same battery magazine that the Canon A-series Power Winder A used. The Power winder F could use most of the remote switches that also fit the Motor Drive MF. The only two accessories that it could not use were the Interval Timer L and the Remote Switch 60-MF. While not as fast, the Power Winder F was smaller and lighter than the Motor Drive MF.
Unlike many other professional-level cameras of the early 1970s, the F-1 required no modification or special custom fitting to attach the motor drives, one simply removed the bottom plate and screwed the motor drive in place.
Backs The F-1's back was removable. Two data backs or the Film Chamber 250, a bulk film back that could hold 250 exposures, could be attached.
The Data Back set includes a Data Controller, which allows up to twelve digits (0–9) to be imprinted on the film, six digits each on the left and right sides, using a seven-segment display for each digit. The Data Controller resembles a desktop calculator with a vacuum fluorescent display and is powered by four AA batteries. The Data Back F is a self-contained unit with three analog dials to select numbers, certain letters, or Roman numerals.
The Film Chamber 250 could be used alone or with the Motor Drive Unit or Motor Drive MF; the MF's grip had to be removed and coupled via a dedicated cord.
Eyepiece The F-1s eyepiece was threaded and could take a metal (later soft rubber covered) ring, an eyecup or several different diopter adjustment lenses. The Magnifier R and Angle Finders A2 and B could also be attached to allow critical focusing and / or waist-level use (if one did not want to fit either the Speed Finder or Waist Level Finder).
Focusing screens Canon offered nine different focusing screens for the F-1, with the default being the Type A. Initially, four were available (Types A – D).