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ing rectangular collar and full focusing CANON PELLIX OR FT: Fresnel screen. OTHER FEATURES: WITH, WITHOUT PELLICLE Mercury battery-powered CdS exposure meter behind lens coupled to shutter speeds and aperture controls measures Va picture area at shooting aperture, instant return mirror, quick return aper­ Svps/"/JIV ~iJislJeQ ture, depth-of-field preview lever, mir­ ror lock-up lever, quick-loading film compac.f SLR. bOdy mechanism. PRICE: $239.95 with f/l.8 lens, $289.95 with f/l.4 lens, $324.95 with f/l.2 lens. Whether you're with it or agin it, undou6tedl one of the bi&gest sensa­ bons In S R camera des\~ns within tHe past 20 years IS the stationary mir­ ror Canon Pellix. While camera tech­ Supen'or lens nicians and knowledgeable photogra­ MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS: phers argued possible SLR faults: flip­ mounfing Canon Pellix QL 35mm eye-level single­ ping mirrors, vibrations, loss of viewing lens reflex camera. LENS: Interchange­ at the instant of picture taking, Canon able breech-lock 50mm f/1.8 Canon went and did something about it. They methanism . FL, 50mm Canon f/l.4 FL, 58mm Can­ made a single-lens reflex with a sta­ on f/l.2 FL with stops to f/22, focus tionary mirror that did not move . Ergo: to 24 in. SHUTTER: Titanium foil focal no bl ink, no added vibration. p lane with speeds from 1 to 1/1000 But Canon didn't introduce the pel­ sec. plus B, FPX sync. VIEWING: Non­ licle mirror and coast on other more interchangeable eye-level prism with standard features. A radically different central grid, plus fine focusing rec­ flip-up meter in front of the focal lane tangular collar and full focusing Fresnel measures e cen ra Exclusive meferli1j; screen. OTHER FEATURES: Non-mov­ approXimate y . ot er ehmd-t e­ ing semi-transparent pellicle mirror, lens SlRfs to that time measured the measures ~3 mercury battery-powered CdS exposure Whole picture area. The pro-anti Pellix meter behind lens coupled to shutter battle was all but overlooked in the piCTure area speeds and aperture controls measures mad scramble to praise or damm the central Va picture area at shooting ' new metering system. aperture, quick return aperture, depth Even so, the pellicle mirror wouldn't of field preview lever, quick loading have settled any storms. It could only film mechanism. PRICE: $299.95 with create more waves, pro and con. Since f/1.8 lens, $349.95 with f/1.4 lens, the wafer thin stationary pellicle mir­ $384.95 with f/l.2 lens. ror in the Pellix split the light from the subject between film and viewfinder, All flew quick there had to be a light loss in both areas. The lens delivers approximately /oao'liJg reaT-lIre Va of an f/stop less light to the film and the finder is about 1/3 less brilliant easy 1'0 lise than standard mirror SLR finders even though special care and coatings had been applied to the Pellix prism to get maximum brilliance for viewing. Un­ doubtedly the Pellix finder is less bright than those in other Canon SLR's with the same lens and a standard rapid return mirror. Moreover, the Pellix's out of focus image areas in the finder Canon FT QL 35mm eye-level single-lens seemed to have a mushy, flary char­ reflex camera. LENS: Interchangeable acter with a loss of contrast. If this 50mm f/l.8 Canon FL, 50mm f/l.4 was visible in the finder, what was Canon FL, 58mm f/l.2 Canon FL with happening on the film? Was it logical stops to f/22, focus to 24 in. SHUTTER: that something in the nature of sharp­ Cloth focal plane with speeds from 1 to ness as well as aperture speed must be 1/1000 sec. plus B, FPX sync. VIEW­ lost when light from a lens entered and ing: Non-interchangeable eye-level passed through a pellicle on its way to prism with central grid plus fine focus- the film?

Reprint from August Edition of Modern Photography.

Editorial Comments made by Bell & Howell. While MODERN's technicians wres­ same metal foil shutter material used tled with these mighty problems, whi Ie in the rangefinder Canon cameras. The its readers grew more impatient, Canon instant return mirror on the FT, of introduced a newer version of the Pel­ course, protects its cloth shutter from q lix, the Ql, with a quick loading sys­ any such possibilities. Shutter noise tem and stop-down aperture lock. But (about average) of both cameras is f4 between meter even more significant was the an­ virtually identical despite the fact that nouncement of the new Canon FT, al­ the FT has a cloth shutter and a rapid and film plane­ most the spitting image of the Pellix return mirror and the Pellix has a metal but $60 less expensive and-with a shutter and a fixed mirror. "remarkeIJ/y sma/I IN rapid return mirror instead of a fixed We were surprised to notice that pellicle. With both cameras at hand locking the FT's mirror in the up posi­ for testing we were in a far better po­ tion (used to insert the deep-set 19mm sition to analyze the Pellix with sta­ f/3.5 lens or to minimize vibration tionary mirror and compare results for scientific work) made virtually no with it directly against a camera hav­ alteration in shutter noise. ing a standard instant return mirror. There is one other small difference The fact that the Canon FT also has a of controls between the two cameras, semi-spot meter reading system that caused by mirror differences. The Pel­ measures % the picture area but uses lix's eyepiece can be closed off by a different metering device added an­ turning the collar around the rewind other possible interesting comparison. lever, while there is no such control The Canon FT and Pellix have per­ on the FT. This, however, is a logical haps more in common than they have difference since there is some possibil­ differences. Both share superbly ity of direct light entering the Pellix's ,____ finished, rather compact SlR body eyepiece when the camera is mounted originally introduced in the Canon FX on a tripod. Such light could affect (still in the line, by the way, at a tempt­ the picture, however. In normal condi­ ing $189.95 with f / 1.8 lens. See Mod­ tions, with the Pellix held at eye level, ern Tests, June 1965 issue for the we found there was less chance of Less meier error FX report). The traditional Canon large meter error occurring oecause of back diameter (1 'l's in.) breech-lock lens light than with most thru-Iens meter #J811 mos-! tlJrU-/6I1s mount (you connect lens and body, cameras. then twist an outer knurled ring about The FT allows virtually no extraneous meter cameras 45 ° to lock them together) is used . In light from the finder to affect the ' MODERN's opinion, the breech lock Is meter, according to our tests and with "","--- a superior lens mounting mechanism. the rapid return mirror as protection, It can never come loose. if and when no light could possibly strike the film there is some slight wear or loosening from the eyepiece during exposure. of the mount lip, the turning outer ring Therefore the FT needs no eyepiece takes up the slack and keeps it as light shield. tight as ever. It's a design somewhat simi lar to that used on the breeches of giant cannons-for the same reason. The handy swing back of previous Canon SlRfs has been made handler with the mcluslon of the QL loadmg system used on the Canonet range- 1Iri'CIer cameras. Just lay the tip on the film leader across the film plane, bring down the Ql mechanism to hold it in place and shut the back. With judicious I care, you should be able to squeeze in one more frame of film than with a standard loading camera, provided you start at the last frame counter's dot before frame 1. The addition of -~1 the Ql incidentally has caused only a tiny rounding of the camera back which you can barely notice. Canon Pellix QL The Pellix and FT are not only the RemarKably gooo' same size, they are virtually the same The major differences between the weight. The FT weighs 1 lb. 10 oz., the two cameras become evident when you Pellix 112 oz. more. Both cameras have hold them up to eye level. Although readings the same ratcheted 174 0 rapid wind both show the same life sized view with lever, clearly marked top shutter speed the 50mm lens, the Pellix view is dial (black on chrome with the Pellix, noticeably darker, less contrasty, and white numerals on black for the FT) in the out of focus areas, rather diffuse. plus spring loaded outer rim which The fine focusing rectangle of the governs the ASA settings of the built­ Pellix is virtually the same brightness AI~w Booster ______in meters (ASA 25 to 2000). While the as the rest of the screen while the .,/ focal plane shutter mecfl anisms of slightly larger and more elongated meter olli-measures both cameras seem identical, the Pellix fine focusing screen of the FT is pro­ is made of titanium foil and the FT nouncedly darker than the surrounding of cloth. Apparently the designers feel area. This variance is caused by the any ofher low kglr!- that the absence of a standard mirror two very different methods of meter­ in the Pellix might increase the hazard ing systems. In the Pellix, when you mefer tesfed! of direct sun burning a hole in the push inward on the large meter actuat­ shutter. They have thus adopted the ing lever, at the front of the camera, the metering circuit turns on and the circle for correct exposure by turning % x VB in. CdS cell 1,4 in. in front either the shutter speed dial or aper­ of the film itself flips upward behind ture control on the lens. In the previ­ the pellicle mirror to measure the ous Pellix model, it was necessary to slightly-out-of-focus image. While some hold the actuating lever down to keep technicians have expressed disappoint- the meter working. This made it rather ment that the meter wasn't even closer difficult to adjust the shutter speed to the film plane, MODERN's techni- since the speed dial is on the same cians feel that the lA In. allowance for side of the camera as the lever. Now LoaK kverror • 'shutter mechanism, thickness of shut­ the lever has a lock mechanism wfiiCfi . ter wall and him plane plate Itself IS allows you to 10Gk the lever In place CdS mefer {!rees ~ remarkabW small as It IS. or .not as you Wish, thus freeing your The Pe Ilx's fine focusing rectangle hand to adjust shutter speed. The FT outlines the area measured by the Fias the same locking mechanism on Pnotographer CdS cell. its lever. When you turn on the Pellix or FT meter circuits, the finder area darkens, of course, if the shooting aperture is / smaller than the maximum lens open­ ing. While there is much to be said '-+- for rival metering systems which meas­ I ure light at full aperture, the Peilix and c:;k;3. FT stop-down system does slm~hfY the I Intenor mechanism and does a low you 781<8 readings to take the reading through the actual aperture, rather than a simulated one. through acros/ The meter needle sWings qUickly In both cameras, under normal lighting aperture not 8 conditions, and of course more slowly --y in very poor light. Readings are easily Gill1l.1/sfeo one made. Undeniably the centralized % Canon FT QL rTi"e'1iSrrrement of the two cameras mini­ mizes inflated readings which could be The FT, which has an identical meter caused by heavy back light, bright sky­ actuating lever, does not measure the light, or other light areas of different light at the film plane. Instead, the brightness - provided of course that condenser above the focusing screen you meter the main subject correctly and below the prism which usually aids with the centralized semi-spot. When overall picture brightness, has been using a centralized semi-spot meter of diagonally split. The center of the split, the Pellix or FT, you must remember Easyio faKe. at which a partially silvered mirror has that the meter won't do your thinking been placed, allows 60'% of the viewing for you just because it is selective. If readings light to continue through the prism to your main subject is substantially the eyepiece. The other 40'% is reflected smaller than the semi-spot or the total backward to a CdS cell at the rear of picture area needs an average reading the condenser. The fine focusing rec­ different from the precise area meas­ tangle in the FT therefore is actually ured by the semi-spot, exposure errors the partially silvered mirror letting in can occur. But your own brains plus the 60'% of the light. Because of the 40'% Pellix or FT metering systems should loss to the CdS cell, the rectangle is make an ideal combination, provided darker than the surrounding area, which you have a sufficient quantity of the gets 100'% of the light. first mentioned. Since 60'% of the viewing light hits Although the metering area of the the FT's CdS meter cell while 10'0'% FT is slightly greater than that of the of the picture taking light strikes the Pellix (indicated by a slightly larger Pellix's cell, the Pellix, understandably, fine focusing rectangle in the view­ can make lower meter readings than the finder), the differential is not great FT. With an ASA 400 film, the Pellix enough to really matter in practical pic­ will read down to 1 sec. at fl1.4 while ture taking. the FT reads 1,4 sec. at f/ 1.4. Both In terms of accuracy, MODERN's are remarkably good readings and I:iCt'iJ. technicians could find no superiority of ally represent light levels at which It the meter at the film plane (Pellix) over ~. would be all but Ifflposslble to see the the meter within the viewing system Image adequately through any SLR (FT) or vice-versa, even though one finder. (H owever, for those Pel hx or FT measured the light hitting the film and 0Wii'erS who want even lower light read­ the other measured the viewing light. Easy -to v.se ings, there is a new accessory Canon Both proved equally easy to use and Booster, which in our preliminary tests equally accurate. USing MODERN pHo­ and accurafe. easily outmeasures any other meter ever IOG RAPAy's Aerotronic P-8O'3 Meter tested In low light. We'll get to It next Tester, we found accuracy to be within month In a separate Modern test.) % stop of a measured light source Both the Pellix QL and FT have through the meter's usable range. The identical pointer systems in the view­ Pellix, of course, produces some fasci­ finder. A long thin needle swings over nating problems of its own. Since the right side of the picture area. The approximately 30'% of the light is fil­ CdS actuating lever is pushed inward tered off to the viewfinder and 70'% of toward the lens mount to turn on the the light continues to the film plane, circuit and close down the aperture. the marked apertures on the lenses can­ You align the needle with a small not be used as an actual indication of the amount of illumination hitting the film, although the depth of field of the marked aperture will of course appear in the fina l picture. How much light do you actua lly lose in the Pellix? We again went back to the Aerotron ic Meter tests Tester. Careful comparison checks aga inst the FT and against a measured Pellix QL 50mm F/1.8 No. 182034 light source indicated that the actual amount of I ight lost averaged % of an Center Edge Aperture flstop (you'd actually get fl1.8 at the Sharpness Sharpness film plane when the lens .was set at 1.8 Excellent Very Good f / lA, for instance). However, an exam­ ination of a number of different pellicle 2.8 Excellent Excellent mirrors and Pellix cameras indicated 4 Acceptable Very Good that there was a variation in the amount 5.6 Good Excellent of light passed by various sample pel­ 8 Good Excellent licles, which could amount to approxi­ 11 Very Good Excellent mately 113 flstop. Th is differential was 16 Good Very Good not visible through the finder and of course would be automatically compen­ sated for at the film plane by the Canon FT 50mm F 11.8 No. 182034 behind-the-pellicle meter. When shoot­ Beffer performance, Center Edge ing flash, however, the instruction book­ Aperture Sharpness Sharpness let for the Pellix QL wisely advises an additional full flstop exposure at any f'or prac-rioal 1.8 Excellent Very Good given guide number to compensate for pir;ture -I;gking 2.8 Excellent Excellent the light loss. Of course the FT model, which allows 100% of the light to hit Good Very Good 4 the film plane, requires no additional 5.6 Good Excellent flash exposure and the marked flstops 8 Very Good Excellent are sufficiently close to the actual light 11 Excellent Excellent transmission of each lens to give you 16 Very Good Excellent full use of the set aperture at all times. Is there any actual loss of sharpness when the light from the subject passes Pellix QL 50mm F/ 1.4 No. 41237 through the pellicle? • £-xTremely .,cine Center Edge To answer this important question, Aperture Sharpness Sharpness to determine how much sha rpness loss there might be and how important this Nlicro-Prlsm I'OCVS/".J 1.4 Good Acceptable would prove, MODERN's technicians 2 Good Acceptable used one set of normal focal length 2.8 Good Acceptable lenses 58mm f/ 1.2, 50mm filA and 4 Very Good Acceptable 50mm f / 1.8 on both the Pellix and FT • Ground glass 5.6 Excellent Excellent cameras. Tests were made using our standard U.S. Air Force Targets, and 8 Excellent Excellent recflingles eKcel/enr practical tests were made of distant 11 Excellent Excellent scenes and subjects to be copied. Tests 16 Very Good Excellent were also run with color film. The test target negatives were examined with our 35X Omag. microscope. Our prac­ .FewSLRs can be Canon FT 50mm F/1.4 No. 41237 t ical test negatives were enlarged with Center Edge glass negative carriers to 11 x 14 in. foc~e:d wi'll! e9(Ja/ Aperture Sharpness Sharpness glossy prints. Undeniably a certain amount of preCISIon 1.4 Very Good Excellent sharpness is lost by the pellicle mirror, 2 Very Good Very Good according to all tests, lab and practical. 2.8 Good Good In MODERN's opinion, the 58mm fl1.2 4 Good Very Good lens, designed pri marily for speed, 5.6 Good Excel lent should not be used with the Pellix QL. 8 Very Good Excellent The other two lenses, as you can see, are generally superior and the slight 11 Excellent Excellent loss of image sharpness caused by the 16 Very Good Excellent Pellix is not critical. Broadly speaking, the Pellix produced an image which in its ability to resolve Canon FT 58mm F/1.2 No. 26790 lines per millimeter lost about one Center Edge quality grade. However, this was not Aperture Sharpness Sharpness completely fair in terms of testing since the sharpness loss caused by the pel­ 1.2 Acceptable Acceptable licle did not resemble the change of 2 Acceptable Very Good sharpness generally incurred in optics. 2.8 Acceptable Excellent To see what the Pell ix's unique t 4 Acceptable Excellent qua lity produced in practical terms, we 5.6 Good Excellent turned to the 11 x 14 in. black-and­ 8 Good Excellent white prints. When examined separately it was all but impossible to pick the Modern photography 11 Good Excellent I Pellix prints from the FT prints. Only 16 Good Very Good when comparison prints were examined IIk.es Canol1 F'T-ql... Ii right next to each other at a few inches tant to justify the loss of viewing bright­ viewing distance did a sl ight differen­ ness, loss of lens speed, slight alteration tial become evident. At this point and in picture taking ability, plus $60 ad­ at this point only, a slight loss of edge ditional price? In practical picture sharpness plus a tiny additional amount taking, MODERN has long since found of flare could be detected in the Pellix that the abi lity to keep a hand-held prints. There was also a minute loss of camera steady depended more upon th contrast in the negative which could ability of the hand than of the camera: easily be altered in making the print. The photographer is the major problem, In color photography, the pellicle not the equipment. proved to be almost neutral but not With both cameras locked to a good quite. It seemed to have a slight ten­ tripod, it's doubtful that anyone could dency toward warmth, like a mild sky­ see a superiority of the Pellix in sharp­ light filter. Skylight filters owners may ness, particularly since the pellicle it­ find that they no longer need one if self accounts for a slight loss of they use the Pellix Ql. However, unless quality where extreme examination of slides were looked at on a perfectly telephoto work, where the lens itself is balanced viewing box right next to each on the tripod and the camera swings other, no difference wo uld be notice­ unsupported, a case could be made out able. The same was true in projection. for the Pellix for those who must use If you projected on a giant flat matte slow speeds and don't have time to lock screen with perfectly matched, excel ­ the Frs mirror out of the way before lent projection lenses and bulbs, with taking the picture. For a while the the slides mounted in glass to assure Pellix was the only camera offering the accurate focus, you might be able to central measuring spot, but then came detect slight sharpness changes af­ Fr-«L -exce//enf the excellently devised metering system fected by the pellicle. In other words. of the FT. This camera, coupled with an for practical picture taking, the Pellix metering sys,tem exceptionally fine series of lenses allow­ ~ does perform well, far better than such ing through the lens focusing and me­ a system might appear to perform tering from 19mm upward, should cause theoretically. But it is true that there many a photographer to wonder where are some differences and the differ­ the FT has been all his life. ences, small as they are, are in favor of the picture taking ab ilities of the Canon FT. The central grid of both the Pellix and FT are extremely fine and worked we ll with lenses up to 300mm f/5.6, and can be used as a standard focus­ Ing area beyond this po lOt. Naturally the grid does fracture out Of focus Images more acutely In the mid-range of normal focal lenrcths from 35mm to ~'shou/d cause ~ 135mm. The fmeocusmg rectangles of both Pelhx and aL must be rated ex­ cellent for accurate focusing and the outer concentric Fresnel rings are so fine that this area is almost as good for focusing as the rectangle. Few SLR's can be focused with equal precIsion. many a However, the FT viewing screen does give you a better indication of precisely how an out of focus image will appear on the film than the Pellix does. With the Pellix the unsharpness has a rather strange blur and immediate loss of con­ phofographer trast which does not appear in the film. Photographers familiar with the view­ ing quality of the older Pellix camera without the QL or CdS meter actuating level lock will find a marked difference fo in the Pellix QL's finder. The newer wonder camera's finder seems to have a yel­ lowish cast to it, apparently introduced to aid viewing brightness. The Fresnel lines are also somewhat finer in the new Pellix Ql. where Shutter speeds of the Pellix QL and tne FT cameras when tested on the National Camera Motion Ana lyzer were within tolerances. In practical field tests both Pellix QL and FT behaved very nicely. The FT became a real favorite around frh8sbeen the" , ~ MODERN office because of its construc­ ~ tion, ease of handling and semi-spot meter. This brings us to the inevitable question: is the lack of a rapid return mirror in the Pellix sufficiently impor- all his /ife! "