blog by Michael Raso When I read Brian Moore's guest blog on the Canon T50 camera my curiosity was piqued. I've been shooting with the Canon AE-1 Program camera since 1982 and since then, many other models using the Canon arsenal of FD lenses. I've simply ignored the 1983 T50 - mostly because the camera is completely automatic. I couldn't resist so I purchased not one but two T50 cameras on e-bay here in the states.
The manual focus Canon T50 is most likely the simplest camera in the FD arsenal. Program - Off - Battery Check are the only top controls. No "B" bulb, no PC flash input, no cable-release input. Turning the FD lens from "A" Automatic to f-stops switches the camera to 1/60th sec. This gives you the (limited choice) option of going manual and allowing the use of off-brand flashes.
The T50 is simplistic joy - allowing me to concentrate on my shots and leaving the exposure chores to the camera. As an all-manual photo guy - I must admit, it was difficult giving up the control of shutter and aperture, but the results were more than pleasing.
below: Canon T50 test shots - Butler, NJ USA
Canon designed the 244T flash specifically for use with the T50. While other flashes work just fine, the Canon 244T performed the best. below: Canon T50 Flash Tests
Image using the Canon 177A Flash
Image using the Starblitz Pro-5000 GTZ-Twin flash
Image using the Canon 244T Flash
Film Photography Podcast listener and contributor Brian Moore's night photography using the T50 inspired me to venture out at night and try my luck at some night shots. Pretty pleasing results considering the T50 shutter is limited to a 2 second exposure.
I host the Film Photography Podcast Launched in October of 2009, the Film Photography Podcast is a 90 minute, bi-weekly Internet radio program, exploring a wide range of topics relevant to the experienced and aspiring photographer using film as a medium. Hosts Michael Raso and Duane Polcou enthusiastically dissect and debate the pros-and-cons of film formats, do-it-yourself techniques, digital technologies, and vintage and contemporary cameras and accessories in a thorough, informative and casual manner. Regular features include Camera tests and reviews, “book of the month”, interviews, a listener-generated Q&A, and film-related giveaways.
Produced in the United States, the Film Photography Podcast is broadcast around the globe via iTunes and direct stream from http://www.filmphotographypodcast.com
Canon T50 camera, Loading your 35mm camera, Kodak Technical Pan film, Darkroom Tips, Film / Camera Giveaways and more! Hosted by Michael Raso with Mat Marrash and John Fedele
the Film Photography Podcast is broadcast around the globe via iTunes, Zune, Stitcher, download and direct stream from http://www.filmphotographypodcast.com
FPP welcomes guest host Mat Marrash Mat joins FPP in March. A FPP listener, film shooter and lifetime student of photography as well as an all-around tech junkie, Mat is located in Northwest Ohio. Mat's main gig is commercial photography that includes portraiture, sports, and photojournalistic candids. Welcome Mat!
Kodak introduces Professional Portra 160 When Kodak announced the new Professional Portra 160 film, fellow photographer and Film Photographer Podcast listener Tony Kwong was kind enough to put together the score card.
the Kodak film line up:
Ektar 100 in 135, 120, 4x5, 8x10 Portra 160 in 135, 120/220, 4x5, 8x10 Portra 400 in 135, 120/220, 4x5, 8x10 Portra 800 in 135, 120
Kodak transparency films
Ektachrome E100G in 135 single; 120 5pk, single. Ektachrome E100VS in 135 single; 120 5pk, single Ektachrome E200 in 135 36ex EliteChrome 100 in 135 36ex EliteChrome 200 in 135 36ex
Kodak consumer color print films
Kodak Gold 100 in 24ex single Kodak 200 Gold or Bright Sun in 4pk (24exp); 36ex, 24ex single Kodak Ultra Max 400 in 5 pk (24ex); 4 pack (24exp); 36ex, 24ex, 12ex single Kodak Ultra Max 800 in 5 pk (24ex); 24exp single Kodak BW400CN (c41 B&W) in 135 3pk (24exp); 24ex single
Kodak Advantax 200 APS 3pk (25ex), 3pk+1 (25exp), single Kodak Advantax 400 APS 3pk (25ex), single
Michelle Bates – 20 Years of Toying with Creativity Michelle has been a passionate photographer since she was young, and learned her way around a camera in 1991 at the Maine Photographic Workshops, where she first discovered the Holga. Since then, Michelle has shown work in solo exhibitions in the Pacific Northwest, Los Angeles and Israel, and in group shows around the US, Italy, Germany & Thailand.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sued him, and Marlon Brando broke his jaw. The story of notorious, reviled paparazzo Ron Galella opens a Pandora's Box of issues from right to privacy, freedom of the press and the ever-growing vortex of celebrity worship.
Polaroid Pack Film – Which Camera?
"It's called peel-apart because after you pull it from the camera, you wait some time for the print to develop and you peel off the top paper to see your print."
The 1983 Canon T50 Camera “The Canon T50, introduced in March 1983 and discontinued in December 1989, was the first in Canon's new T series of 35mm single-lens reflex cameras compatible with Canon's FD lens mount. SLR sales were falling in 1983 from the market's 1981 peak, and Canon chose to try greater automation to revive sales and remain competitive.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_T50
Above: Night Photography using the Canon T50 in automatic mode
Film Photography Podcast's recommended Book of the Month - Photography by Barbara London – “A picture tells a thousand stories, but the one it doesn't tell is how the shot was made. Barbara London and John Upton's Photography is an all-inclusive look at the craft of photography. This book will help any amateur move up a few notches, and it serves as a refresher course for professionals as well.”
Kodak Technical Pan FPP super friend Nano_Burger spooled 29 rolls of 36exp Kodak Technical Pan (asa 25) and donated them to The Film Photography Podcast.
On March 8, 2011 a thread will appear in out Film Photography Podcast Group called Kodak Technical Pan (9am est) - the first 29 folks that post in the group will win one of the 29 rolls.
"Technical Pan was an almost panchromatic black and white film produced by Kodak. “While it could reproduce the visible light spectrum, it leaned to the red and so unfiltered outdoor shots would render blues, most notably the sky, with additional darkening and reds with some lightening. These unique characteristics have not been replicated. It was generally used as a very slow film, rated at ASA 25 or even 16, although it could be rated at up to ASA 320 with a distinct loss of tonal range and a bunching of shadow and highlight detail. This film had unmatched fine grain, especially when rated at a low speed, and made excellent enlargements while preserving fine details. Kodak stopped selling it in 2004. It has not been replaced by a film (from any manufacturer) with its exceptional characteristics.” - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_Pan
Don’t forget…each month we give away vintage cameras and film! Tune in to the show.
Launched in October of 2009, the Film Photography Podcast is a 90 minute, bi-weekly Internet radio program, exploring a wide range of topics relevant to the experienced and aspiring photographer using film as a medium. Hosts Michael Raso and Duane Polcou enthusiastically dissect and debate the pros-and-cons of film formats, do-it-yourself techniques, digital technologies, and vintage and contemporary cameras and accessories in a thorough, informative and casual manner. Regular features include Camera tests and reviews, “book of the month”, interviews, a listener-generated Q&A, and film-related giveaways.
Produced in the United States, the Film Photography Podcast is broadcast around the globe via iTunes and direct stream from http://www.filmphotographypodcast.com
I’ve enjoyed 35mm point & shoot cameras since the day in the early 80’s when I picked up a Pentax 35AF. It fit fairly nicely in the pocket…not too bulky, it was solid, took decent pictures, had automatic exposure for film up to ASA 400, and came with a built-in flash. I used it constantly for a while, until one day it fell out of my coat pocket and landed with a sickening clatter on the concrete outside the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.
That was that.
Cameras have come and gone since then, including the occasional point & shoot and even a replacement for my Pentax 35AF.
(But I dropped that one too one day, and that was that.)
I currently covet an Olympus XA, though I haven’t been able to score one on E-bay at my price point. (Call me cheap if you want, but some things go for crazy money on the bay.) In the meantime, I’ve discovered a point & shoot whose charms have so stricken me that it’s now my main squeeze: the Canon T50!
Released in March of 1983, the T50 was the first of Canon’s T-series, which achieved its apex with the highly regarded T90.
The T50 is rather a small SLR with a plastic body, auto exposure, auto film advance, a hot shoe and a self-timer, and it will accept film speeds ranging from ASA 25 to 1600.
Canon designed the T50 to be a beginner’s SLR. All the photographer need do is focus and shoot, and when finished with the roll rewind it in the conventional way. But if you’re a beginner who actually wants to learn photography through manipulation of the camera’s functions, the T50 isn’t for you, since it lacks manual over rides for exposure settings.
But if all you need is a second body for your Canon FD system, or a low-cost camera to sling over your shoulder and be at the ready to provide some excellent images, the T50 could be an excellent choice.
Two AA batteries are all the power you need for up to 75 rolls of 24 exposure film. (Or 50 rolls of 36 exposure.) And although by modern standards its firing rate of 1.4 frames per second may seem a snail-like pace, just remember it’s a cheap 1983-point & shoot.
The real beauty of the T50, though: It takes FD lenses! Yes, all that beautiful Canon FD glass you used on your AE-1 will fit on the T50. Just connect the FD lens of your choice, set it to “A” on the aperture ring, and your T50 is ready to point & shoot.
Your images will be as sharp as any other manual focus Canon, and the auto exposure system is flexible enough to make low light shooting not only possible but simple and quite delightful. Put the camera on a tripod or steady it in some other fashion and you may be surprised by the results you get.
Despite its relatively small size, it’s still way too big to fit in a pocket, unless you’re name is Harpo Marx.
Brian Moore is a listener and regular contributor to the Film Photography Podcast Brian Moore on Flickr
About The Film Photography Podcast Launched in October of 2009, the Film Photography Podcast is a 90 minute, bi-weekly Internet radio program, exploring a wide range of topics relevant to the experienced and aspiring photographer using film as a medium. Hosts Michael Raso and Duane Polcou enthusiastically dissect and debate the pros-and-cons of film formats, do-it-yourself techniques, digital technologies, and vintage and contemporary cameras and accessories in a thorough, informative and casual manner. Regular features include Camera tests and reviews, “book of the month”, interviews, a listener-generated Q&A, and film-related giveaways.
Produced in the United States, the Film Photography Podcast is broadcast around the globe via iTunes and direct stream from http://www.filmphotographypodcast.com
