Canon FTb

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Canon FTb was a 35mm single-lens reflex camera manufactured by Canon of Japan from March 1971. It featured a Canon FD lens mount, and was also compatible with Canon's earlier FL-mount lenses in stop-down metering mode. Launched alongside the top-of-the-line F-1, the FTb was the mass-market camera in the range.

The FTb was primarily intended to be an advanced amateur camera, offering many of the same features and same build quality as the F-1, but without the option of interchangeable prisms, focusing screens, or motor drives.

The FTb has an all-mechanical horizontally travelling focal plane shutter with timed speeds from 1/1000 to 1 second and bulb. The FTb has rubberized silk shutter curtains rather than the more durable but more expensive titanium curtains found on the F-1.

It offers a 10 second self timer, as well as mirror lock up.

The meter is of the 12%(1/9) partial type with the metering area indicated by a slightly darkened box in the center of the finder area. It is fully coupled to shutter speed dial and aperture ring on FD lenses in the match needle style. The meter was designed to be powered by a single 1.35 volt 625 Mercury cell, which is no longer available. Popular options for replacement are to use a higher voltage silver battery either through a voltage dropping adapter or recalibrating the meter, or using zinc air batteries, which have the same voltage but a relatively short life.

In 1976, the FTb design was revised slightly. The camera was given a plastic tipped film advance lever. The stop down lever was changed to the same style as that found on the F-1. The PC sync socket was given a spring loaded plastic cover. The ring around the out edge of the shutter speed dial was changed from a scalloped design to a diamond textured design. Finally, a shutter speed display was adding in the lower left hand corner of the viewfinder.