Canon FTb User manual

INSTRUCTI(lI{S Canoil
FTD
/
.-....'rtW
Lranon
FEU

We
are
highlygratified
that you haveselected
the
CanonFTb-a wise
choice
that promises
you
many
delightfulyears
of photographic
experiences.
Canon
isrecognized
the world
overasthe foremost
pioneer
in the development
of photographic
equipment
of
thehighest
quality
and
performance.
Whether
your
FTbis
forthe home,
laboratory,
orfor
traveling,make
the mostof your
opportunities
!
Before
Using...
Please
read this instruction
booklet
carefully,
and
master
themanipulations
of thevarious
parts
of the
FTb
completely. Oncethroughly
versed
in the cor-
rect
handling
ofthis
camera,
you
canuse
the
Canon
FTb
to thefullest
extentof its
capabilities.
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Canon
LensFD 50mm F1.4
Distance Scale
Focusing
Ring
Preset
Aperture
Ring
Bayonet
Mount Ring
Flash Socket
Meter Switch
Bayonet
Ring for Cap
Coupling
Pin to
and Hood
Flash-Auto Ring A/B
Metering Lever
Film Speed Set Ring
ASA Fitm Speed Scale
Time Lock/
tter Lock
Lever
Frame Counter
Shutter
Release
Button
Film Advance
Lever
Shutter Speed
Dial
c
,.*
Accessory Shoe
Film Plane Indicator
Film Rewind
Crank

Contents Technical
Data , . r i 8
Mercury
Battery
Loading
andChecking 10
Film
Winding. 12
Shutter
and
Aperture
Adjustment
Using
Built-ln
Exposure
Meter 18
Exposure
Settings. 20
Coupling
Rangeof Buitt-in
Exposure
Meter . 24
Viewing
and Focusing.
Holding
theCamera
FilmLoading.
. . 29
FilmRewinding. 32
SynchronizingFlash
Unit 33
Uses
of Lenses 35
Using
Self-Timer 4L
Double
Exposures 42
Filters 43
Interchangeable
Lenses
andAccessories. 44
ProperCare
of the Camera. 47
.d"- .r'-,
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tollow
These
SimpleSteps
for
NormalPhotography
,l
I toaO
the f
ilm with the QL mechanism.
2 Setthe
AsAf
itmspeed.
3 wind
thefitm
advance
lever.
t
{ Remove the lens cap.
6

q*l
516
5
6Look
through
the viewfinder
and
focus.
Determine
the exposure
byadjusting
the shutter speed
dial
and the preset
aperture
ring.
I Compose
the
picture.
I Press
the shutterretease
button
gentty.
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Technicall|ata
I Type: 35mm single-lensreflex camerawith focal planeshutter, Picturesize
, 24 x36mm.
r Interchangeable
Lenses: CanonFDserieslenses with full aperture signal lever.
r StandardLens: CanonFD
55mm F1.2, FD 5Omm
F1.4,FD
SOmm
F1.8.
I Viewfinder: Eye-level
using
pentagonal
prism.
Angle
Finder
A, Magnifier
5, DioptricAdjustment
LensEscan be attached,
r Focusing Screen: Using Fresnel lens and microprism screen rangefinder. With metering
beam-splittingcondsnser.
r Fiefd-of-View: 94% of actual picture area. 0.85x with standard 50mm lens at infinity.
r ViewfinderInformation: Meter needle and aperture needle,red signal indicating outside lower
side of meter coupling range, meter index for stopped-down rnetering and battery check use,
and coupling range limit marks.
r DioptricAdjustment
Lenses: Standard
-1.2 diopter. Interchangeablewith +1.5, O,-2.5,
and -4.
r Mirror: Shockless
quick return system. Mirror can be fixed in upward position. Aperture is
manuallyoperatedwhen mirror is fixed in upward position.
r LensMount: Bayonettype FDmount. FL and R seriesof lensesmountable.
I Coupling Functionof Lenses: FD lenses; full aperture metering, coupledwith automatic dia-
phragm. FL lenses; stopped-down metering, coupled with automatic diaphragm. R lenses;
stopped-down metering, manuallyoperateddiaphragm.
r Shutter: Focal plane shutterwith speedsfrom 1/1000 to 1sec. and B. Multiple series.
Equiinterval
index. X contact at " 60 ". Shutter releasebutton can be locked.
r Self-Timer: Built-in. Activate with shutter releasebutton. Approx. 10sec. time lag. Self.
timer leveris usedin common as stopped-downfunctioning lever.
r Film SpeedScale: ASA25-2OOO.
I Exposure Meter: Built in. Using CdS
photocell. Coupled
to shutter speeds, film speeds and
f/stop. Matchneedle typefull aperture measuringmechanism. Central area metering system,
measures L2% ol picture area. Stopped-downmetering possible. Fixeddot type metering,

using
stopped'down
functioning
lever. Locking
of leverpossible. Powered
by one1.3v M2O
(#625)
mercury
battery. Battery
checker
builtin.
! -E1_oo19re
Meter
Coupling
Range: With
ASAlOO
fitm,EV
2.5 ltlt.2at t/4 sec.t-Ev18 (f/r6
at 1/1OOOsec.!.
r uftra'fowlllumination
Metering: Metering possible
between
AsAloo film EV lo lt/22 at
ll2sec.l and
EV-3.5 lf
/1.2 at 15sec.t
withuseofCanon
Booster.
r Flash
Synchronization:
FP
and
Xcontact. Automatic
timetagadjusting
type. Flashsocket
onfront side
of body. Twoexclusive
contactsonaccessory
shoe.
r Canon
.Auto
Tuning
ICATI
System: Aperture
control
by recharging
power
levelsignaland
distance
signal..
Proper
aperture
obtained
bymeter
matching
needrclyitim through
co-nnection
9! Qlon speedlite
133D, Ftash
Adapterand prescribed
FDsommF1.4, FDSohm F1.8, or
FD35mmF2lenses.
r Synchronizing
Range: FPclass
; 1/1000-f/l25 sec
1/30
sec.
orunder.
Speedtite;1,/60sec.
or
under. I{, MFclass; 1/3Osec.
orunder.
r Film
Loadlng: Byopening
back
cover.Acceptsany
standard35mm
filmroll
incartridge.eL
mechanism
forquick
loading
offilm.
r Film
Advance
LEver: Single
operation
174'. short-stroke
winding
possible.
r FilmRewinding: Performed
by
rewind
buttonand
crank.
r Double
Exposure: Possible
by
operating
filmrewind
buttonandcrank.
I FrameCounter: Self.resetting
typeactivated
by
opening
backcover.
r Size
:, l44x93x43mm l5p("
x3%',
xt%,,|.
r Weight: 75Og
(1.46
lbs.Fbody
onty. Subict
todt nlionr.
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Mercury
Batteryloading
and
Ghecking
The built-inexposuremeter of the Canon FTb functions
onlywhen
the mercurybattery is properly
loaded.
I Insert
acoinintothe groove of the batterycompartment
I coverandturn it to the leftto remove.
lf Facethe central contact (O) of the mercury battery
4 inwardsandinsert.
{ Replace
the
coverby
turning
it to the right.
r,
r Beforeinserting,wipe the battery poles clean
of finger-
prints or stains with a dry cloth. Otherwise,the meter
may not function due to imperfectcontact,and
dirty poles
maycausecorrosionand damagethe contact
points
of the
camera.
r A 1.3v M20 lt625l mercury battery should beused-
equivalent to Mallory PX-625, EvereadyEPX-625.
r Be sure to insert the battery in the correctdirectionby
referring
to the diagramonthe compartmentcover. Other-
wise,
the
covercannotbe
properly
screwedin.
r Whenthe camerais not to be properlyused for a long
period,
removethe mercury battery and keepthe camera
in
adryplace.

Battery Gheck
Check
the power levelof the mercury
battery
after loading
it.
I Set the film speed
scaleat ASA 100 and the shutter
I speed
dialat " lOOO
". Forsetting
the film speed,
lift
up
theouter ringof the shutter
speed
dial and turn. See
page
19.
r A correct check cannot be made if other settings are
used.
7 Turn the meter switch, on the outer side of the film
L rewindcrank,
to the " C
" index.
? lf the meter
needleinside
the viewfinder
swings
to the
U meter index, the battery has sufficient power. lf the
needle
staysbelow
the meter index, voltageis insufficient
and
the batterymust bereplaced.
I Whenremoving your
finger
from
themeter
switch,
it will
adtomatically
returnto the " OFF " index
from " C ".
r Life of the battery in normal use is approximately
one
year.
Suf
f
icient
Insuf
ficient
(Must bereplaced)
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FilmWinding
Thefilm advanceleverwinds the film, cocks
theshutter,
and
prepares
theapertureand mirrorfor the next shutter
release
allinone
motion.
I Turnthefilm advanceleveruntil
it stops. The film will
I be advanced
one frameand the shuttercocked. The
frame counter is simultaneouslyadvanced
to the next
number.
,) Whenthe shutterreleasebutton is pressed,
the mirror
L flips up, the diaphragm
simultaneously
closes
downto
the preset f/stop and the shutter operates. After the
shutter
isoperated,theadvance
levercanbewound
for
the
nextframe.
r Besure
to settheshutterlock
lever
at "A".
r Windingmay
be doneby moving
the leverwith several
shortstrokes.
r Afterloading
the film, makeanother
wind,
becausethe
first
windingmaynot be complete.
r Theshutterwill
not
functionwhen pressing
the shutter
releasebutton unlesswinding is completed. In such a
case,check
thewindingoncemore.

-ll FrameGounter
Each
winding
will advance
the number
of the frame counter,
indicating the number of pictures taken. when the back
cover is opened, the counter automatically returns to
starting position
Safety Device for Shutter
when the shutter lock lever around the shutter release
button is turned to " L " position, the shutter is locked
and will not move. This device may be used when the
camera is carried in a wound condition.
Attaching the Gable
Release
Optional Canon Release can be attached to the FTb by
screwing
it into the threaded
hole
in the center
of the shut-
ter release button. The use of a cable release is recom-
mended when photographing with extended time exposure
or slow shutter speeds, and for copy work.
Even if the shutter lock lever is at ,,
L " position, the
shutter will
operate
by using
the release.
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Shutter
and
ApertureAdjustment
Exposures
areadjusted
by the shutter and aperture. The
shutter
conti-ols
the exposure
time and the aperture
con'
trols
the amountof incominglight. The CanonFTb uses
amatchneedle
meter,
a very simple
method of obtaining
proper
exposures.
Shutter Speed Dial
Adjustthe shutter speedbyturningthe shutter speed dial
to thedesired
indexnumber. The indexonthe dial
shows
thedenominators
of 1/1OOO
sec.,
1/5OOsec.,etc.
r Theshutterspeeddialdoes
not revolvebetweenindexes
" lOOO"
and
"8".
r Besureto set the indexat a position
wherethe click'
stopcatches. Incase
of " B
" index,adjust
it to the white
dot
just below
the " B
" index.
I " B
" indicatesbulb exposure,andis used
when making
exposures
of more than one second. When the shutter
speeddial
issetat " 8", the shutter
remainsopenas long
asthe shutterreleasebutton is pressed.
r When time exposure
is necessary to make an exposure
over an extended
time, first set the shutterspeed
dial
at
" B
". Keep the shutterreleasebutton pressed,
and turn
the time lock lever
to " L
". The shutter remainsopen
even
if the finger is removedfrom the button. When the
lever
isreturned
to "A", the shutter closes.
r Time exposureis also possible by using the lockable
l4

Pre
set
Aperture Ring
cable
release.
r lt ispossible
to perform
a long-time
exposure
measure-
ment by attach
ing the optional
Canon
Booster,
the auxilia-
ry meter
for measuring
subjects
under
dim light.
I The '
'60 '' index is used for synchron
izing
anelectronic
flash unit such as Canon
Speedlite. lt is equivalent
to
a
very
short
exposure
time
duringthe
flash
ofthe
flash
unit.
Aperture
fncoming
light and depth-of
-f
ield are
adjusted
by turning
the preset
aperture
ringto the desired
f/stop.
r As the f/stop number
gets larger,
the amountof light
reaching
the f
ilmplane
becomes
correspondingly
less. For
each
f/stop up,the light
is reduced
one-half
. Accordingly,
when
the aperture
isincreased
by
one
f/stop, the exposure
is doubled,
and when it is increased
by two f/stops the
exposure
is
quadrupled.
r Certain
lenses,
however,
have no relation
to the bright-
ness
halved
between
the maximum
and
the next
f/stops on
the preset
aperture
ring.
I The ratiobetween the aperture and the amount of ex.
posure,
using
f
/2 as
the basis,
isas
follows
:
f/stop :
t.2 t.4 1.8 2 2.8 3.5 4 5.6 8 tl 16 22
Exposure
Ratio
:
3 2 1.25 1 L/2 r/3 L/4 L/8 r/16 L/32 L/64 L/r28
15
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r The preset
aperture
ring can also be set between
two
f
/sto
ps.
Presetting of Aperture
In
the case
of the FD
orFL
lens,
thefield'of-view
can
always
beseenthrough
the
viewfinder
at
f
ull
aperture
opening
even
afterthe f/stop hasbeen
set
with
the preset
aperture
ring.
Setthe desired
f/stop on the presetaperture
ring to the
index. The
diaphragm
will
close
down
to the preset f/stop
onlyforthe instant that the shutter is released. Except
for
that instant,
thediaphragm
remainsfully
open.
Manual Gontrol of Aperture
1 Bylocking
the stoppeddown
functioning
lever
and turn'
I ing the preset aperture ring, the diaphragm
can be
closeddown
toany f/stop and
the depth
of field
at thetime
of shutter release
can bechecked.
Whenthe leverlock
is
resetto itsoriginal
position,
the diaphragm
againreturns
to maximum
opening.
r The
aperture
is manually
stoppeddown alsowhen per'
forming
close-up
photography
andmacrophotography.
rl When
an accessory
is used between
the lens and the
L camera
body,
turn the automatic
/manual
aperturelever
of the lens counterclockwise
all the way beforemounting
the lens. This locks
the lever
and the diaphragm
can
be
opened
orclosed
by
turning
the preset
aperture
ring. For
releasing
the lever,
turn it clockwise.
16
Automatic,/Man
ual
Aperture Lever

FD
50mm F 1.8
Manual Controlof Aperture
1 By pressing the stopped down functioning lever and
I turning the preset aperture ring, the diaphragm can be
closed down to any f/stop and the depth of field at the
time of shutter release
can be checked. When the lever is
reset to its original position, the diaphragm again returns
to maximum opening.
r The aperture is manually stopped down also when per-
forming close-up photography and macrophotography.
1 In case of Canon FD Lens 5Omm F 1.8, turn the auto-
b matic aperture lever of the lens counterclockwise all
the way and set the manual lock lever at " L" position be-
fore mounting the lens. This manual lock lever locks the
automatic aperture lever
and the diaphragm can be opened
or closed by turning the preset aperture ring. For releasing
the lever,
return the manual lock lever
to the original posi-
tion (white dot).
With the use of this lock, photography using manually oper-
ated aperture can also be perf
ormed on Canon single lens
ref
lex
cameras
like
FX
besidesthe TLb,
FTb,
FT
QL and F-1.
But do not use it together with Canonflex R, RP, RM and
R
2000.
Manual Lock Lever
Automatic/Manual
Aperture Lever
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Using
Built-in Meter [xposure
Canon FTb provides the most accurate light measurement
possible with its unique TTL (Through-The'Lens) system.
The built-inexposuremeter, which is of match needle type,
is coupledto the ASAfilm speed scale, shutter speed dial
and preset aperture ring.
The CdS photocell of the exposure
meter is placed in the
closest position to the beam-splitting condenser lens. The
central area metering system enables accurate meas-
urement of the main subiect even in counterlight.
The rectangular frame in the viewfinder represents the
light measurement area of the CdS photocell. Place
the
main subject within this frame and measure the intensity
of light so as to obtain the proper exposure.
I The correction of the full aperture opening of the lens is
performed automatically. Therefore, the operation does
not change regardless
of the speed of the lens used. An
FL lenscan be used only with stopped'down metering.
r Due to the characteristics of the CdS photocell, the
movement of the meter needle may occasionally become
slack,
owing to changes in the degree
of light.
I Metering at "B" on the shutter speed dial
is not possible
with the built-in
exposuremeter, because " B " is used for
long exposures over one second.
I Always use a lens hood when shooting against the
light.
l8

r When not usingthe camera,
set the meter switch at
" OFF " orattach
the lens
cap
so
astoprevent
unnecessary
consumption
of themercury
battery.
Film Speed Setting
SettheASA
film speed
scale
to thespeed
of the
film being
used. Film
speedsare
normally
shown
onthe
f
ilmboxcover
and
/
or
explanatory
sheet.
Lift'and turn the f
ilm speed
set ring
around
the shutter
speed
dial. lf the
film isASA
10O,
for example,
makethe
correct
setting
byshowing" lOO" in thesmall
window.
r Thefollowing
film speeds
may
beused:
__(32)
(40)
__
(64)
(80) _(125)
060) (2s0)(320) (500)
(640)
ASA 25 50 100 200 40ci :"; -'.eoo
DIN 15 18 2L 24 27 30
(16)(17) (ls)(20) (22)
(23) (25)
(26) (28)(2e)
(1000)(12s0) (2000)
1600
33
(31)(32) (34)
Figures
in parentheses
represent
intermediate
film speeds.
r When
"25" appears
in
the
small
window,
this is
as far
as the film speed
setting ring
will turn to the teft. The
white
dotat the right.turn
extremity
reads
ASA
2OOO.
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Exposure
Settings
Full
ApertureMetering
Fullaperturemetering can be performed
with an FD lens
which
hasanaperturesignallever
and pin.
I Setthe meterswitch
at " ON
"
I
7 Setthe shutter speeddial
at the desiredspeed.
L
? Facethe camera
towardsthe subject,
look
intotheview'
t finder,
and
check
the position
of the meter needle
and
aperture
needle.
r The meter needle is coupled to the film and shutter
speeds,
and movesverticallyaccording
to the brightness
of the subject. The aperture needle,with a round circle,
iscoupled to the preset
aperture
ringof the FDlens.
I Turn the preset aperture ring and align the aperture
.l needlewith the meterneedle.
r The
green
mark
(circlel
on the preset
apertureringis for
Servo
EEFinderwith Canon
F-l useonly.
r In the case of f/stop priority, turn the shutter speed
dialand
alignthe meter needlewith the aperture needle.
Be sure to set the shutterspeeddial at the click-stopped
positions.
5 lf the aperture needle
U needleby turning the
that the shutter speed is
20
does not align with the meter
preset aperture ring, it means
not properlyset. In this case,