Canon F1 Instruction Manual

							4 HOLDING THE CAMERA
4 Holding the Camera
The best way to prevent image blur from camera movement is to hold the camera
as steady as possible, with your left hand supporting the camera and lens. Lightly
rest your right index nger on the shutter button, and the tip of your thumb on the
lm advance lever or on the body. Wrap your other right ngers around the action
grip. Then press your left elbow to your body and lightly press the camera against
your cheek or forehead. For a vertical shot, steady at least one elbow against your
body. Spread your feet slightly apart. one foot ahead of the other, and relax. Lean
against a steady support if one is available.
There is, of course, no one correct way to hold the camera.
Experiment to nd the most suitable way for you. Select a method that provides
comfort in addition to stability. It may help to practice in front of a mirror.
When shooting at a shutter speed of 1/30 sec. Or slower or with a telephoto lens,
it is advisable to mount the camera on a tripod. If the tripod screw is especially
long, be careful not to screw it in beyond the limit of the cameras tripod socket. 11 
						

							5 FOCUSING
5 Focusing
1. Laser-matte screen
2. Microprism rangender
3. New split rangender
4. Overexposure warning mark
5. Meter Needle
6. Stopped-down metering/battery check index
7. Aperture needle
8. Underexposure warning mark twhen using f/1.4 lens)
9. Shutter speed display
out of focus in focus
12 
						

							5 FOCUSING
Turn the focusing ring of the lens as you look in the viewnder until the main sub-
ject is sharp. The three focusing aids of the standard screen can be used alone or
in combination according to the sub ject and your own preference.
Note:
The New Canon F- 1s focusing screen, which makes precise focusing possible, also
determines the metering sensitivity area. There are 13 types of focusing screens and
three dierent metering areas optionally available to suit your particular focusing
and metering requirements.
1. New Split Rangender
The new split-image rangender divides the sub ject in half horizontally and is es-
pecially useful for a sub ject which has vertical lines. The sub ject is in focus when
the two halves merge to become one unbroken image. When using a lens with a
maximum aperture of f/5.6 or smaller, one-half of the split-image rangender may
take on,a slight color.
2. Microprism Rangender
When the sub ject is out of focus, the microprism ring breaks the sub ject into tiny
fragments, causing a shimmering eect. It is clear and steady when your sub ject is
in focus.
3. Laser-matte Screen
The laser-matte screen appears fuzzy until the sub ject is -in focus. It is particularly
eective when you are using accessories for copying or close-ups.
Note:
Ten eyesight correction lenses from +3 to -4 diopters are available. They may make
viewing and focusing easier if you are near- or farsighted. Choose the one closest to
your eyeglass prescription, then make a practical test if possible. 13 
						

							6 LOADING THE FILM
6 Loading the Film
Pressing the safety stopper, pull up the rewind knob until the camera back pops
open. Be sure to shield the lm from direct sunlight while loading. Place the car-
tridge in the lm chamber as shown. Then push down the rewind knob, turning it
until it drops into its normal position.
Note:
Remove the plastic insert from the pressure plate before loading the rst lm car-
tridge. Pull the lm leader across the camera and insert the tip into any slot of the take-up
spool.
Advance the lm once. Make sure the sprocket teeth engage the lm perforations.
The lm should be taut. If there is any slack, unfold the rewind crank and gently
turn it in the direction of the arrow until it stops. Note that the rewind crank must
be unfolded before you turn it; otherwise, the knob will turn freely. Then fold the
rewind crank back in. Close the camera back.
Take several blank shots, releasing the shutter and advancing the lm until the
frame counter reaches 1. While doing this, keep an eye on the rewind knob. If it
rotates in ,the direction of the arrow, the lm is loaded correctly.
CAUTION
NEVER remove the cameras rewind coupler cover from the baseplate when lm
is loaded in the camera. This will expose the lm to light. It is not necessary to
remove the coupler cover except for attaching the AE Motor Drive FN. 14 
						

							7 SETTING THE ASA/ISO FILM SPEED
7 Setting the ASA/ISO Film Speed
Turn the setting dial, while pressing the lock release button, until the desired lm
speed aligns with the index. The dial cannot be turned lower than ASA6 or higher
than ASA6400. The table on the next page shows the ASA/ISO lm speeds which
can be set on the New Canon F-1. Figures in parentheses are intermediate speeds
which are indicated by dots on the ASA/ISO dial.
ASA/ISOis a numerical rating of the lms sensitivity to light. The higher the num-
ber, the faster the lm and the more sensitive it is to a given amount of light as
compared to a lm with a lower number. The lm manufacturers ASA/ISO rating
can be found on the lm cartridge, the carton, and the data sheet. 15 
						

							8 FRAME COUNTER
8 Frame Counter
Each time you advance the lm, the frame counter also advances to the next num-
ber. It can count up to 39 frames. The numbers 1, 12, 20, 24 and 36 are in orange,
the latter four to call your attention to the fact that rolls with those numbers are
or are almost nished. The frame counter automatically returns to S when you
open the camera back. During multiple exposures, the frame counter advances each
time you wind the advance lever.
The New Canon F-1 will also accept bulk lm loaded into standard cartridges. In
this case. be sure to trim the leader as shown before loading it into the camera. Memo Holder
The camera back has a memo holder. It conveniently holds the end of the lm box
as a reminder of the type of lm in use and the rnumber of exposures. 16 
						

							8 FRAME COUNTER
17 
						

							9 EXPOSURE
9 Exposure
The amount of light that exposes a frame is determined by the aperture and shutter
speed. The size of the aperture controls the amount of light allowed to reach the
lm, while the shutter speed controls how long the light strikes the lm. For the
same exposure, a change in shutter speed requires an equal and opposite change
in aperture, and vice versa. There are usually several combinations of shutter
speed and aperture which will give the same exposure. If. for example, the meter
indicates that exposure will be correct at f/4 and 1/60 sec., you usually have other
combinations to choose from. Some of the combinations in this example include
f/5.6 at 1/30 sec. and f/2.8 at 1/125 sec. The two main considerations involved in
selecting one particular combination over the others are the sub jects motion and
depth of eld; each of these aects the way a picture will look. You can control
the eect of a picture simply by choosing a certain shutter speed and aperture
combination. The next three sections provide information which you may nd
useful whether you are using the camera manually or automatically with an AE
accessory. 18 
						

							10 SHUTTER
10 Shutter
The New Canon F- 1 s hybrid shutter is electronically as well as mechanically con-
trolled. Shutter speeds from 1/2000 to 1/125 sec.,  f  1/90 sec.) and B (bulb)
are mechanically governed, while 1/60 to 8 sees. are electronically controlled. With
the AE Finder FN attached and the shutter dial on A, shutter speeds from 1/1000
to 8 sees. are electronically controlled.
The shutter dial of the camera has settings from 2000 to 8, A,  f , and B. The
slow shutter speeds from 2 to 8 seconds are in yellow, while shutter speeds from 1
to 1/2000 sec. are in white. The white numbers are reciprocals of the true shutter
speeds; 125, for example, indicates a speed of 1/125 sec. Intermediate settings on
the dial cannot be used, and the dial cannot be turned between B and A.
The red A is for shooting in the aperture priority and stopped-down AE modes
with the Canon AE Finder FN attached. For this setting, pull up the outer ring
and turn the dial until A is aligned with the index on the nder. A scale with
shutter speeds from 8 to 1/1000 sec. will now be displayed below the eld of view
as long as the AE Finder FN is attached.
The  t  setting is for synchronized 
ash photography at an X sync. speed of 1/90
sec. It is not necessary to set the shutter dial to  t  when using a dedicated Canon
Speedlite; once the Speedlites pilot lamp glows, the camera automatically switches
to 1/90 sec. provided the shutter dial is not on B.
When the shutter dial is set to B, the shutter will remain open as long as you
press the shutter button. The cameras meter will not give a reading on B, thus
AE photography and match-needle metering are impossible. You will have to ex-
periment or use a separate exposure meter to nd the best exposure. It is advisable
to use a tripod and locking cable release for long exposures.
Since B is mechanically controlled, the battery will not be drained on this setting 19 
						

							10 SHUTTER
regardless of the exposure duration.
To cancel shutter operation during a long exposure, press the battery check button.
Mechanical Operation
There are several shutter speeds available with the New Canon F-1 even if the bat-
tery fails. In this case, remove the battery from the battery chamber. Shutter speeds
from 1/2000 to 1/125 sec. , S (1/90 sec.) and B, which are all mechanically
controlled, can be used. If the shutter dial is set to any speed between 1/60 and 8
secs., the camera switches automatically to 1/90 sec. when you press the shutter
button.
IMPORTANT
The camera will not operate if you leave the exhausted baterry in the battery cham-
ber. 20