The Canon Canonflex, introduced in May of 1959 and produced for one year, marked Canon’s entry into the SLR market.
Key features:
- Focal plane shutter: The Canonflex employed a horizontal-travel, cloth-curtain focal plane shutter, with speeds ranging from 1 second to 1/1000th of a second, plus Bulb mode for long exposures. This type of shutter allowed for fast and accurate exposure control, which was a crucial aspect of SLR photography.
- Interchangeable lenses: The Canonflex featured the new Canon R mount, designed specifically for the Canonflex and its successors.
- Instant-return mirror: The Canonflex utilized an instant-return mirror system, which automatically returned the mirror to its viewing position after each exposure. This allowed photographers to quickly recompose and take successive shots without having to manually reset the mirror.
- Bottom-mounted film advance lever: A unique design choice in the Canonflex was the placement of the film advance lever on the bottom of the camera. This was intended to provide better balance and more comfortable handling when advancing the film. However, some users found the bottom-mounted lever to be awkward and less convenient compared to the more traditional top-mounted lever.
- Viewfinder: The Canonflex used a pentaprism viewfinder with a Fresnel focusing screen.
- Removable pentaprism: The Canonflex’s pentaprism could be removed, allowing photographers to replace it with a waist-level finder for different shooting scenarios.
The Canonflex was built with a solid, all-metal construction that provided a durable and reliable camera body. The design was focused on simplicity, with clean lines and minimal controls. The camera’s appearance was somewhat reminiscent of the rangefinder cameras that Canon was known for, yet with the distinct features of an SLR camera.
Despite its sturdy build and innovative features, the Canonflex faced several challenges in the market. The competition from other manufacturers like Nikon and Asahi Pentax was fierce, and the limited lens lineup available at launch may have deterred some potential buyers. Furthermore, some design elements, such as the bottom-mounted film advance lever, were met with mixed reactions from users.
The lessons learned from the design and market reception of the Canonflex contributed to the development of more successful models in the future, such as the Canon FX (1964) and the Canon AE-1 (1976). Today, the Canonflex is considered a piece of photographic history, appreciated by collectors and enthusiasts.
Canon R Series Lenses
The Canon R-series lenses were a line of lenses introduced by Canon in 1959 alongside their first SLR camera, the Canonflex. The R-series lenses utilized the Canon R mount, a breech-lock type lens mount that was unique to the Canonflex and a few of its successors. The R mount was a precursor to Canon’s subsequent lens mounts, such as the FL and FD mounts, which were introduced in the 1960s and 1970s, respectively.
The Canon R mount featured a breech-lock mechanism, which was different from the traditional bayonet mounts of the time. In a breech-lock mount, the lens does not rotate to lock into place. Instead, the lens is placed into the mount, and a separate ring on the lens is rotated to secure it. This design had the advantage of reducing the wear on the lens mount, as there was less friction between the lens and the camera body during the mounting process. However, it was slower to use compared to bayonet mounts and was eventually replaced by the FL and FD mounts, which employed a more user-friendly bayonet design.
Some notable R-series lenses include:
- Canon R 50mm f/1.8: A standard kit lens. This lens is also referred to as the “Super-Canomatic R 50mm f/1.8.”
- Canon R 35mm f/2.8: A wide-angle lens. This lens is also referred to as the “Super-Canomatic R 35mm f/2.8.”
- Canon R 100mm f/2: A medium telephoto lens. This lens is also referred to as the “Super-Canomatic R 100mm f/2.”
- Canon R 135mm f/3.5: A telephoto lens. This lens is also referred to as the “Super-Canomatic R 135mm f/3.5.”
- Canon R 85mm f/1.8: A portrait lens. This lens is also referred to as the “Super-Canomatic R 85mm f/1.8.”
- Canon R 58mm f/1.2: A fast standard lens with a large aperture. This lens is also referred to as the “Super-Canomatic R 58mm f/1.2.”
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