Canon T90 SLR - worth a try with some film?

[SimonOL]

I recently bought a bundle of Canon FDn lenses which came with a T90 'Tank' SLR. I wasn't that interested in the camera at the time of purchase but it seems to be in excellent, almost unmarked condition and, when I put some batteries in it, seems to be fully functional.

It has amazingly modern specs for a 30 year old camera. 1/4000s max shutter speed, exposure compensation, various metering modes, 4.5fps continuous shooting mode etc Very nice looking viewfinder too!

I'm used to adapting the FD lenses to my Sony cameras and haven't used a film camera since my school days 25+ years ago. As the bundle came with 5 rolls of out-of-date film, I thought I might run one of these through the camera and actually use the lenses on a native body Besides getting it checked by a specialist, I guess this might be the only way to see if everything is working as it should?

For once, I won't be adapting these lenses so this is probably the wrong forum. Sorry!

According to the seller, it hasn't been used 'for quite some time' and was part of his late father's estate. Does anyone have experience with this camera body who could give me any tips as to what to look out for before I break something?

 

[MattKrull]

I have one, it's great. It was the technological pinnacle of the FD bodies. You can directly trace a lot of the design language from it into the modern 1D and 5D bodies.

I normally shoot my film cameras on full manual, but for the T90 I prefer putting it in aperture priority and letting it do it's thing. It does it very well. I should note that out of six or seven film cameras I shoot regularly, it is one of two (sometimes 3) I let decide anything for me.

Unlike many other cameras from that era, it uses AA batteries (and they last a long time), so getting it up and going is quick and easy.

Go! Waste film! Have fun!

 

[MusicmanUK]

I have one and use it, though I must confess I'm more likely to grab my A-1 as that's what I'm most comfortable with; the T90 is a touch too modern for my taste even if I did lust after one when they first hit the market

That said, it is a highly capable manual focus body.

A common problem with T90s when they lie unused is the 'EEE error' (displayed on the LCD) which is due to a magnetic latch in the shutter becoming stuck if it is not operated every few months. If you can find someone who knows their way round it, it can be repaired should it fall foul of that problem.

Otherwise, to guard agains the EEE error, store the body with batteries out if you're not using the camera for long periods and then put them back to dry fire the shutter a few frames every few weeks. I exercise mine once a month.

A couple of shots with the FDn 17mm f/4 on my T90

--
http://www.cybertects.co.uk/

 

[SimonOL]

I have one and use it, though I must confess I'm more likely to grab my A-1 as that's what I'm most comfortable with; the T90 is a touch too modern for my taste even if I did lust after one when they first hit the market

That said, it is a highly capable manual focus body.

A common problem with T90s when they lie unused is the 'EEE error' (displayed on the LCD) which is due to a magnetic latch in the shutter becoming stuck if it is not operated every few months. If you can find someone who knows their way round it, it can be repaired should it fall foul of that problem.

Otherwise, to guard agains the EEE error, store the body with batteries out if you're not using the camera for long periods and then put them back to dry fire the shutter a few frames every few weeks. I exercise mine once a month.

Thanks for the advice

I've checked the camera without any film in it and everything seems AOK. Shutter operates, metering seems OK, LCD nice and clear, command dial works nicely... can't find any faults so far which I guess is lucky as the camera hasn't been touched for years according to the seller.

I doubt the internal battery is any good though!

Just about to load some film to see if there are any issues with the motors.

A couple of shots with the FDn 17mm f/4 on my T90

--
http://www.cybertects.co.uk/

 

[SimonOL]

I have one and use it, though I must confess I'm more likely to grab my A-1 as that's what I'm most comfortable with; the T90 is a touch too modern for my taste even if I did lust after one when they first hit the market

That said, it is a highly capable manual focus body.

A common problem with T90s when they lie unused is the 'EEE error' (displayed on the LCD) which is due to a magnetic latch in the shutter becoming stuck if it is not operated every few months. If you can find someone who knows their way round it, it can be repaired should it fall foul of that problem.

Otherwise, to guard agains the EEE error, store the body with batteries out if you're not using the camera for long periods and then put them back to dry fire the shutter a few frames every few weeks. I exercise mine once a month.

Thanks for the advice

I've checked the camera without any film in it and everything seems AOK. Shutter operates, metering seems OK, LCD nice and clear, command dial works nicely... can't find any faults so far which I guess is lucky as the camera hasn't been touched for years according to the seller.

I doubt the internal battery is any good though!

Seems I was wrong about the internal battery! Loaded some film and was a bit confused when putting the main switch to 'L' and the LCD didn't turn off completely but still showed the frame counter and 'film loaded' indicator. A bit of research suggests this is normal behavior. Anyway, pulled the batteries out for a while and reinserted them and all settings were retained by the camera memory so the internal battery seems good after all

Haven't shot a frame yet though...

Just about to load some film to see if there are any issues with the motors.

A couple of shots with the FDn 17mm f/4 on my T90

--
http://www.cybertects.co.uk/

--

http://www.flickr.com/photos/90962352@N06/with/9792194405/

 

[Lightshow]

The T70 was my last film camera, it's not as advanced as the T90, but I still found it very capable.

I doubt I'll ever shoot film again, don't get me wrong, film is nice, I just hated the extra costs, where as with digital, I can shoot as much as I want and not pay anything more.