I just received another EOS600
I couldn’t pass it up
1 owner from new, EF 35-70, strap, instructions, caps, OEM ERC and a brand new still sealed battery…£15!!
The camera works perfectly
The viewfinder is ludicrously big and bright and most importantly clear.
Just tried the EF 35-70 on an old 60D…surprised by the results. Camera was set to mono picture style the few snaps I took were sharp, contrasty and really nice mid tones.
I have a dozen or so rolls of film in the fridge
The only thing that’s stalling me is the cost of dev & print !!
I tried the 600 with the Tamron 70-200/2.8 G2. No issues at all from what I could see in the viewfinder.
Did any of you chaps own the 600/630??
What’s your memories??
I had some early Canon EF bodies. IIRC it was the 600 & 620. Both are really great film cameras. Not a lot of bells & whistles, and the AF is not up to modern standards. I used them mostly with Canon's prosumer lenses: 28 1.8, 50 1.8, 85 1.8. Results were exactly what you'd expect from Canon. I can't remember if either/both of them were compatible with ETTL and EX flashes. I loved the no winding feature, having come from early Yashica and Contax SLRs.
EOS630 was my first actual SLR back in the late 80's - I recall well that it cost big boy money for me back then. It's a solid camera for it's day but obviously not a 1V or something silly - and it's not comparable to anything today.
The AF is - well - it has AF that is best described as "it exists" From memory, it would not focus on horizontal "low" contrast stuff (I'm been charitable as it might have been up to mid-tones sometimes) - but the trick was to twist diagonally and it would help AF.
Check for oil on the curtains as iirc they had an issue with splattering. Mine still works and I run a roll thru every few years just for nostalgia purposes. I dragged that 630 and a push-pull 35-105 all over Asia & Europe - I really miss push/pull lens designs.
My memories are tainted by the experiences of that time and the images always make me smile even though the technical quality is questionable due to my lack of skills - I'll never sell it. It's a solid light box rather than the computational computers they are today. If you want a better film experience, try an EOS3 or 1V or alike as they are better cameras, but yeah it makes me simile thinking about it even now.
Lorryist wrote:
I used an RT for years. Loved the pellicle mirror, but time marched on.
lol
I lusted after a RT back then, but went from the 600 straight to a brand new EOS-1n
Great memories. I remember doing a “ Day in the life” supplement of a Hill Farmer in the North Yorkshire moors. Was working as a press photographer back then. We were going up a ridiculousy steep incline in the Land Rover..at an angle too!! The seat belt was the only thing stopping me from sliding onto the farmers lap!! 🤣
It was a very foggy morning and we spotted a young lamb with the mother half way up. My kit comprised of EOS1n + 35-350L + 540EZ
I I leaned out and took the shot fully expecting the flash and the fog to bloom. Nope came out great, was used as the front page full bleed on the supplement with my name on the byline 😇
From the FD system I went straight to the EOS-1 around 1991. It was a used one on consignment at the camera shop where I had just started working. I paid it off in installments.
I still have it somewhere...
Of the 600 series (I don't remember a 600, just 620, 630 and 650 plus the RT), the 630 interested me the most because it was the most 'action capable' of the trio. Though yes, those 600 series cameras were not cross-type AF capable like the EOS-1. At the time, with only one AF point that was a pretty significant performance benefit for the 1. Funny though that now every Canon mirrorless except the R1 is similarly only vertical line sensitive with PDAF, yet those cameras generally don't struggle in most situations.
Anyway, I didn't end up getting a 630, instead I went with the A2E (EOS-5) which didn't really wow me, the 1n and finally the EOS-3 before transitioning to digital. The 3 and 1V were great cameras, with the 1V IMO being the pinnacle of EOS film cameras. I almost bought one, but hesitated due to the price, which at the time was the most expensive 1 series to date. And it was obvious digital was the next big thing, so I waited for the 1D instead, which was about 3-4x even more expensive!
rscheffler wrote:
From the FD system I went straight to the EOS-1 around 1991. It was a used one on consignment at the camera shop where I had just started working. I paid it off in installments.
I still have it somewhere...
Of the 600 series (I don't remember a 600, just 620, 630 and 650 plus the RT), the 630 interested me the most because it was the most 'action capable' of the trio. Though yes, those 600 series cameras were not cross-type AF capable like the EOS-1. At the time, with only one AF point that was a pretty significant performance benefit for the 1. Funny though that now every Canon mirrorless except the R1 is similarly only vertical line sensitive with PDAF, yet those cameras generally don't struggle in most situations.
Anyway, I didn't end up getting a 630, instead I went with the A2E (EOS-5) which didn't really wow me, the 1n and finally the EOS-3 before transitioning to digital. The 3 and 1V were great cameras, with the 1V IMO being the pinnacle of EOS film cameras. I almost bought one, but hesitated due to the price, which at the time was the most expensive 1 series to date. And it was obvious digital was the next big thing, so I waited for the 1D instead, which was about 3-4x even more expensive! ...Show more →
The 630 and 600 were the same camera, just the American market it was called the 630??
The 1V fetches silly money these days.
I wont get sucked into film, but i am going to have a bash just to reminisce.
I started my EOS adventure with the EOS3 and a bunch of lenses. Shortly after that acquisition I let all of my FD kit go consisting of two F1Ns and a range of lenses from15mm fish out to the 500mm f/4.5L.
Later on I picked up an Elan 7 that was whisper quiet for some wildlife and events as the EOS3 was about the nosiest camera I have ever owned. For some unknown reason I still have those two cameras after going digital.
As mentioned, I still have the EOS-1, but also the 1n and 3. The first year I had the 1D I shot digital and film 50/50 for certain things, but it was clear (well before that point) that digital was going to be the way forward. I had told myself that once digital was at least as good, performance wise, as the EOS-1 series, I would switch. And that was the 1D, though at the time I was a bit disappointed it wasn't full frame.
The camera I wish I didn't sell (to use towards the EOS-1) was the New F-1, if only for the nostalgic tactile experience of using one from time to time. I can still recall the feel of the film advance lever's action, the peculiar roughness of the black paint finish, etc...
From memory, it would not focus on horizontal "low" contrast stuff (I'm been charitable as it might have been up to mid-tones sometimes) - but the trick was to twist diagonally and it would help AF.