apollo11
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 What is your Canon Family Tree / Genealogy? Here is mine: | |
Here is a fun project—-log your Canon cameras through the years, from start to end.
I’ll start, going back to the film days, circa 1989. All will be in succession as much as possible, from memory.
Canon film bodies:
1. AE1 Program (bought used, ca 1989. $125 for body and FD 50mm f1.8 lens.
2. AT-1. (used, circa 1990). Phenomenal matching needle meter. Top two of my Canon film bodies. (Added May 3, 2026. forgot at time of original post!)
3. F1n with Power Winder F (used, on consignment). $275 all in, about 20 years old. Power Winder F worth $200 at the time, so it was a stellar consignment deal.
4. FT QL (used). 25-30 years old at time. $160 range, with FL 50mm f1.4 breech-lock lens—-nice combo.
5. Elan (new) first EOS AF body. $475 range, circa 1992.
6. Elan IIe. (new). 5 AF points. Circa 1995-96. Bought soon after release. $550ish. My mother also bought one, which she gave me a few years ago, and I still have.
7. A2e (new—-I went backwards in technology from Elan IIe to A2e. Slower AF, 3 AF points. Better build, though.
8. 1N RS (used) 10 fps, pellicle mirror. Incredible camera. $1100 range, used, circa 2002 1-series film bodies had same build quality as the 1d series. My favorite-ever film camera.
The first Elan, above, was my move to an AF SLR system, i remember studying for weeks to see what system to buy into, such as Canon, Nikon, Pentax, etc. At that time, I subscribed to Popular Photography and American Photo—--the magazines had great equipment reviews and invaluable-to-me info, plus many pages of company ads. Canon and Nikon were the frontrunners for me, and I decided to stay with Canon. I remember how neat it was to have to decide on a system—-it wasn’t easy.
Canon Digital bodies:
I started with Canon digital in 2007. It was an easy choice this time to stay with Canon, as I had a couple of Canon lenses, plus ergonomics and buttons where familiar between the EOS film and Digital formats.
9. 30d (new). Approx $600)
10. 1d IIn (used) Approx $800. I was amazed at the creaminess of the 1.3 crop over the 1.6 crop of the 30d.
11. 10d (used). Approx $180, with metal-mount 50mm f1.8. Novelty buy. Gave to brother—-he still has the setup.
12. 1d III (used), have owned 2, still have one.
13. 1ds (used). Bought to try full frame, even though it was 10-12 years old. Just sold.
14. 1dx II (used). Have owned 2—sold one after replacing with a lower shutter count.
15. 1d IV (used). Nostalgia buy, last of 1d and 1.3x crop. Great camera.
16. 1ds III.used). Nostalgia buy, last of 1Ds series. Stellar meter.
After all is said and done, i still own:
Elan IIe EOS film.
1d III
1d IV
1dx II
1ds III
It has been a great ride through the years with the Canon systems, with tons of shooting and collecting fun, with buying and selling of bodies, lenses, flashes, off-camera cords, etc. always sold to upgrade, not to profit or deal.
Note: I am a hobbyist only, and don”t take professional-level photos, but…….i absolutely love the image quality produced with good cameras and lenses. I’ve always sided with pro-level gear because I love low light/no flash pictures, and wide apertures. Thus, I had to spend more for better gear to allow me achieve these attributes in a photo. There is a difference, for sure! Just recently I’ve been getting into off-camera flash, and Im really enjoying it!
The vast majority of my equipment has been bought used, tons of it through FM Forums. I often waited until a body was a couple models old before purchasing—-it allowed for me to get great gear at drastically reduced prices. In the early days, my main purchase sites were B&H, Focus, Adorama, and a couple more. That was by dialing the phone and verbally placing orders, giving product numbers I’d get from the magazine ads. Saturdays were long days, as the stores were all closed, so orders couldn't be placed. Only once did I have a bait and switch, when I was talked into a Sigma 35-80 over a Canon 35-80 or 28-80. A couple days after receiving the kit, I called and challenged it, and they replaced the Sigma with the Canon. That was the only kit I ever bought, if I remember correctly. I think it was Smile Photo, and the original Elan.
There might be something I’ve left out——i forgot totally about both the FT QL and 10d until right before going to press!
And yes, some day I’ll add Canon mirrorless to the mix—-not upgrade to, but add to the current setup.
It was fun recalling everything! Hopefully others will enjoy it, too.
Andrew Messer
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