Canon TLb

Canon TLb with FD 1.8/50 (chrome nose)

 

Another chunk from the early seventies (1972), some years before plastification, electronification and miniaturisation got in, and it has a combat weight of more than 1 kg. The TLb is the little sister of the FTb (1971), and it was reduced by the hot shoe, the top shutter speed (1/500 s instead of 1/1000 s), the mirror lock-up, the shutter button lock, the QL quick-load system, the battery check, the exposure meter on/off-switch and the self-timer. What looks like a self-timer lever is just for depth-of-field preview.

 

The letter "b" indicates, that TLb and FTb were updates of the TL and FT, it marks also the transition from the Canon FL lens mount to the FD lens mount. The older FL mount has an automatic aperture, but was only capable of stop-down metering. The FD mount is capable of open-aperture metering and it is also prepared for shutter priority automatic exposure, visible by an "o" (later "A") on the f-stop ring. The FD mount is highly sophisticated, e.g. you can't set "o" on the f-stop ring, if the camera doesn't have an automatic exposure mode, the setting is required for. FL and FD lenses and cameras were compatible, but of course FL lenses on FD cameras and FD lenses on FL cameras give always stop-down metering.

The first generation of FD cameras was a circle around the F-1, Canon's attempt to enter the market for professional photographers. It offers interchangeable viewfinders and the option for a motor drive. The EF is its little sister, with fixed prism finder and without connection for a motor drive, but with shutter priority AE. Beside the already mentioned FTb and TLb there is the FTbN (with shutter speeds indicated in the viewer) and the TX (a TLb with hot shoe).

 

But back to the TLb. For metering you have to align two needles in the viewfinder, the "aperture needle" (with an eye; "lollipop"-look) and the "meter needle". The aperture needle is directly coupled with the f-stop ring, the meter needle is coupled with the shutter speed dial (and therefor also with the film speed) and its position is also affected by the amount of light of course. If you are leaving the metering range, because it is to dark, a red flag will appear in the viewer. For stop-down metering, which is required when you are using FL lenses, you have to press the stop-down lever, then the aperture needle will decline completely. Then you must align the meter needle to the "meter index", a small tab in the display. In my opinion the exposure meter can't be switched off, so for saving battery power you'll have to cover the lens with the lens cap.

 

Some specs:

* shutter speeds from 1 s to 1/500 s and B

* ASA range from 25 to 2000

* X-sync is 1/60 s. I don't know how, but the TLb is prepared for using FP-bulbs.

* TTL metering with one CdS-cell, center-weighted

* one mercury cell 1.35 V type 625 is required (for metering only)

 

Some notes about the 1.8/50 lens above: it is a very early type of an FD lens, with chrome filter thread ("chrome nose") and without S.C. ("spectra coating") specification, and it differs a bit from later lenses.

* if the lens is unmounted, you can turn the breech lock ring into the "closed"-position without any tricks.

* there is no locking button for the automatic position on the f-stop ring (EE lock pin).

* if you want to use an FD lens with accessory which doesn't provide automatic aperture (e.g. bellows) you'll have to lock the aperture lever on the lens in "diaphragm-closed"-position (the same effect like the A/M-switch on M42-lenses). On later FD lenses that lever just clicks into position, the lens here has an extra locking lever.

* The built quality is outstanding. Certainly the most advanced lens mount for 35 mm SLRs of its time.

Done