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Whitneyg
Tinkerer
Username: Whitneyg
Post Number: 1
Registered: 06-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 07:04 pm: | 
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I just acquired two Canon F-1 SLRs. I checked the date codes, and one was made in 1972, the other in 1973. Both have Speed Finders and 50mm FL macro lenses.
There are no signs of corrosion in the battery compartments, and the film compartments look clean, too. The one from '72 has a pristine viewfinder and mirrors. The one from '73 has some whitish corrosion on the viewfinder glass itself, but the mirrors are clean.
Both need some pretty major body cleaning. They've seen some use (they were used in a VA hospital pathology lab), and they have some dirt on the bodies.
Everything seems to operate perfectly. I don't have any film to test, because I wanted to make sure they were clean and operable before I tried to use them.
So here are my questions for you lovely people. What is the best way to clean the bodies? What else should I be looking for to ensure that they are in good shape? How do I clean the viewfinder glass? And what about batteries? They both currently have 625A batteries, but I've read in some places that the alkaline batteries can give incorrect exposures.
Thank you so much for any help. I really appreciate it! |
Dragunov
Tinkerer
Username: Dragunov
Post Number: 145
Registered: 10-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 12, 2009 - 08:50 pm: |
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fire shutter at all speeds... look through shutter. do all speeds work? are faster speeds darker? that stuff...
check all other functions...
to clean, use a wet paper towel and some lighter fluid if necessary. something like that...
v/f glass can be cleaned with lens tissue and lighter fluid. be careful... don't mess with the mirror side of the fresnel lens (focusing screen)
batteries? I think you can use LR44 alkalines. those are 1.5 volts, so...
1. set the meter to 'c'
2. set shutter speed to 2000 and ASA to 100
3. check the needle...
4. fiddle with the ASA until the meter thinks the battery is OK
5. look at the number. suppose it's ASA 50.
6. suppose you're using 400 film. so set the film speed to 200...
get it?
does that help? |
Gez
Tinkerer
Username: Gez
Post Number: 100
Registered: 09-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 14, 2009 - 07:41 am: |
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For body cleaning use an old toothbrush moistened with a few drops of water and a trace of dishwashing liquid. |
Whitneyg
Tinkerer
Username: Whitneyg
Post Number: 2
Registered: 06-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 11:50 am: |
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Thank you both so much for your help - I really appreciate it! Now I'm going to get these babies cleaned up, play with some batteries to see where I need to set the film speed, and go forth and photograph. |
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