C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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slr-35mm
The Canon EF (1973) is Canon's earliest SLR with shutter-priority autoexposure and a fully electronic shutter. Not to be confused with the later EF autofocus lens mount (introduced 1987) -- this EF stands for "Electro Focus," Canon's naming convention for electronically controlled models in the FD-mount era. The shutter is stepless in AE mode: rather than fixed speeds, the camera sets any exposure time the metering system requires between approximately 30 seconds and 1/1000s. Manual override selects conventional marked speeds. The EF accepts FD lenses with open-aperture metering, the same advantage the FTb introduced in 1971.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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About this camera
Canon's first shutter-priority SLR. Stepless electronic shutter from 30s to 1/1000s, FD mount, 1973.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Canon FD (FL stop-down compatible) |
| Years | 1973–1978 |
| Shutter | Stepless 30s – 1/1000s electronic horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/125s |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted silicon |
| Modes | Shutter-priority AE, manual |
| Battery | 2x 1.5V AA (required -- no mechanical fallback) |
Canon released the EF in 1973, the same year as the FTb-N refresh. Where the FTb-N retained a fully mechanical shutter, the EF went electronic and added shutter-priority AE -- a notable step at a time when Canon had no AE SLR. The EF bridged the gap between the manual FTb line and the fully consumer-targeted AE-1 (1976). Production ended around 1978 when the AE-1 had demonstrated that shutter-priority AE could sell at a lower price point.
The name "EF" caused confusion once Canon introduced the EF autofocus mount in 1987. Collectors and secondhand sellers sometimes append "(35mm)" or "(FD)" to distinguish this camera from EF-mount bodies and lenses.
The EF is a transitional camera: it shows Canon working out electronic shutter control on a mid-tier body before committing to it across the consumer line with the AE-1. The stepless shutter is technically interesting -- in autoexposure it can set, for example, 1/340s if that is what the meter demands, rather than jumping between marked stops. This gives smoother exposure in changing light.
For collectors, the EF occupies a niche between the manual FTb era and the AE-1 era. It is less common than either, uses the same FD lens system, and is mechanically straightforward aside from the electronic shutter dependency. Prices are modest; it is underrepresented in the secondhand market relative to its historical significance.
Canon FD mount. Any FD or FDn lens mounts with open-aperture metering. FL lenses (pre-1971) require stop-down metering. Flash via hot shoe and PC sync at 1/125s sync speed -- the faster sync (versus 1/60s on the FTb) is a practical advantage. No dedicated motor drive for this body class.
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Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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