“Dig if you will the picture…of you and I engaged in a kiss…can you my darling…can you picture this?”
Imagine for a moment, that you’re back in 1984. Apple aired the infamous Orson Wells-inspired Super Bowl commercial that introduced the world to the Macintosh computer. Prince gave us Purple Rain (the album and the movie), and soon everyone knew what it sounded like When Doves Cry. Lionel Richie said Hello. The Soviet Union boycotted the Summer Olympics. Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro joined former Democrat Walter Mondale as he went up against Ronald Reagan. HIV was identified. Tetris was released on the Commodore 64 and IBM PCs. Kevin Bacon fought for our freedom to dance. MTV still played music videos, and handed out the first Video Music Awards. And. AND!! If you were an amateur photographer, you just might have been lusting after the very modern looking new camera from Canon, the Canon T70.
(A Big Thanks To Jess Lantz For Turning The Above Selfie Into A Cool Piece Of Art)
The T70 was the second T series camera Canon released (it released the T50 a year earlier) and was perceived as somewhat of a technological marvel for the time, with its high-capacity 8-bit CPU brain and ROM/RAM capacity and all. I won’t bore you with the futuristic digital talk; but while it may not sound like much today, this was impressive technology for 1984.
Supermoon in June of 2018 - Canon T70 (Unknown Film)
Canon T70 (Unknown Film)
(I Should Really Do A Better Job Of Cleaning My Cameras Before Taking Photos Of Them!)
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
Here are the basics:
Approx. dates of manufacture: 1984-1987
Manual focus 35mm camera
Canon FD mount
ISO range of 12-1600 (manually set)
Shutter speeds:
Automatic: 1/1000 sec - 2 sec.
Manual: 12 settings, 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125,1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2 sec. Bulb. (X-sync = 1/90 sec.)
Capable of 0.7 fps
3 Program modes (average, wide, and tele)
Powered by 2 AA batteries
Automatic film advance and rewind
LCD screen showing frame counter, battery check, film transport status, metering mode
Original Price: 104,000 yen (w/FD 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5), 69,000 yen (body)
Negative Positives Podcast…One Of The Best!! - Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
I grabbed a roll of expired (VERY expired) Kodak Tri-X 400, loaded it up, and carried it around with me for a few days.
(That’s Some Really Expired Film! It Still Loaded And Advanced Just Fine, But Was Super Grainy!!)
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
What do I think of the camera? I like it…kind of!
Kind of?!?!? Yes, kind of. There’s a lot to love about this camera, but it’s missing something that keeps it from being a 5/5 for me. But before we talk about what it’s missing, let’s talk about what it does have going for it.
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
Comfort. I find this camera extremely comfortable to use. It’s lightweight without being too lightweight. The grip is nice. It’s well balanced. It just feels good in the hands.
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
The viewfinder is big and bright. So much so, that it will spoil you. After putting a roll through the T70, you’ll come away wondering why the viewfinders on other cameras aren’t as pleasant to use.
The LCD display is clear, easy to read, and the menu is easy to navigate. It tells you only what you really need to know and it gets you there quickly.
Exposure. It’s spot on…every darn time! Seriously. Put this camera in one of the three program modes, and it’s hard to take a bad photo. That, of course, it limited to the exposure. The subject matter and composition is on you.
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
It takes AA batteries and provides a quick/easy way to check the battery condition. It’s so easy, I’d read other reviews on the Canon T70 where it was suggested to keep one on hand simply to determine the health of your AA batteries.
Bones!! - Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
FD lenses. I happen to think they’re underrated. On top of being good, they’re readily available.
LOVE Her!! - Canon T70 (Unknown Film)
Value. People are literally GIVING these things away. I’ve picked up 3 or 4 of these, oftentimes with a couple of lenses and a flash for under $25. The 50mm alone is worth that!
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
The sound. I seriously love the sound of the metal vertical plane shutter opening and closing on this thing. It’s music. Seriously.
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
So, what don’t I like? The lack of an aperture priority mode. Sure, you can get around it. But when aperture priority mode is available, I’ll choose it 99% of the time. I can’t help it. That’s just my thing. Unless I’m trying to convey the passage of time, I’d rather have control over my depth of field than my shutter speed. And the T70 doesn’t take this power away from you, it just makes it a little more cumbersome to do.
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
While uploading the photos for this post, I came across some photos from another roll I shot a couple of years ago, so I decided to include them too.
Canon T70 (Unknown Film)
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
This camera is definitely going to see more use than it has the past couple of years. It really is a joy to shoot and I’m pleased with the results I get from it. I’ve recently picked up a few more FD lenses I’ve not had a chance to shoot yet. Sound like a good excuse to get the T70 out again in the very near future. I’ve not put color film through it yet. Might be fun.
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
Canon T70 (Unknown Film)
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))
Well, there you have it. My take on the nearly 40 year old Canon T70. If you own one, I’d love to get your take on the camera. And you don’t own one, it’s a good time to add one to your collection. Like I said, they’re inexpensive and are (in my opinion) an underrated camera.
Canon T70 (Expired Kodak Tri-X in Ilford Ilfosol 3 (1+9))