MENNO's
CANON PAGE
Menno van Werkhoven — www.lerp.nl
BMW Museum 2023
07.2023

Ferrari Museum 2023
07.2023

Italy 2023
07.2023

Japan Classic Sunday 2023
07.2023

Zuidplein Dakdagen 2023
06.2023

Japan Classic Sunday 2022
07.2022

American Sunday 2022
05.2022

 
archive

Close-ups in the lockdown 2021
12.2021

Normandy 2021
08.2021

Biesbosch May 2021
05.2021

Lockdown 2021
03.2021

Normandy 2020
08.2020

Hoheleye 2020
03.2020

Skoda Museum 2019
09.2019

Czech Republic 2019
09.2019

Japan Classic Sunday 2019
07.2019

Nationaal Oldtimer Festival 2019
05.2019

CitroMobile 2019
05.2019

American Sunday 2019
04.2019

Danish Cars 2018
09.2018

Denmark 2018
09.2018

Dinosaurs 2018
07.2018

Japan Classic Sunday 2018
07.2018

Texel 2018
06.2018

Japan Classic Day 2018
05.2018

International Classic USA treffen 2017
09.2017

Nationaal Oldtimer Festival 2017
08.2017

Japan Classic Sunday 2017
07.2017

France & Italy 2016
09.2016

Italian Cars 2016
09.2016

Car Musea 2016
09.2016

Japan Classic Sunday 2016
07.2016

BMW Sharknose Meeting 2016
05.2016

BMW Tradition Festival 2015
2015

Supermacro April 2015
2015

Rotterdam February 2015
2015

October in Black & White
2014

Italy 2014
2014

International Classic USA treffen 2014
2014

Louwman Museum
2014

San Francisco
2014

Nieuwerkerk
2014

London
2013

Tuscany
2013

American Sunday
2013

MB New Year Meeting
2013

Austria
2012

BMW museum
2012

Florida
2012

Toronto
2012

Airforce and Trainmuseum
2012

MB New Year Meeting
2012

American Sunday
2011

France
2011

France Eastern
2011

Rome
2011

MB New Year Meeting
2011

Traction Meeting
2010

American Sunday
2010

Greece
2010

Maasvlakte II
2010

SS Rotterdam
2010

Tiengemeten
2010

UK
2009

Rotterdam from the Euromast
2009

Rotterdam in 1970
1970


 
gear
Canon EF
 
 
Canon EOS R5
+
Best mirrorless on the market (2021), great IBIS, immensely capable autofocus, great viewfinder. Exceptional camera!
-
high battery consumption, expensive and uses expensive CFexpress storage cards

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 16 f2.8 STM
+
tiny, fast (f2.8),cheap and relatively sharp wide angle lens, easy to take with you everywhere
-
distortion without correction attrocious, looks like fisheye

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon TS-e 17 f4 L Tilt-Shift
+
Very wide for a tilt-shift, Truly understanding the 'Scheimpflug-principle' is a challenge but results are rewarding
-
heavy and a very vulnerable unprotected front element, small shift button

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Voigtländer 20 f3.5 Color-Skopar for EF
+
smallest 20 mm fullframe lens available, fully compatible automatic diafragm when mounted on Canon EF, great all metal build quality
-
optically not that great, gets beaten by FD 20 f2.8 which was designed 40 years ago, (optional) hood design not well thought out

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 24-70 f2.8 L IS
+
the standard zoom I have been waiting for - sharp across the (useful allround) range with IS
-
heavy and expensive, also expensive 82 mm filter thread

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 28 f2.8 STM
+
tiny, relatively fast (f2.8), cheap and sharp wide open, makes your R5 a point-and-shoot camera
-
veil with light in frame, distortion on the heavy side

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon EF 35 f1.4 L II
+
fast, very sharp wide-open, weathersealed, lack of CA, optically best lens I own hands down
-
expensive, pretty heavy

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Voigtländer 40 f2 Ultron for EF
+
sharp at f2, very sharp at f2.8, very compact standard fullframe compatible pancake lens, nice dome hood design, great all metal build quality
-
no autofocus (increasingly an issue with taking pictures of my family), locks up the camera it is on every so often

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon EF 50 f1.0 L
+
f1.0, f1.0, f1.0, amazing bokeh, amazing build quality, truly unique optic - did I say already it is f1.0(!!)
-
not very sharp wide open (best at portrait ranges), high purple fringing, heavy, slow(ish) focus, hard to find and very expensive to buy - still coolest 50 mm I own

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Contax N 50 f1.4 Conurus converted to EF
+
tradional well built fast 50 without any special elements, nice '3D'-look in your photo's when used right, very sharp starting from f1.8, autofocus with tradional Planar on EF mount.
-
very rare and expensive conversion from Contax N mount to Canon EF, aperture ring is useless and gets in the way

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Voigtländer 90 f3.5 APO-Lanthar for EF
+
quite compact, extremely sharp, nicely corrected (no abberations at all), good (and very smooth) close focussing ability, optically one of the best lenses I own, great all metal build quality
-
unfortunately not in production anymore by Cosina, not that fast (f3.5)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 100 f2.8 L IS Macro
+
extremely sharp at all focus distances and apertures, stabilized, weathersealed, functional bokeh-adjustment ring
-
much more expensive than EF mount predecessor, very hard to get (at least in 2021)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 100-500 f4.5-f7.1 L IS
+
extremely sharp at all focus distances and apertures, stabilized, weathersealed, close-focus, not very heavy (for the range)
-
very expensive, very hard to get (at least in 2021), but almost perfect (super-)tele lens

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon EF 100-300 f5.6 L
+
sharp, pretty light, great saturated 'old-Canon-L' colors and a bargain second hand, makes a lot better pictures than the low price suggests
-
slow f5.6 aperture, slow and noisy autofocus, rotates with focusing so no polarizer

[SOLD] Canon 5D mark 3
+
sturdy body, effective and fast AF system (certainly compared to 6D), good sensor in lowlight, easy to use for longtime Canon users like myself
-
dynamic range at low iso's low compared to current competition

[SOLD] Canon 5D mark 4
+
similar excellent ergonomics of 5D mark 3 but with better image quality (higher dynamic range) at low iso's, excellent autofocus tracking abilities, liveview (and focus) very well implemented
-
price is on the high side, especially compared to competition

[SOLD] Canon 1D mark 3
+
truly fast with everything, very good image quality (also in low light), battery just never dies on you
-
heavy, weird APS-H (1.25x) crop factor, low-res screen

[SOLD] Canon 6D
+
light and easy to carry, good sensor, easy to use (compared to Sony A7), ability to swap matte, GPS integrated
-
dynamic range not as good as competition, old (effectively one-point) focusing system

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 8-15 f4 L Fisheye
+
sharp, light, few aberrations, circular and full image fisyeye all into one
-
slower than older model (only f4), front element quite vulnerable, front cap design not that great

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD]Canon EF 11-24 f4 L
+
Exceptionally wide, no peer in tight situations available (like car interiors), optically quite good
-
(too) heavy and a vulnerable unprotected front element

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 16-35 f2.8 L II
+
useful range (my most often used EF lens), weathersealed, sharp in image centre, bulletproof performance with sun in frame
-
image borders not so great at any focal length, expensive filter size (82 mm)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 16-35 f4 L IS
+
useful (wider) range , weathersealed, sharp (especially when stopped down one stop), stabilized, compact hood
-
noisy IS (more noisy than 24-70 F4 L IS) and only f4, but other than that: great Canon lens!

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 24 f1.4 L II
+
fast, very sharp (especially at f2 and up), weathersealed, optically second best lens I own
-
fairly expensive, pretty heavy

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 24-70 f4 L IS
+
sharp across the (useful allround) range, stabilized, compact, light, interesting macro mode
-
some distortion at the wide end, to use macro mode one must be very close to subject, only f4 - Canon: why no stabilized 24-70 f2.8?

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 28-80 f2.8-f4 L
+
sharp wide open and very sharp stopped down one stop, great colors and contrast, useful range, bargain deal nowadays
-
weird design (internal zoom but external focus), significant distortion on the wide end, heavy, focus by-wire

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 50 f1.2 L
+
one of two f1.2 lenses in current Canon line-up, reasonably sharp, weathersealed
-
expensive for what it is, not ultra-sharp wide-open, purple fringing is an issue

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 70-200 f4 L IS
+
very sharp, pretty light, stabilized, weathersealed and not that expensive
-
none, its limited f4 aperture is a trade-of for the limited weight

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 70-300 f4-f5.6 L
+
very sharp at all apertures and focal lenghths, stabilized, weathersealed and quite short physically
-
relatively heavy (1kg), slow aperture at longer focal lengths

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 85 f1.2 L
+
one of two f1.2 lenses in current Canon line-up, very sharp wide-open, unique portrait lens unmatched by any maker
-
big, heavy, expensive, autofocus quite slow, no weathersealing

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
[SOLD] Canon EF 100 f2.8 L IS Macro
+
extremely sharp, stabilized, weathersealed, well priced
-
resolution wide-open at infinity a bit lacking compared to close-up, otherwise optically brilliant

Canon FD
 
 
Canon F1
+
a true classic, first truly professional system camera from Canon, still a delight to use in this digital age, virtually indestructible
-
pretty heavy (all brass), some accessories are hard to find nowadays, 1/2000 sec often wrong in non-CLA'd cameras

Canon F1n
+
mechanically best Canon camera ever made, small improvements over original quite useful, I love the short winding stroke (but not as good as with Canon EF)
-
same as F1, F1n seems a bit harder to find

Canon F1 with Motordrive MF and EE Servo finder
+
just plain cool when you're using it at sports photography, 3.5 fps, shutter priority
-
huge and very heavy (with 10 penlites in it 2,5 kg without lens!), quickly changing film not that practical because of sheer size and weight

Canon F1 High Speed
+
9(!) frames per second in a 1972 camera with no viewfinder blackout, amazingly well engineered
-
pretty much useless at anything else than high speed photography, no light meter and awkward ergonomics, extremely rare

Canon EF
+
a very well made but understated Canon classic, excellent ergonomics, basically is a F1 with EE Servo Finder and T Booster Finder all into one, nicest winding stroke on any camera I ever owned or tried - period
-
no motor drive, early (until 1975) microprism focusing screen not as good as the later split prism one

Canon T-Booster finder
+
funky accessory, gives true lowlight ability to Canon F1
-
little awkward to use, 1/60 shortest shutter speed available when mounted, eats (expensive) 6v silver batteries like there is no tomorrow

Canon Speedfinder
+
cool and useful accessory that is very useful for sports and macro
-
dificult to find in very good condition, can be quite hazy

Canon Shaft finder
+
simple accessory that turns Canon F1 into shaft camera
-
image reversed, no view of light meter, focusing screen gets dirty easily

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 7,5 f5.6 S.S.C. circular fisheye
+
bizarly wide - wider than 180 degrees, cool filters built in, no focusing required
-
slow, optically not that great (fringing, not very sharp), very vulnerable front element

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 15 f2.8 fisheye
+
very wide (180 degrees horizontally), very sharp, I have a very early non-S.S.C. version (nummer 77 of the line) which is very rare I think, useful filters built in
-
vulnerable front element, little bit awkward lens cap

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 17 f4 S.S.C.
+
very wide for an rectalinear lens, quite compact
-
not that fast (f4), optically not bad but lags behind the FD 20 mm which is a lot better, radioactive due to use of Thorium in glass

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 20 f2.8 S.S.C.
+
good combination of wide and relatively fast, quite sharp, quite compact
-
not that great wide-open (but very good at f4), can be a bit prone to flare (and no hood available)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Macro Photo Lens 20 f3.5
+
tiny specialized close-up lens to use with Canon auto-bellows for FD, focusses REALLY close to a magnification of 11:1 max
-
not that sharp, diffraction an issue at basically any aperture except wide-open, not that easy to use

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 24 f2.8 S.S.C.
+
quite good optically, compact, useful (read cheap) 55 mm filter size
-
I always choose a faster (35 mm) or wider (20 mm) option so it's rarely used

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 28 f2 S.S.C.
+
compact and fast, useful (read cheap) 55 mm filter size
-
not that great optically, doesn't compare well to FD 35 mm f2

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 35 f2 S.S.C. (convex and concave)
+
very sharp (my convex is a little bit sharper), contrast with concave unmatched, compact and fast, useful (read cheap) 55 mm filter size
-
concave quite yellow (and radioactive) - but clears up under UV light well

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 35 f2.8 S.S.C. Tilt-Shift
+
unique possibilities with tilt and shift, very well made, reasonably good optically
-
a little bit awkward to use (manual diafragm), optically not excellent (should have been for the VERY high price it costed when new), not that easy to find in good shape (loads of these lenses were butchered to fit modern Canon EF mount), this very early copy is radioactive due to use of Thorium in glass

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Macro Photo Lens 35 f2.8
+
tiny and very sharp specialized close-up lens to use with Canon auto-bellows for FD, focusses REALLY close to a magnification of 6:1 max
-
diffraction an issue at apertures smaller than f5.6, not that easy to use (but easier than it's smaller 20 mm brother)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 35-70 f2.8-f3.5 S.S.C.
+
early Canon standard zoom lens that is actually usable, relatively sharp and fast
-
pretty heavy, range nowadays not that impressive

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 50 f1.4 S.S.C.
+
very sharp and compact multicoated standard lens of Double Gauss design, easy to find, useful (read cheap) 55 mm filter size
-
like all Double Gausse designs not that great wide open (but very sharp starting from f2)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 50 f3.5 S.S.C. Macro
+
very sharp and compact 'macro' lens, useful (read cheap) 55 mm filter size
-
slow (f3.5), more a close-up lens than a true macro (only 1:2 magnification standard), needs 25 mm extension tube for full 1:1

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 55 f1.2 S.S.C.
+
very fast and affordable f1.2 standard lens
-
optically not that great (FD 50 f1.4 is better), flares a lot, hood difficult to find, makes you long for the excellent Aspherical version of this lens

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 80-200 f4 S.S.C.
+
early Canon tele zoom lens that is actually usable, sharp and fast, modern look to images
-
pretty heavy, range nowadays not that impressive

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 85 f1.8 S.S.C.
+
very sharp and compact portrait lens, useful (read cheap) 55 mm filter size
-
no f1.2 Aspherical..

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 85-300 f4.5 S.S.C.
+
early Canon tele zoom lens that is actually usable, sharp and fast at 300mm, modern look to images
-
very heavy, range nowadays not that impressive

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 100 f2.8 S.S.C.
+
optically good and compact short telelens, useful (read cheap) 55 mm filter size, has nice soft 'pastel'-like colours
-
colours not to everyones taste, quite slow (f2.8)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 100 f4 S.C. Macro
+
very sharp 'macro' lens, more distance to subject than with 50 macro, useful (read cheap) 55 mm filter size
-
contrast suffers because single coated, slow (f4), needs 50 mm extension tube for full 1:1

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Bellows Lens FL 100 f4 Macro
+
very sharp and unique 'macro' lens for use with bellows (both FL and FD bellows work), same (excellent) 5-lens optical design as later Canon FD 100 f4 Macro, maximum magnification 3:1
-
contrast suffers because single coated, slow (f4), needs FL or FD bellows to function at all

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 135 f2.5 S.C.
+
very sharp and relatively fast short telelens, quite easy to find in good condition, hood built in
-
only single coated (that's why contrast seem to suffer a bit with this lens)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 200 f2.8 S.S.C.
+
relatively fast (f2.8) medium telelens, hood built in, quite sharp wide open
-
purple fringing and CA an issue, big filter size (72 mm), contrast wide-open could be better

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 200 f4 S.S.C.
+
sharp medium telelens, which is quite portable as well, hood built in, shares filtersize (58 mm) with FD 135 f2.5
-
slow (f4)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 300 f4 S.S.C.
+
sharp and relatively fast (f4) telelens, ability to use internal filters, lighter than it looks
-
purple fringing and CA an issue, contrast not great wide-open

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 400 f4.5 S.S.C.
+
sharp and fast (for the focal length) true telelens, ability to use internal filters
-
again purple fringing and CA an issue, size makes it unwieldy

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FL-F 500 f5.6
+
optically decent for only a six element telelens, magnificent build quality
-
according to brochures of the time 'highly portable'. Compared to what? A bag of cement?

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 500 f8 S.S.C. Mirror
+
very compact for the focal length, reasonably sharp, ability to use internal filters
-
only F8, ugly onion ring bokeh

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon FD 800 f5.6 S.S.C.
+
one of the first white Canon supertele lenses, still impressive to look at, great display piece, sharp but lots of CA
-
very heavy and unwieldy, only works with tripod, pretty much useless in modern day and age

Canon
Rangefinders
 
Canon 7sZ
+
best and most able classic M39 rangefinder, well built, reasonably good metering system, great viewfinder system with projected framelines from 35 to 135 mm
-
big compared to earlier Canon rangefinders and far less elegant, thinner brass plating as well

Canon 7s
+
best and most able classic M39 rangefinder after final '7sZ'-version, well built, reasonably good metering system, good viewfinder system (with some ghosting) with projected framelines from 35 to 135 mm
-
big compared to earlier Canon rangefinders and far less elegant, thinner brass plating as well

Canon 7
+
best and most able batteryless classic M39 rangefinder, well built, built in meter, great viewfinder system with projected framelines from 35 to 135 mm
-
big, no flash shoe (you need the pictured Canon Accessory Coupler for that), selenium cell in front not that pretty (not to say ugly)

Canon VI-L
+
last one of truly bullet proof Canon rangefinders with the absolute best build quality, cool viewfinder system with rotating prism, nice hotshoe with automatic parallax compensation when used with correct finders
-
viewfinder susceptible to internal detorioration (fungus,seperation, flare), difficult to find in really good shape

Canon VI-T
+
same as Canon VI-L only with cool bottom winder function
-
heavier and taller than Canon VI-L because of non detachable bottom winder - why not one camera with a detachable winder like the Leicavit?

Canon P
+
simple rangefinder with elegant lines - I think it is the prettiest camera I own, great clear viewfinder with sharp reflected frame lines, absolutely impeccable build quality
-
35 mm frame lines not visible when wearing glasses (like I do myself), doesn't have the neat automatic parallax compensation flash shoe like the VI-L/T

Canon 110ED20
+
one of the best 110 film cameras with quite sharp and fast rangefinder focussed f2 lens (52 mm equivalent), well built, great range of shutterspeeds (shortest 1/1000), new 110 B&W film available, cool close-up accessory available
-
big and heavy for a 110 film camera (Rollei 110 anyone?), not usable without a battery

Canon 110ED
+
basically same as 110ED20 but with shortest shutterspeed of 1/500
-
same as 110ED20, date imprint not easy to switch off

Canon 110E
+
lighter and cheaper than 110ED's
-
lens not that great (f2.8), scale focussed instead of rangefinder focussed, no date imprint

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 19 f3.5
+
wide and quite sharp in the centre, light compared to later retrofocus wide-angle designs, great finder included
-
hard to find, not that sharp in the corners

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 25 f3.5
+
tiny and very sharp 25 mm lens, works great with B&W film, good sun in frame performance
-
doesn't work well digitally on Sony A7 (dark corners), protruding rear element requires special hard to find rear cap

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 28 f2.8
+
small, sharp and relatively fast 28 mm lens, works well with film and digital (Sony A7)
-
corners wide-open not that great (but sharp starting at f5.6), single coated and no hood available, 40 mm filters hard to find

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 35 f1.5
+
very fast (f1.5) and compact 35 mm lens with unique look, works well with film and digital (Sony A7)
-
single coated makes for not so great sun in frame performance, although a small hood is available, wide-open significant spherical aberration (contributes to the 'unique look'), radioactive due to use of Thorium in glass

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 35 f2
+
tiny and sharp 35 mm lens, design wise a gem, competes well optically with current 35 mm non-aspherical designs
-
single coated and no hood available makes for not so great sun in frame performance

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 50 f0.95
+
f0.95 (!!) decades before Leica could do it with their new Noctilux, sharpness quite good for a non-aspherical lens with such a wide aperture, works well with digital sensor (Sony A7), unique look
-
heavy, big, single coated with that amount of glass is a recipe for a 'unique' amount of flare, curvature of focus field truly unique and horrendous

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 50 f1.2
+
f1.2 in small and relatively light package, optically quite good and a lot better than credited for (especially with digital sensor), unique look
-
like his big brother single coated so flare is an issue, focus field curvature is present a little (but not comparable to the huge amount and strange shape of the f0,95), focus lock is not the best design

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 50 f1.4
+
very sharp, fast and compact Double Gauss design standard lens
-
like all Double Gausse designs not that great wide open (but very sharp starting from f2), single coated so keep (very nice) hood on, not very handy filter size (48 mm)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 50 f1.5
+
very nice and supremely built Zeiss Sonnar clone, with high sharpness (stopped down), pleasing bokeh and good colors and excellent contrast
-
centre sharpness quite high at all apertures but corners are lagging behind, not very handy filter size (40 mm)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 50 f1.8
+
quite sharp (also wide-open), relatively fast and very compact Double Gauss design standard lens, quite easy to find
-
the bigger f1.4 brother is more useful and sharper stopped down, single coated so keep hood on, not very handy filter size (40 mm)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 50 f2.2
+
tiny but very sharp (also wide-open), relatively fast with unique 5 element in 4 group design
-
rare (only produced for 6 months in 1961), single coated so keep hood on, not very handy filter size (40 mm)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 50 f2.8
+
tiny and sharp, tried-and-tested Tessar design with 4 elements
-
slow aperture, single coated so keep hood on, not very handy filter size (40 mm)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 85 f1.8
+
very sharp, relatively fast and high contrast portrait lens that optically holds its own compared to much more modern designs (lens has a quite unique Sonnar derived design)
-
big, heavy, not easy to find in good condition (but worth every cent)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 100 f2
+
(like the 85 f1.8) very sharp, relatively fast and high contrast portrait lens (or fast short tele) that optically holds its own compared to much more modern designs
-
big, heavy, not easy to find in good condition (but worth every cent)

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 100 f3.5
+
small and light short telelens, easy to carry
-
my copy is optically not that sharp so I choose the 85 mm over it all the time

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 135 f2.5 M
+
optically very good and relatively fast long portrait lens, balances well with Mirror Box 2 on Canon 7(s)
-
manual stop-down aperture, really rare

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 135 f3.5
+
relatively compact telelens, longest available (in m39 mount) for the Canon rangefinder system, pretty sharp, easy to find
-
slow (f3.5), focussing with a 135 mm lens on a rangefinder is not that easy to get right - certainly not wide open

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon RF 200 f3.5 M
+
optically capable and relatvely fast (f3.5), looks impressive when mounted with Mirror Box 2 on Canon 7(s)
-
handling not that great (heavy, not-so-easy-to-use diafragm stop down system), really rare

Canon Turret Zoomfinder II
+
coolest external finder ever! build quality something else, very useful range of 35 to 135 with click stops at apropiate Canon focal lengths, very convenient to use for someone with glasses (like myself)
-
hard to find wide angle adapter (extends to 21 mm on the short side), not that easy to clean with loads of miniature screws and pieces of glass

Canon Mirror Box 2
+
VERY cool accessory to turn your Canon 7 series rangefinder into a SLR
-
hard to find, no auto-return mirror, heavy with lens attached (and not well balanced), a bit awkward to use

Canonflex
 
 
Canonflex R (original 1959 version)
+
first Canon SLR camera, beautifully made externally with good finder system, unique winder system on bottom of camera
-
first model is technically unreliable due to design error (winder gets stuck when small pin breaks internally), aperture design for lenses is complex and unreliable

Canonflex R2000
+
updated version of first Canon SLR camera with faster 1/2000 shutter speed, beautifully made and updated internals so much more reliable than first version, a joy to use as fully mechanical camera with separate light meter.
-
series has quirks like aperture design for lenses which is complex and unreliable, complex to mount and useless external metering system

Canonflex RP
+
"budget"-version of original Canonflex without interchangeable viewfinder, actually more reliable than original
-
same quirks like other Canon-R series camera's, like aperture design for lenses is complex and unreliable

Canonflex RM
+
final R mount series Canonflex now with functional internal light meter (no TTL metering though), works a lot better than it looks with thumb wind.
-
ugliest Canon camera in history, readout lightmeter on top of camera and not in viewfinder, downgrade in build quality from earlier Canonflexes - like Canon FL series a consumer camera

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Super-Canomatic Lens R 35 f2.5
+
first Canon wide angle retrofocus design SLR lens, compact and optically acceptable from f4, usefull 58 mm filter size like all Canon R mount lenses
-
weird and vulnerable spring loaded dual aperture ring design, wide open not that great - especially the borders, quite slow for a company that made 35 mm's in f1.5 speed for rangefinders before

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Super-Canomatic Lens R 50 f1.8
+
well built and optically very good standard lens for Canonflex system, has a very nice (and quite unique) look to it both analog and mounted on digital, very sharp in the centre and on the borders (but see cons), all in all a gem
-
has weird sharpness characterictics: sharp in centre and borders but less so at the twothirds of the fullframe image, radioactive due to use of Thorium in glass

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Canomatic Zoom Lens R 55-135 f3.5
+
Canon's very first production zoom lens, relatively sharp and fast, great piece of Canon history
-
very rare in its original R form (only produced for 4 months, less than 400 made), very 'first-try' prototype feel to it

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Super-Canomatic Lens R 58 f1.2
+
well built and very fast lens for Canonflex system, first in a long line of Canon f1.2 SLR lenses, nice for portrait due to soft look of photos and short DoF
-
has a lot of glass but is not very sharp wider than f4, 50 f1.8 is a much better alround lens, radioactive due to use of Thorium in glass

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Super-Canomatic Lens R 100 f2
+
optically suberb short and fast tele, one of the original Canonflex launch lenses, copy of the equally excellent RF version
-
non other than weird dual apperture ring design that is for all Super-Canomatic lenses, still a very good lens in digital age

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Super-Canomatic Lens R 135 f2.5
+
optically good portrait lens, quite sharp at any aperture
-
not as good as the R100 f2, which is sharper and has nicer bokeh, focal range does not suit my shooting style

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Lens R 135 f3.5
+
copy of the 135 f3.5 RF lens adapted to longer flange distance of Canon R mount, small and well built, sharp enough
-
fully manual aperture, which is small as well with f3.5, Canon clearly would not go the extra mile for a redesign

(click on the image for a lens diagram)
Canon Canomatic Lens R 200 f3.5
+
same lens optically as the RF 200M version, optically acceptable
-
stupidly designed aperture system that nobody understands, why not make this a 'Super'-version with automatic aperture?

 
about me

My name is Menno van Werkhoven.

In my daily life I am (other than a husband) a father and a lover of classic Canon cameras, old Mitsubishis’s and old calculators, a Tax lawyer working in the field of Tax automation. For years I worked in the biggest camera stores in Europe and I am an active enthusiast photographer in my spare time.

The reason for me to start this website is to be able to show people what I can and do in the photography field. When people see me lugging around one of my antiques they ask me: what do you make pictures of? This website seeks to answer that valid question. I chose the creativity and the opportunity to create my own website instead of using a well-established website like Flickr. The current incarnation of this website was designed by Manetta Berends, a true website artist.

I take pictures because I like to. Not because I have to. I don’t have to support my family by me taking (and selling) pictures. I like it that way. You can always contact me about one of the things I own or on some info that I might have regarding my collection. Contacting me for (paid) assignments? Not so much. There are a lot of other photographers out there that need to support their family with their pictures – please contact them.

If you truly like a picture on this website you can contact me. If you would like to use one of my pictures for a commercial goal I am in principle open to that as well, against fitting compensation. For use of any of the pictures on this website besides strict private use I always need to agree in writing upfront.

I hope you have fun while browsing this website. If you have any questions or remarks let me know via email. You can also follow me on Twitter (details are below). I update this website regularly, so please visit again.

Email: menno(@)lerp.nl
Twitter: @mennovanw






www.lerp.nl — photo's and text by Menno van Werkhoven — last update 09.2023 — website-design & programming Manetta Berends