[Canon] Canonex | October 1963
Canonex
During this time in Europe, German-made Lens-Shutter 35mm SLR cameras were at the forefront. To counter this and respond to the European subsidiary’s desire for such a camera, the Canonex was developed. It was Canon’s first and last Lens-Shutter SLR camera. The main features were shutter speed-priority automatic exposure (EE) with a built-in selenium exposure meter, an aperture scale and match needle in the viewfinder, and a metering and exposure window with an exposure warning zone. With conventional Lens-Shutter SLR cameras, the light entering the camera through the eyepiece during exposure was blocked by a blinding curtain behind the mirror. However, since the Canonex’s mirror also functioned as a blinding curtain, no separate blinding curtain was needed.
Canonex Camera Specifications
- Type: 35mm Lens-Shutter single-lens reflex camera, shutter speed-priority EE
- Picture Size: 24 x 36 mm
- Lens: Canon SE48mm f/2.8 (3 elements in 3 groups)
- Shutter: Copal X; B, 1/15 to 1/500 sec, X-sync flash with a German socket on the front of the camera
- Viewfinder: Fixed eye-level pentaprism, 0.9x magnification, 90% coverage, split-image rangefinder, quick-return reflex mirror coupled to automatic aperture
- Right of the viewfinder has an aperture scale, match needle, and metering warning zones
- Exposure Meter and EE: Selenium photocell for shutter speed-priority automatic exposure (EE)
- Metering range: EV 7 – 17 (at ISO 100)
- Film speed range: ISO 10 – 400
- Manual exposure enabled by disabling AUTO
- Film Loading and Advance: Insert onto spool after opening the camera back, advance with the camera-top lever (196° single or partial strokes with an extra 24° stroke)
- Frame Counter: Counts up, resets automatically when the camera back is opened
- Film Rewind: Camera-top crank
- Dimensions and Weight: 130 x 75 x 70 mm, 690 g
