Canon T50

The T50 is a 35-millimeter single-lens reflex (SLR) camera with automatic exposure (AE) system manufactured by the Canon Corporation of Japan in the early 80s. This was one of the earliest cameras with automatic film transport, and electronic shutter. This design was a logical step forward eliminating the requirement for a special winder mechanism, which many photographers hated because they required batteries of their own adding weight to the camera. The level of automation is minimal, and you still have to focus the lens manually, and rewind the film using the crank.

As it has a Canon FD lens mount, you can use almost any lens in the FD series except the fisheye, reflex, some of the macro lenses, extension tubes, and anything with AE signal pins. This camera does not have electronic focus (EF) capability and therefore whilst a lens may fit, you will not get the benefits of EF.

There are a few good things going for this camera making it desirable for collectors. The microprocessor technology employed makes them extremely simple to use. It produces clear and sharp photographs with minimal fuss and bother every time. With this, you have the best of both worlds with manual focus, and the convenience of an automatic film wind.

This camera has a vertical travel focal-plane electromagnetic attraction shutter. Electronic microprocessor circuitry automatically controls the shutter speed from 2 seconds to 1/1000 second in "A" mode.

The controls are extremely simple and ideal for those photographers who hate complex dials.

Cost / eBay

Usually, the place to find this camera for sale is eBay, and with my newfound blogging poverty, I had just enough money to buy a broken T50 camera body that was going for 99p in the "Buy it now" listings. There was a very good chance it would require repair and therefore I bought it because I wanted to see its design construction.

If you are buying one of these in the second hand market, then make sure it has a battery door, and the motor is working. If all it does is "beep" and not load the film, then it will require repair, which is costly and time consuming, because this camera has complex circuitry and build.

These cameras are not much to look at from the outside, but they take excellent photographs, hence a working camera body can sell for as little as £10 depending upon its condition and it could be a bargain for the right hobbyist. If it is with the lens and accessories, then it could fetch considerably more. For a camera collector, this model is worth getting because it was the first of the "T" series, having minimal automation. There is also the 1984 Olympic Games version, which is also a collectible.

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