I've joined several analogue camera groups on Face Book, and I've decided to publish my posts here as well.

Usually, I photograph my old cameras at the same place, but with different background settings -- old magazines, photographs, picture post cards, camera advertisements and other items from the analogue era.

I had to sell the bulk of my camera collection. But, after putting the remnants together, I still have quite a few....

And now I feel a lot closer to these survivors. This is what happens after a great sense of loss.

And I have plenty of stories to tell.... 

This is my third post on the old and rare camera collectors' page. Enjoy!

My Canon FTb saga continues. This is my third FTb, bought in 1998 with FD 28mm and FD135mm F2.8 lenses (like a fool,  I gave away that gem of a lens, but I will publish a photo taken with it in my next post).

I lost my first FTb in 1987 while photographing a riot in Colombo. I was freelancing for AFP then, and Douglas Curran from AFP’s New Delhi bureau (he hired me for AFP in Sri Lanka) paid me  compensation. With that, I bought another FTb. That was my workhorse until I bought my third FTb in 1998 (it came from Japan, or so the dealer said). I used both cameras until the second FTb disappeared mysteriously a few years ago. It may have been stolen, but I’m not sure.

These workhorses (purchased as used) never gave me any trouble and never went in for serious repairs. My second FTb occasionally seized up. The shutter got stuck half way if you didn’t apply correct amount of pressure. By removing the bottom plate and nudging the tiny spring at bottom right, you could release the shutter. I always carried a small screwdriver in my bag.

As the cameras’ built in light meters didn’t work, I used a hand held meter or went by the sunny F16  rule. In the mid 1990s, one technician restored the second FTb’s match needle metering, which worked accurately for a few years, and then fizzled out.

After reading that top end cameras like the Nikon F3 or the Canon F1 were made to function in extreme conditions and temperatures, I decided to test my third FTb. It isn’t a top end camera but sits quite close, and I always had abundant faith in it. One day, I wrapped the body in polythene (not the stuff in the picture! )and put it in the deep freeze section of my fridge for a couple of hours. After I took it out, it worked without any protest. Of course, I took it for an immediate service!

Even when I had to sell the bulk of my classic camera collection, I kept this FTb and it shall always be with me. I look forward to using it again when I get hold of some film, no longer available in Sri Lanka.