• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Classic Camera Guy

  • HomeStart Here
  • CamerasDigital/Film/Other
    • Film Cameras
      • Canon SLR cameras (film)
      • Nikon SLR cameras (film)
    • Digital Cameras
    • Instant Cameras
    • Curiosities
  • AccessoriesMedia/Batteries/Etc
    • Flashes
    • Lenses
    • Media
    • Batteries
  • PhotographyBlog/Articles/Learning
    • Store
    • Black and White Film
    • Resources
    • Home Repairs and Cleaning
  • AboutClassic Camera Guy
    • How to Donate
    • Contact
You are here: Home / Cameras / Cameras - Film / Canon EX Auto [1972]

Canon EX Auto [1972]

By Peter on May 31, 2017 0

Canon EX Auto [1972]

Have you ever picked up a camera which seemed so familiar, so “right”, that it just felt great in your hands?  That’s what the EX Auto feels like to me – with that early 1970s twist.

When researching the history of Canon cameras, an interesting little evolutionary dead end occurred in the late 60s and early 1970s with Canon’s EX EE in 1969 and EX Auto in 1972.  These are the only two cameras ever to use Canon’s “EX” lens mount.  However this could be a bit misleading: as with some of Kodak’s Retina cameras, the rear lens elements on the EX Auto are always attached to the camera body.  The front lens element (with the EX mark) simply unscrews and can be swapped out for a total selection of four prime lenses.  This captured rear portion of the lens makes for smaller removable lens attachments, however clearly must have affected optical flexibility with such a limited range of options.  Case in point: there are no known zoom lenses for this mount.

With the base 50/1.8 lens, this camera feels very much like a contemporary Canon FTb or similar body.

My particular EX Auto is extremely clean, and the meter functions perfectly.  The camera operates in shutter priority, or in full manual.

What’s So Special?

The EX Auto was the more advanced of the two EX mount Canon bodies.  It added autodetection of the attached front lens maximum aperture and the cold shoe was updated to a hot shoe supporting the Canolite D – which adjusted for subject depth.

Aperture is set by a dial surrounding the film rewind knob, and can be set from 1.8 to 16, as well as an Auto option.  I can’t think of another Canon camera which sets the lens aperture on the top left of the camera; certainly nothing of this vintage.

Shutter speed is set mechanically and goes from B to 1/500.  The lens barrel controls are only used for focusing.

This lens has one unique and interesting feature I wasn’t sure what to make of at first.  Along the right side of the barrel is a little switch with a blue flash symbol on it.  When the lens is in the right position, this switch can be engaged into the focus ring, thus travelling with the focus ring, yet limiting focus to the reliable flash range for the matching Canolite D.  An interesting mechanical solution to a technical limitation of the flash.  I’ve not noticed this approach on any other Canon camera, though I suspect it would only be applicable for a known combination of lens/flash – so maybe a rangefinder, but no other contemporary Canon SLR could be that predictable.

This camera also boasts Canon’s QL quick load system for super fast loading of film.  This system was primarily on their line of Canonet rangefinders, but also appears on a couple of their SLRs.  To my eyes the system looks effective but extremely complex and would be a mess to repair – possibly why it was discontinued on later models.

Pros

  • Small accessory EX lenses
  • wonderful solid feel
  • Nice metering solution
  • Paired Canolite D adjusts for subject depth

Cons

  • limited lens options: EX 50 mm f/1.8, EX 35 mm f/3.5, EX 95 mm f/3.5, EX 125 mm f/3.5
  • not sure how to clean behind rear lens element/under pentaprism – mine has some dust in there
  • in certain situations it seems like the camera could have aperture priority mode – it doesn’t

Specifications

  • Manufacturer: Canon
  • Country of Origin: Japan
  • Made in: Japan
  • Introduced: 1972
  • Camera Type: SLR
  • Lens Mount: EX ( interchangeable screw in front lens element)
  • Format: 35mm
  • Battery: PX625, coin type door in the bottom
  • Dimensions (cm):
  • Weight:
  • Serial: 249022

Accessories

  • Eyecup: standard Canon
  • Strap: standard Canon
  • Suggested Flashes: Canonlite D

Manual

  • Canon EX Auto on Butkus

Additional Resources

  • Canon Camera Museum
  • Wikipedia
  • Camera-Wiki
  • Collectiblend
  • Ken Rockwell’s review

Gallery

20170527-222144-0178-21
20170527-222151-0179-22
20170527-222157-0180-23
20170527-222203-0181-24
20170527-222209-0182-25
20170527-222218-0183-26
20170527-222223-0184-27
20170527-222230-0185-28
20170527-222236-0186-29
20170527-222245-0187-30
20170527-222253-0188-31
20170527-222302-0189-32
20170527-222312-0190-33
20170527-222318-0191-34
20170527-222326-0192-35
20170527-222344-0193-36
20170527-222352-0194-37
20170527-222359-0195-38
20170527-222409-0196-39
20170527-222426-0197-40
20170527-222432-0198-41
20170527-222437-0199-42
20170527-222501-0200-43
20170527-222514-0201-44
20170527-222131-0177-20
20170527-222125-0176-19

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Discounts

Get a free month of Animoto Pro

Elsewhere on the Web

Peter R Theis Photography
PRT/Real Estate

Categories

Tags

1.6 2.1mp 6x6 35mm 120 135 220 645 1940s 1950s 1957 1960s 1970 1970s 1972 1978 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s camera Canon cdrw developing digital FD film folder Fujifilm instant Instax Kodak Konica Lytro Mamiya Manual medium format MF Polaroid sd SLR Sony TLR T series Yashica
  • Resources
  • Privacy
  • About
  • Contact
  • Photography
Copyright © 2023 Peter R Theis · Log in