Canon Pellix
by Karen Nakamura
Overview and Personal Comments
The Canon Pellix is a unique manual focus SLR introduced in 1965. Instead of the regular, moving SLR reflex mirror, the Pellix has a fixed mirror that is composed of an ultra-thin (20/1000 millimeter) Mylar film coating. The mirror allows 2/3 of the light to go through to the film, and 1/3 to be transmitted upwards to the viewfinder. Using the text or images on this website without permission on an ebay auction or any other site is a violation of federal law.
Because the pellicle mirror is fixed, there is no mirror black-out even at the moment of exposure. While the original Pellix didn't have a motor drive otion, the pellicle mirror system in theory allows for extremely fast frame rates since the camera doesn't have to wait for the mirror to go up and down each time you shoot. The Canon F-1 High Speed could reach 9 frames per second, faster than anything else. This was the main selling point of the Pellix and the cameras that followed it (including the EOS 1nRS and RT). With the Canon 1vHS (which has a standard mirror), you could reach 9 fps without a pellicle mirror, so the idea of a pellicle mirror SLR was dropped.
The original Pellix in 1965 had a regular film loading. In 1966 it was replaced by the Pellix QL which had Canon's new QL (QuickLoading) feature which allowed for instant film loading simply by pulling the leader out to the red line.
Because the pellicle mirror is fixed, there can be a problem if you're taking a photograph on "bulb" or using the self-timer and you take your eye away from the finder. Light can enter the finder window, travel through the prism, bounce of the pellicle mirror, and cause internal reflections and metering problems. In order to prevent this problem, Canon put a retractable internal finder shutter on the Pellix. Just turn the dial around the rewind lever to the dark square to close the Pellix finder shutter. If you turn it to the 'C' position, you engage the battery-check (also turn the ISO to 100 and the shutter speed to 'X' and see if the match-needle goes up to the circle area). The Pellix takes the now discontinued PX625 mercury-oxide battery.
The Pellix only support stop-down metering. The enormous self-timer lever is also the stop-down metering lever. Push in inwards and the lens will automatically stop-down and the metering circuit will turn on. Match the internal needle with the center-circle by adjusting the shutter speed or aperture.
I ended up listing my Pellix on ebay in April of 2009 as I wasn't using it and felt someone else should enjoy this wonderful machine.
Interesting quirks
The
Pellix came with the 50mm f/1.2 or f/1.4 lens. With the 1/3 stop reduction
from the pellicle meter, these operated like 50mm f/1.4 or 50mm f/1.7 lenses.
You can use most FD lenses without problem on the Pellix. There's a 38mm f/2.8 that's specially designed for the Pellix, although I'm not sure what makes it so special.
I've read that there is a problem with some FD lenses on the Pellix but the ones I have seem to work fine. In general, FD is pretty compatible with FL
Mystery of the 38mm f/2.8 Pellix lens... solved! While reading through the many camera articles [on your website],
I saw the one of the Canon Pellix. As such, an ordinary SLR mirror could not move up
when the shutter was triggered, else it would hit the lens, so this special
lens could only be used on the Pellix, and not on the FT. |
Technical Details
| Camera
Name |
Pellix | Pellix QL |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer |
Canon, Inc. | |
| Place
of Manufacture |
Japan | |
| Date
of Manufacture |
1965.4 | 1966.3 |
| Focusing
System |
Single-lens
reflex with pentaprism eye-level viewfinder |
|
| Lens
Mount |
Canon FL bayonet mount | |
| Shutter |
Horizontal
travel titanium focal plane shutter |
|
| Metering
System |
CdS
through the lens (TTL) metering Full manual match needle metering (full aperture) EV 1-18 |
|
| Flash |
External cold-shoe and PC connection |
|
| Film
type / speeds |
Type 135 film (35mm standard) ASA 10 to 800 |
ASA 25-2000 |
| Battery
type |
1.35v PX625 mercury (discontinued) | |
| Dimensions
and weight |
141 x 900 x 43 mm (body only) |
144 x 91 x 43 mm (body only) |
| Retail
Price in 1965 |
¥70,800 w/ 58mm f/1.2 ¥58,800 w/ 50mm f/1.4 |
¥72,800 w/ 58mm f/1.2 ¥60,800 w/ 50mm f/1.4 II +¥1000 for black paint |
About Canon
Canon started out its life as Seiki Kohgaku Kenkyuujo (Precision Optical Research Company). Its first goal was to produce domestic inexpensive Leica clones, and it released the Kwanon, its first camera in 1934. Interestingly, they used Nikon lenses since Nikon was already established as an optical lens manufacturer and was not making any of its own camera bodies at that time. Canon soon gained the ability to make their own lenses and never looked back. Nikon also went on to produce some reasonably popular cameras of its own as well.
The name 'Canon' comes from the Buddhist deity Kwanon and early Canon cameras were actually spelled 'Kwanon' and the lenses were named 'Kyasapa' after another deity.
Side note: Canon is my favorite Japanese company along with Honda. I actually interned for Canon Japan (ok, Canon Sales Japan, a part of the Canon keiretsu) during a summer in college and loved my coworkers to death. They keep coming out with innovations that take your breath away.
On the Net
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