Canon FTb

The first-generation 1959 Canon SLR line ⁽¹⁾ was not the success Canon had expected. A second line ⁽³⁾ followed in 1964, with a third line in 1971 ⁽⁴⁾. In this lineup, with the newly introduced FD mount, The professional bound flagship F-1 led, with the FTb following as a mass-market model. The electronic A variants of 1976 ⁽⁵⁾ were the last classic, all-metal bodies before the T plastic model line.

The FTb had most attributes of the F-1; the main difference was the horizontal cloth shutter instead of the vertical metal in the F-1. In essence, it was a slightly modified FT. It accepted the full FL lens range and the friendlier FD line. For complexity’s sake, the mirror lockup control and the step-down button were moved to the self-timer cluster. The step-down control works when the lens is set to A.

The FTb comes in two versions, where the 2^nd, still engraved as FTb, is catalogued as FTbN. Differences are cosmetic, with a plastic dressed winder arm, covered sync ports and a smaller self-timer cluster.  See the images below.

Canon early manual SLR models:

1. R mount: Canonflex, Canonflex R2000, Canonflex RP, Canonflex RM.
2. Fixed lens: Canonex.
3. FL mount: FX, FP, Pellix, TL, EX, FT.
4. FD mount: F-1, three slightly different models, FTb, EF, TLb, TX, EX.
5. FD mount: AE-1, AT-1, A-1, AV-1, AE-1 P, AL-1.

FTb variants: