Canon Ftb: some general questions.

[Marco120588]

My dad gave me his canon ftb camera in which he bought around 1976. It is in excellent condition. I have some general questions. What are the advantages of having a mirror lock up and how do you use it? On the aperature ring, there is a little button. On my telephoto lens it says "0" and on my regular lens it says "A". What is that button for?

Thanks,
Marco

 

[voodoocat]

Mirror lock up is very useful for long exposures. When you snap a photo on an SLR, the mirror flaps up creating vibrations and slightly blurs a photo.

 

[Marco120588]

But if the mirror is locked up, then wont the film be exposed before I even take the picture because of the light passing through the lens?

 

[voodoocat]

The film isn't exposed until the curtain opens. If you open the back of your camera to load the film, you will see a fabric curtain. That is your shutter.

 

[Marco120588]

Thanks for the info. Another question: Should I also keep the mirror locked up when changing lenses, or would it not matter?

 

[voodoocat]

I would keep the mirror down when cleaning lenses. you don't want dust going behind the mirror.