A LOVELY SNIPPET DEDICATED TO THE CANON P!
Here is a very short article for you.
I recently purchased a Canon P for the second time, after selling a Leica M3 for the second time. Yes, it was the same Leica M3, twice.
That’s another story.
This Canon P came, mostly shiny, and mostly clean, but not in mint condition, not in even as nice of condition as my last one. There is some terrible desilvering on either side of the viewfinder, yet, and now this is the main part of this short article, the finder and focusing patch are incredible.
I honestly don’t remember what the first Canon P I had was like to shoot, to see through, to focus with. I read many articles about this camera in the past and more recently to run with the momentum and excitement of getting re-introduced with it.
Many people talk about how unimpressed they are with the “softness” of the rangefinder patch, and how dim the viewfinder is all in all. They also like to say how the Canon 7/7s and early Leica M’s are far superior.
When I’ve gotten to focusing indoors or outdoors, it’s blown my mind how easy it is to see through and focus with this camera. The 1:1 view is something so special, so clear, true to life and I can honestly, no joke, hold the camera 1 foot from my eye and still see what I am trying to focus on, clearly, seeing it shift from side to side and lock in.
The fuzziness of the patch is easier to focus with than the clear-cut M3 patch. It feels more open, available for exploration, and then when it hits, I can tell…it is a very interesting moment, but it feels perfect. I truly don’t remember it being this way on the other body. There is a chance the fire and appreciation for rangefinders, in general, has been rekindled through the clarity I’ve gotten with this Canon. I am quite happy about it. This article is practically over, I won't go into the ergonomics, how nice it is to hold, the build quality, ease of rewinding, and loading film, but that’s all pretty nice too. There are tons of other in-depth articles about just that and they cover exactly what it is most people are looking to find out about, but just remember, just like this article, it is all opinion.
About 8 Inches from the viewfinder, not the greatest phone camera, and not how I see it in person, but here you go!
It seems that in Canons' search for perfection in competing with other manufacturers that are historically on top of their game, they found a way to create a budget camera that somehow competes head-to-head in usability and also specific to me, the overall feel.
Again, viewfinder but a little closer. It is much more crisp in real life, but i wanna show something. A very great viewfinder! High end shit!
This camera, although lacking in some specs when compared to models that came later, the 7 and 7s, is far superior. These other models were trying to cater to those in need of things like a “not busy” viewfinder, and the use of an internal light meter. Another reason why I never longed to hold a Leica M6, no need for fancy stuff, just give me light! These things are not important to me at all. My eye locks on to the 50mm frame line immediately only after a few days of spotted use and once I get a 35mm lens that isn’t the Jupiter 12, I will be able to use the entire frame, and boy oh boy will that be fun! The finder is not busy, the body is hardier and just splendid and I can’t recommend this camera enough. Get it, get it CLA’d, and shoot shoot shoot away! You’ll have access to so many lenses, great lenses, shitty lenses and so much more. You won't regret it.
The End.