R-2000

Canonflex R-2000

1960

The Rarest - Most Collectable of the Canon SLR's

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Canonflex R-2000

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Similar to Canonflex* but with a top speed of 1/2000th. It is the rarest Canonflex with a production of about 8,800. They are very hard to find.

*(Introduced in 1959 - the original Canonflex was discontinued after only a few months. 17,000 were made).

The Canonflex R-2000 is rare and beautiful. A large camera and well-made, with a unique film advance lever on the base.* Canon made a big deal of this feature. Rewind button and back opening key are located on the bottom plate. Double exposures were very easy. Just take the first shot, push in the rewind button, advance and take the second shot!

*(Canon claimed the bottom advance was faster than the top-mounted type - this viewer has used the R2000 years ago, and doubts this claim and it was impossible to use on a tripod. Moreover, if it was used with a flash bar on the base - well, rather stupid, I think - you couldn't advance the film.)

This is a clean and uncomplicated camera (by today's standards), with a large, easy to grasp shutter speed dial. Shutter speeds are a 1 to 1/2000 with the shutter lock located around the shutter release. Uniquely, the shutter works AFTER the exposure, stopping more shots being taken, rather than BEFORE the exposure.

The lenses were specific to the R-2000. Although they had an automatic diaphragm which stopped down and opened up again after the exposure, depth of field preview was awkward. You had to manually stop down the lens with the 2nd f/stop ring, and then manually open it up again. I always had a problem - forgetting to do this.

The Canonflex R-2000 has what was to become the famous Canon breech lock mount used in the FL/FD's, but NOT the same. The "Super Canoflex" Lenses have a different set of connections at the back.

The removable pentaprism was very nicely done, riding on backward sliding rails. A waist level finder and a 4x magnifier were also available. Focusing screens were not interchangeable.

Today the removable exposure meter is rather hard to find. It clipped on with a spring loaded clip, the button of which is visible near the camera strap lug. Both high and low ranges were possible, coupling to the shutter speed dial. You then read the f/stop reading and transferred it to the lens.

Canonflex R-2000 Super-Canomatic Lenses (The R Series)

Unfortunately the Canonflex has a breech mount. That makes it likely that only Canonflex R lenses can be used, and you definitely cannot use widely available FD lenses. The R 2000 uses Super-Canomatic lenses which have a fast, fully-automatic diaphragm and a high-quality, breech-lock lens mount. The lens flange ring was turned to lock the lens onto the camera flange's bayonet lugs. The lens flange and camera flange did not rub against each other.

Will the FD or FL lenses "fit" on the R 2000?

A simple answer... "You wish..eh?" but nope... and worse, these R series lenses are ancient and irrelevant to modern photographic methods -- but a collector's item now. They cost big money!!

Super-Canomatic lenses use the same breech mount as the later FL and FD lenses, but with far less "pins" in the back to readout the selected aperture, report full aperture, control aperture, etc. In a pinch, after buying a R 2000 body, I did try a FL lens... NOPE!! Perhaps Canon FL lenses will fit without breaking themselves or the camera, but it would be important to test carefully. The later Canon FD lenses are non-breech lock, although the change was supposed to be compatible, it's not likely to work.

Automatic Diaphragms

35/2.5, 50/1.8, 50/1.2, 85/1.8, 100/2, 135/2.5 R lenses.

Pre-Set Diaphragms

100/3.5 and200/3.5 R with pre-set diaphragms.

Longer lenses made in R mount were the 300/4, 400/4.5, 600/5.6, 800/8 and 1000/11.

Two of the most difficult to find lenses are the 55-135/3.5 Zoom and the 50/1.2.

CANON RANGEFINDER LENSES

(85mm and Longer) are usable on the R-2000

The Focusing Adapter R allows use of 85mm, 100mm, and 135mm Canon Rangefinder lens heads

The Tele-Coupler R is used with the 200 and longer Canon Rangefinder lenses on the R-2000

A strange mixture of advanced and backward design.

	While the bottom mounted lever advance could be easier and faster than a conventionally mounted top mounted lever advance, it made other camera operations MORE difficult. With one hand on the lever advance and the other on the shutter release, photographers had no third hand to follow focus moving subjects.
	The exterior Canonflex was very clean and futuristic, yet important features were lacking. Importantly, it has a very useful shutter release lock, a very large and easy to use shutter speed dial, and a wonderfully engineered finder removal system. Yet, the Canonflex strangely lacks interchangeable focusing screens and a mirror lockup. Critically lacking was the convenience of ALL automatic diaphragm lenses.
	Limited initial lens lineup. The Canonflex was introduced with only TWO automatic diaphragm lenses, the 50/1.8 and 100/2. The Canonflex was introduced with NO WIDE-ANGLE LENSES. But with the RM in 1962, a few more lenses were available

After 1963 - there were no more!

Canonflex RP, 1960, similar to Canonflex but fixed pentaprism, production about 31,000

Canonflex RM, 1962, Similar to RP but with a built in selenium meter. The most common Canonflex with about a 72,000 production.

The Canonflex line was replaced with the familiar modern Canon FL/FD mount in 1964, starting with the relatively hard to find Canon FX with external CDS meter.