Canon Pellix

The Canon Pellix is a manual focus camera released in 1965 that uses a semitransparent stationary reflex mirror behind which a metering cell is raised during the reading.

Canon's sudden switch from professionally oriented SLR cameras to advanced amateur cameras happened in March 1964 when they left the Canon Canonflex range and launched the Canon FX with the FL lens mount. It has a built in CdS exposure meter with a circular window on the right-hand camera front. The Canon FP without exposure meter was added later the same year. The cameras were well built, but the metering technology was several years behind the Minolta SR-7 which pioneered that technology in 1962. Then just half a year later, in the spring of 1965 Canon surprised the camera community with the remarkable Pellix. The new camera featured the much-expected TTL exposure metering facility, albeit employing the stop-down metering method.

However, what makes the Pellix special, is that the TTL metering is accomplished using a stationary semitransparent pellicle reflex mirror instead of the traditional moving SLR mirror and placing a CdS meter cell behind it for the TTL exposure measurement. The cell, attached to an arm is swung up in front of the film gate using the stop down lever on the right-hand camera front, reading the light projected from the camera lens after passing through the semitransparent mirror. Very few alternative locations inside the camera were available for picking up light rays from the camera lens. The Topcon RE Super has its meter cell placed directly behind the reflex mirror into which a pattern of slits are cut to let the light though, while the Asahi Pentax Spotmatic has a pair of cells located either side of the finder window reading light off the focusing screen.

The stop-down lever at the right-hand camera front also operates the self-timer. Pushing the lever towards the lens activates the stop down match-needle meter, while pulling in the opposite direction winds the timer. As with the Canon FX and FP, the camera back is opened turning a key at the base. The film speed is set lifting and turning the rim of the shutter speed dial. The camera is designed for the obsolete 1.35 volt mercury battery, which fortunately may be directly replaced by a similar 1.4 volt hearing aid battery, it is usable for about a year after activation whether used or not. The battery compartment is at the left-hand edge of the camera, next to the rewind knob. The Pellix was replaced by the improved Canon Pellix QL first marketed in March 1966. Improvements included the addition of a quick film loading mechanism and contacts in the base of the battery compartment for a separately available electronic booster for the internal exposure meter.

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