Canon Pellix QL1966

History

Canon introduced the original Pellix in 1965 as the world's first production SLR with a fixed pellicle mirror. The QL variant followed in 1966 with Canon's Quick Load film-loading system, which guided the film leader automatically and was designed to reduce user loading errors. Both Pellix models use the FL mount, the lens standard Canon employed between the original R mount (introduced with the Canonflex in 1959) and the FD mount (introduced in 1971). FL lenses can be used on FD-mount cameras with stop-down metering, and FD lenses can be physically mounted on FL-mount bodies.

Why It Matters

The Pellix QL is a footnote to the more famous original Pellix, but the QL mechanism is worth noting: Canon's Quick Load system was a direct precursor to the loading approaches later adopted in mass-market cameras throughout the industry. The fixed-mirror approach the camera demonstrates would not see mainstream adoption again until Canon revisited it with the EOS RT (1989) and the EOS-1N RS (1995), the latter a professional body capable of 10 fps specifically because the mirror never moved. The Pellix QL thus sits at the beginning of a thread that Canon would eventually pull all the way to the professional market.

Lenses & Accessories

Canon FL-mount lenses are the native fit. A small number of original FL lenses cover the most common focal lengths: 19mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 58mm, 85mm, 100mm, 135mm, and several longer telephoto and zoom options. FL-to-FD adapters do not exist in a meaningful sense because both mounts share the same flange distance; FL and FD lenses cross-mount with mechanical compatibility but without automatic diaphragm coupling on mismatched bodies. Canon R-mount lenses from the Canonflex era can also be adapted with limitations.

References

• Camera-Wiki: Canon Pellix