Canon FT QL
Produced between 1966-1972, the Canon FT QL was the one of the first Canon SLR cameras with TTL metering. The FT QL was released alongside the FX (had a light meter but was not TTL) and the FP (no light meter) and was the most advanced of the trio. It enjoyed a healthy production run and proved an important evolutionary step for Canon that would eventually lead to it being succeeded by the FTb and F-1 systems.
The Canon FT QL uses Canon's FL lens mount. It is able to use the later FD mount lenses but the aperture needs to be manually stopped down for accurate light metering. The Canon FT QL has a cloth focal plane shutter with speeds ranging from 1 second to 1/1000 with a flash sync of 1/60, plus a Bulb mode. A large switch located on the front of the camera body provided a mechanical self-timer, depth of field preview lever and mirror lock-up mechanism. The FT QL had an accessory shoe but it was not hot, requiring flashes to be synced via the PC port on the front of the camera. Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of the FT QL is the "Quick Load" system that gives the camera its QL designation. A stainless steel sprung hinged device allowed the film leader to simply be laid over the takeup spool without having to secure it further. When the back door of the camera was closed, the QL device ensured that the film transported forward. This allowed very fast and easy loading of film and would later be carried forward in future Canon SLR cameras. It also allowed the film to be unloaded midroll and then reloaded accurate by positioning specific sprocket holes over the sprocket teeth and then advancing from there - handy if the user needed to change from color to B&W and wanted to pick up where they left off when later returning to a partially exposed roll.
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