Canon EOS 850

The Canon EOS 850 is a camera from Canon. It is a single lens reflex camera from 1988 and is very similar to the Canon EOS 750, but this model comes with a built-in flash. The Canon EOS 850 QD, another model, comes with a data back and can “save” the date of shooting on the film until 2019.

The Canon EOS 850 comes with interchangeable lenses. This is made possible by the EF bayonet. The Canon EF 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5A is often found with the 35mm camera. In Japan the new price for the lens together with the housing was 78,000 Yen at that time. Focusing is made easier by a built-in autofocus.

The Canon EOS 850 has a built-in light meter. It is designed for an ISO range from 25 to 3200. The camera reads the ISO value via the DX code on the cartridge. The SLR camera determines the correct exposure by measuring through the lens (TTL).

A special “depth-of-field” measuring mode is coupled with the autofocus sensors. By pressing the shutter-release button halfway, the photographer selects two areas of the scene to be in focus. The camera then determines the optimal focusing distance and sets the lens to a sufficiently small aperture to achieve this.

The camera comes with a bulb setting option. An external flash can be connected via hot shoe. The 35mm camera comes with a thread for a tripod. A self-timer is also built in.

According to the operating instructions the dimensions of the 35mm camera are 14.9 x 9.7 x 7 cm. It weighs 560 grams. A 6V 2CR5 battery (eBay / Amazon*) provides the power supply.

Films for the Canon EOS 850

According to the manual, the Canon EOS 850 needs to take pictures with 35mm film. 35mm films are still produced by different manufacturers. Beautiful films for black and white or color pictures are the Ilford Delta 400* and the Kodak Gold 200*, both are nice films for holiday pictures.

The color film is processed in the C-41 process. This development process is available at almost every photo lab. A development of a 35mm color film is for example easily possible at most drugstore chains in Germany.

The negatives of the Canon EOS 850 have a size of 24 mm x 36 mm. With the size of the exposure area, 36 photos usually fit on a normal film (135-36).

The film is transported automatically. First the entire roll is wound onto the take-up spool. Each time a picture is taken, the film returns to the cartridge. The transport speed is up to 1.2 frames per second.