If anyone knows of 35mm or 6x7/6x9 film cameras lying around, and it can be given to me, contact me with the form here.
The only notable film camera the author owns at this moment is a Canon FX
The Canon FX was first sold in 1964. It marked a change from its predecessors. It had a new name; it was no longer a '-flex' camera, the name given to earlier canon SLRs. It also came with a renewed aperture mechanism, allowing its lenses to be used on later TTL cameras.
Speaking of TTL, this SLR doesn't have TTL metering. Instead, it has a little window at its upper right corner (looking at it from the front), which houses a CdS light sensor. A little lever at the top, sharing its axis with the rewind nob, can be actuated for High and Low light settings(for outdoor and indoor use), because the meter is not dynamic enough to give readings at extreme conditions of light or dark. The lever slides a metal sheet with a pinhole, which allows the meter to swing the needle freely. The meter uses a weirdly shaped battery and I am not sure where to look for 40 year old battery models. I am going to jam some smaller batteries I found in my room (aka Large Physical Capacitor for Private Tangible Items).
I recently took a roll of film through it, hopefully it will come out ok, because I had been filming without a trustable meter. I am not sure if the CdS resistor is in working condition or not.
No doubt I did some silly errors as well.
Update :March 2012
The first and second rolls of film were total wrecks. There is something wrong with the meter, it gave faulty readings. All pictures were under-exposed to the point where the guy at the film shop (who developed the film) told me in a very somber face that he could not identify the individual pictures, so he couldn't print a preview. He was sweating. Poor guy.
Crap.
The third film was ok. I stuck a brand new battery and stuffed generous amounts of aluminum foil so that the battery was securely jammed in the recess. Turns out the meter only wanted more juice :) I feared the CdS might have to be replaced, which would have been a daunting task (impossible to find CdS with identical characteristics).
I'm going to take this camera to Europe with me on a trip to England, Belgium, the Netherlands, (a bite of Germany) and France. I hope the camera survives :)
I did some research on the effects of X-Ray scans on film. It turns out that films of ISO (=ASA) 800 and lower survive up to 5 carry-on baggage scans without damage. Luggage scans are apparently capable of unleashing extra-dimensional levels of x-ray that vaporize film (kidding).
This camera was in the possession of my late grandfather who died recently. RIP grandpa, and thank you for preserving such a neat little camera.