page_title: Canon Pellix
section_title: The pellicle mirror
hierarchical_section_title: Canon Pellix / The First Canon with TTL / The pellicle mirror
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: キヤノンぺリックスのペリクルミラー English: The pellicle mirror of canon pellix
context_page_description: 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.
context_section_description: The semitransparent fixed mirror in the Pellix, for the first time successfully used in a 35mm SLR camera, lets about two-thirds (66%) of the light from the lens pass directly through to the film, while the rest is reflected to the viewfinder.
  The object of this arrangement - apart from accomplishing TTL metering, is for a simpler construction, a less noisy operation, and to get rid of the finder blackout during exposure. That is a favourable proposition, but the design has its flaws; the obvious one being loss of light, about one half stop (- 0.5 EV) in the exposure through the semitransparent mirror, and about one and three-fourth stop (- 1.7 EV) dimmer finder compared to using a fully reflecting mirror. A more serious problem however, is that the image forming light rays has to pass through the stationary pellicle mirror - in itself an obstruction, but over time the mirror surfaces also become soiled; it scatters the light and therefore degrades the projected image that forms the image on the film. If this occurs, or the fragile mirror is damaged in any way, it has to be replaced.
  It is true the finder does not go black during exposure, but at small lens apertures, the eye has no time to adjust to the dark finder. The operating noise from the Pellix is surprisingly similar to that of the Canon FX using a moving reflex mirror. Canon made two fast lenses, the FL 50mm 1:1.4 and the FL 58mm 1:1.2, in order to compensate for the light loss, but fast lenses might increase the risk of the sun burning holes in the shutter curtain not being protected by a solid mirror; a fact anticipated and solved by providing the Pellix with a metal shutter curtain. Another obstacle is the risk of light finding its way into the camera by way of the finder window during exposure, since there is no mirror to block the path in its up-position. This was also anticipated, and a finder blind is provided which is operated by turning the ring under the rewind knob, especially useful when leaving the camera on a stand. The Meter circuit is susceptible to breakage due to the CdS meter arm being moved into position behind the pellicle mirror during exposure reading. A special lens was made available for the Canon Pellix, the FLP 38mm 1:2.8, utilising the fact the camera has a stationary mirror that will not hit the lens' rear element. The FLP code indicates that this lens is exclusively to be used on Pellix camera.
caption: The pellicle mirror
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