PhotoNotes Camera Lookup Results.
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This is a basic feature listing for the Canon EOS RT.
Canon EOS RT:
The RT, or real-time, was essentially an EOS 600/630 with a fixed pellicle mirror in place of the standard hinged mirror mechanism. This fixed design allowed the camera to shoot at a very high speed with a minimum of shutter lag. An interesting historical piece, but not as useful as contemporary EOS bodies these days. Autofocus, being as it is one of the first Canon cameras to support the feature, is slow at locking in. Its interface in particular is not as well developed as contemporary cameras. A number of important buttons are hidden behind a little door, for example. Very solid and hefty, though. And useful for astrophotography, since its shutter requires no power to stay open. QD (quartz date back) version was available.
| Canon EOS RT | |
| Camera medium type | 35mm film |
| European/Australasian name | EOS RT |
| North American name | EOS RT |
| Japanese name | EOS RT |
| Asian name | |
| Date introduced | October 1989 |
| Date discontinued | |
| Marketing position when introduced | Speciality |
| Physical body | Canon EOS RT |
| Body type and material | Plastic and metal |
| Body build quality | Hefty and solid |
| Body colour | Black |
| Lens mount type | Canon EF |
| Lens mount material | Stainless steel |
| Dimensions (width, height, depth) | 148 x 108 x 68mm |
| Relative size | Medium-sized |
| Weight | 660g |
| Weatherproofing | None |
| Flash weatherproofing with supported flash units | |
| Exposure settings | Canon EOS RT |
| Basic (icon) modes | P1: Standard, P2: Quickshot, P3: landscape, P4: sports, P5: portrait, P6: macro, P7: Indoor |
| Program AE (P), aperture priority (Av), shutter speed priority (Tv), and manual (M) modes | P, Av, Tv, M, DEP |
| Metering types | Evaluative, partial |
| Manual selection of metering types | |
| Evaluative metering zones | 6 |
| Partial metering size | 6.5% |
| Spot metering size | n/a |
| Multi-spot metering | No |
| Manual exposure metering | Yes |
| Manual exposure metering display | Annoying Op, OO or CL display (open aperture wider, correct setting, or close it down) |
| Metering (not autofocus) range at 20°C, ISO 100 | EV 1-20 |
| DEP or A-DEP | DEP |
| Shiftable DEP mode | |
| Exposure setting increments | 1/2 stop |
| Exposure compensation increments | 1/2 stop |
| Auto-exposure (AE) lock | Yes |
| Single-shot AE/AF lock retention (keep shutter release halfway) | |
| Multiple exposures | Yes; up to 9 exposures |
| Auto exposure bracketing (AEB) | +/- 5 stops in 1/2 stop increments |
| Tv/Av safety shift to reduce overexposure | |
| ISO safety shift | |
| Camera shake warning | Optional beeper if shutter speed lower than reciprocal of focal length |
| Stop-down metering for manual-only lenses | |
| ISO (film speed/sensor sensitivity) | Canon EOS RT |
| Manual ISO range | ISO 6-6400 |
| DX-encoded ISO range (film only) | ISO 25-5000 |
| Automatic ISO selection in icon modes (digital only) | |
| Always displays ISO setting in viewfinder | |
| Dedicated ISO button | |
| Displays ISO setting in viewfinder when ISO button pressed | |
| Highlight tone priority (digital only) | |
| Auto lighting optimizer (digital only) | |
| High ISO speed noise reduction (digital only) | |
| Focus | Canon EOS RT |
| Autofocus points | 1 |
| Additional “invisible” AF points | No |
| Cross sensors | 0 |
| Autofocus modes | One-shot AF and predictive AI Servo AF with release priority |
| Manual selection of AF modes | |
| AF limit of linear sensors | |
| High precision limit of cross sensor(s) | |
| Focus point illumination | No |
| Autofocus speed | Slow |
| Eye control focus (ECF) | No |
| Autofocus beep confirmation | |
| AE lock button can lock focus separately (sometimes known as CF 4) | No |
| Dedicated rear-panel autofocus start (AF-ON) button | |
| Low-light autofocus abilities (AF working range) at 20°C, ISO 100 | EV 1-18 |
| Manual autofocus micro-adjustment | |
| IS (image stabilization) compatible | The viewfinder may shake slightly after photo taken if IS is engaged. This is distracting but does not affect the image. With AF off IS may disengage. |
| Teleconverter (TC) compatible | |
| Tilt-shift (TS-E) lens compatible | |
| EF-25 (25mm extension tube) compatible | Exposure compensation may be required |
| Autofocus Assist | Canon EOS RT |
| Body integral patterned red autofocus assist light | No |
| Incandescent white AF assist light | No |
| Pulses built-in flash annoyingly to serve as AF assist light | No |
| Can use external Speedlite AF assist | Yes |
| Can disable internal AF assist | No |
| Can disable Speedlite AF assist | No |
| Can disable internal and Speedlite AF assists independently | |
| Flash support | Canon EOS RT |
| Maximum flash sync shutter speed (X-sync) | 1/125 sec |
| Type A or Type B camera body | Type B camera (TTL flash metering) |
| TTL flash metering | Yes |
| TTL flash metering zones | |
| A-TTL flash metering | Yes |
| E-TTL flash metering | No |
| E-TTL II flash metering | No |
| FP (high speed sync) mode | No |
| Built-in flash unit | No |
| Guide number of built-in flash (in metres at ISO 100) | |
| Maximum coverage of built-in flash | |
| Built-in flash can auto pop-up | |
| Built-in flash can auto lower | |
| Built-in flash has zoomable flash head | |
| Built-in flash zoom detents | |
| Tall built-in flash | |
| Wireless E-TTL | No |
| Wireless E-TTL ratios | No |
| Flash exposure compensation (FEC) for internal flash | No |
| FEC for external flash | No |
| FEC scale in viewfinder | No |
| Flash exposure lock (FEL) button | No |
| FEL icon in viewfinder | |
| Supports Speedlite modelling light | No |
| Flash exposure bracketing (FEB) | |
| Can communicate digital subframe size to flash unit | |
| Can control flash unit custom functions (with compatible flash units) | |
| Auto fill-flash can be disabled | No |
| Flash hotshoe painted or bare metal | |
| PC (studio flash) socket built in | No |
| Supports high voltage (maximum 250 volts; not 6) studio flash | No |
| Supports second-curtain sync | Yes |
| Second-curtain sync custom function | No |
| Redeye reduction lamp | No |
| Viewfinder | Canon EOS RT |
| Viewfinder quality | Average |
| Eye level pentaprism/pentamirror | Pentaprism |
| Viewfinder coverage of frame | 94% |
| Viewfinder magnification (-1.0 dioptre w/ 50mm lens at infinity) | 0.8x |
| Built-in dioptric adjustment | -1 dioptre |
| Eyepoint | 19.3mm |
| Eyepiece shutter | No |
| Viewfinder display information | Autofocus mark, in focus indicator, partial metering circle, manual, partial metering display (AE lock), shutter speed, aperture setting, depth-of-field AE, flash ready, and exposure compensation. |
| Default viewfinder focus screens | New Laser Matte |
| Viewfinder proximity sensor (turns off LCD when using viewfinder) | |
| Interchangeable viewfinder focus screens | See footnote at the end of this document. |
| Depth of field preview | Dedicated button |
| Shutter and mirror | Canon EOS RT |
| Maximum shutter speed | 1/2000 sec |
| Minimum shutter speed | 30 sec |
| Bulb mode | Yes |
| Camera maximum aperture range (available aperture range is lens dependent) | |
| Shutter release lag time | 8 ms |
| Shutter life expectancy | |
| Mirror blackout time | |
| Fixed pellicle mirror | No |
| Active mirror control | No |
| Rotary magnet (low power) shutter | No |
| Mirror lockup | No |
| Mirror prefire (sort of lockup) | No |
| Self-timer | 10 sec, with flashing red light |
| Continuous (multiple shot) self-timer | |
| Built-in intervalometer (interval timer) | No |
| Intervalometer through external computer interface | No |
| Film motor drive | Canon EOS RT |
| Motor drive speed (frames per second) | 5 fps (3 fps in AI Servo) |
| Framerate with booster | |
| Motor drive sound | |
| Supports mid-roll rewind | Yes |
| Custom function to leave the leader out on rewind | No |
| Film winding type - standard or prewind | Standard |
| Other film-related features | Canon EOS RT |
| Interchangeable backs | Two optional backs were made available - Quartz Date Back E (a simple time-printing clock) and the feature-packed Technical Back E, which supported all kinds of programmability, including an optional keyboard and interfaces to MSX and MS-DOS computers. |
| Date-printing back | |
| Fake panorama masking | |
| Optional leader-out rewind | No |
| Barcode reader for loading shooting modes | No |
| Computer interface for recording shooting data | Using Technical Back E only |
| Data printing on film leader (frame zero) | No |
| Compatible with high-speed infrared film | Yes |
| Body and controls | Canon EOS RT |
| Rear (quick control) dial | No |
| Customizable function (C) mode dial setting | No |
| Rear cursor buttons | No |
| Multi-controller joystick | No |
| Film transport and metering controls operable by feel (lever position) | No |
| Power-on time | |
| Batteries | One 2CR5 lithium |
| Battery charger | |
| AC adapter | |
| Official shooting capacity per charge | |
| Battery increments in LCD | |
| Backup battery (for date/time, etc) | |
| Battery door | |
| Wired remote socket | None (Canon-proprietary T3 type only available with optional GR-20 handgrip) |
| Compatible wired remotes | Canon Remote Switch RS-60T3 and Wireless Controller Set LC-3. Unlike the more widely supported N3 and E3 (2.5mm minijack) connectors, the T3 is something of an orphan connector type |
| Compatible with RC-1, RC-5 wireless remotes | No |
| Tripod socket aligned to centre line of lens mount | |
| Tripod socket material | |
| Backlit topdeck standard LCD | No |
| Standard LCD size and position | Right side of top deck |
| Secondary LCD | |
| Standard top-deck mode dial | |
| Handgrip | GR-10 (Grip L; large), GR-20 (included T3 remote socket), GR-30 (same as GR-20 but without socket) |
| Optional case | Semi-hard case S (standard lenses), Semi-hard case L (long lenses), Semi-hard case LL (longer lenses) |
| Custom functions | See footnote at the end of this document for full custom function list for this camera. |
| Personal functions | |
| Canon EOS RT |
Interchangeable viewfinder screens available for the Canon EOS RT:
7 were available from Canon. Microprism collar, new split circle, new laser matte with AF frame, laser matte with grid, laser matte with scale, double cross-hair reticle, cross split image.
Custom functions for the Canon EOS RT:
1: Film rewind starts automatically at the end of the roll; doesn’t start.
2: Film leader rewound inside cartridge; film leader stays out.
3: Film speed read by DX code; manual setting of film speed.
4: Autofocus starts when shutter button pressed halfway; AF starts when partial metering button pressed.
5: Manual mode: shutter speed set by M button or LCD light button and input dial, or aperture set by M button and light button, and electronic input dial; electronic dial only.
6: Camera shake warning on/off.
7: Manual focus adjustments for USM lenses when lens set to M; allow manual touchup to AF.
8: Metering: evaluative/centre-weighted averaging.
9: Flash sync: automatic/locked at 1/125 sec.
10: Continuous wind: normal/activate by pressing shutter release and light buttons.
11: Next exposure will fire without re-metering/requires re-metering to shoot again.
12: Continuous shooting: no limits/limited to 3 shots.
13: Reset required after multiple exposures/not required.
14: 8 ms "real-time" shutter lag/40ms shutter lag.
15: Reset all custom functions.
User-contributed reviews.
Canon EOS RT
User reviews from the PhotoNotes discussion forum are available.
Product names
A note about names. The reason certain camera bodies may have multiple names is because Canon often use different model names for different regional markets. This usually applies only to consumer and some midrange products, and mainly to the USA and Japan. Whereas the international name is usually just a number or number/letter combination, the USA name will often be some cool or tough-sounding name such as “Rebel”. Canon Japan, on the other hand, typically use cute marketing names such as “Kiss” for their consumer products. Under certain rare circumstances there may be actual differences between the differently named products. For example, Japanese versions of the product may support wireless remotes whereas other versions may not.
In addition, note that date-back equipped versions of many film bodies are and were available, often with QD (quartz date) or DATE added to their product names. Japanese versions of consumer and midrange film cameras, however, almost always have date printing as a standard feature.
I generally organize the information by the European/Australasian name, since it’s usually a logical numeric system. Basically, the fewer the digits the more expensive the camera. Thus the 1000 cameras are consumer, the 100 cameras are advanced amateur, the 10, 5 and 3 cameras are semi-professional and the 1 cameras are professional. The terms “consumer” and “professional” aren’t judgement terms here - just Canon’s descriptions of the market segments to which the cameras are aimed.
Disclaimer
This page was generated automatically from a comparison database. There is no guarantee that this information is entirely free from error, given the fact that the database is frankly pretty huge and was compiled entirely by hand. Please notify me using my feedback form if you notice any inaccuracies.
Information was derived from a number of sources, including Canon news releases, the Canon Camera Museum and various manufacturer-supplied product manuals.
This information is accurate to the best of my knowledge, but I cannot take responsibility for purchasing decisions you may make.
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