Canon ae-1 manual review

Poor lens versatility. We said earlier that FD lenses are cheaper than their Nikon or Olympus counterparts, because they are not easily adapted to modern cameras.

This is because to use them with Canon or Nikon or any other DSLRs, the adapter needs a corrective glass element which tends to ruin the quality. This lowers demand, which lowers price for those on the lookout.

This was probably because when Canon released the current EOS mount in , they wanted people to buy all their new lenses, so they made the flange distance just right to stop people adapting the older lenses. Sneaky devils. The lenses themselves are pretty good quality however, so the results from a native FD camera or adapting to Micro Four Thirds pfft are usually quite good.

The more exotic lenses like the superteles and the fast ones tend to still command good prices however. Possible reliability issues. Many users wanted the program AE mode that was featured in the A This mode set both the shutter speed and aperture automatically. The user just had to press the shutter button. Canon AE-1 Repair Repairing the AE-1 involves removing the top cover to reveal a flex circuit, together with conventional components. The added complication in this camera is in the form of a string, which connects the film speed coupler, to the functional resistor on other side of the camera.

In this camera design, there are concentric shutter speed and ASA film speed dials, around the film advance lever, however the electronics potentiometer is on the other side of the camera and concentric around the film rewind knob. When you rotate the film speed dial, a string transmits the force to move the potentiometer at the other end.

In the manual, they call the potentiometer a functional resistor, which has a track and a wiper. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this despite not being a big fan of gear reviews.

Thank you for the refreshing honesty! Funny article. See also : Canon Squeal. Late term. Usually fatal for Canons except for dependants of the most ardent owners.

Nothing to do with any shutter at all as it is just the mirror regulator as shutters DO NOT use bearings only bushings. One or two drops of oil in the right spots cures this quickly and permanently. Did 3 of mine and quietly use them.

I have used the Canon AE-1 and A-1 cameras and was never impressed. They are capable of taking fine photos, but are of mediocre feel and are totally uninspiring. Canon FD lenses offered fine imaging quality, but were very plasticky with stiff aperture rings. The Canons feel plasticky and inevitably develop that really annoying shutter squeal, which if repaired always seems to come back. The A-1 is very gimmicky, with distracting bright red flashing LEDs in the viewfinder, with no coupled manual metering.

OK, but completely uninspiring to hold and use. The AE-1 pioneered the cheapening of 35mm camera body construction, which was not a positive thing, other than making cameras less expensive for the masses. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. All photographs and text appearing on 35mmc. An act of design malfeasance. So sick. Alternatively, please feel free to chuck a few pennies in the tip jar via Ko-fi: Become a Patron! You Might Also Like Leica R6. Reply Ch. Reply Cain October 20, at pm I hope people continue to lust after this camera.

Reply Lawrence L Huber October 20, at pm You are looking at the camera from the perspective. Reply Fabien October 20, at pm Ah, I see… young geek as pimply as his favorite cameras! Reply Chalifour Bruno October 20, at pm PS Fabien, it terms of zigouigouis and other merdouilles no-one can say that any camera with any electronics in them does not have some.

Reply Brian Gordon October 20, at pm The only problem I had with the two AE-1 cameras I have including one of the first, when fewer than , of the eventual 6 million had been made was that, after years of shooting, the foam mirror dampers disintegrated, causing. Reply Johnny Martyr October 20, at pm Not changing light seals on old cameras is like driving without changing the oil in your car. Reply Chalifour Bruno October 20, at pm As said previously in another post about the Canon AE1, this was a camera that was launched like a new bar of soap… with tons of worldwide advertising by Canon.

Reply Johnny Martyr October 20, at pm Amazing review. Reply AlistairH October 21, at am A good read, indeed. I had a Canon AE-1 from new in around , and I absolutely hated it. Reply Jerry October 21, at am Loves your review, also loved reading all the replies to it.

Reply Kodachromeguy October 21, at pm What is this wheeze or rattle? What does the AE-1 do or not do? Reply Marco Diaz October 21, at am Great article. Reply Sciolist October 21, at pm Interesting. Reply Paul October 21, at pm I was hoping your review could be more descriptive J. In this way its weakest asset, manual shooting, becomes its greatest strength. The viewfinder on the AE-1 is about as sparse as they come. As mentioned, it has only one gauge and one needle.

Shutter speed and selected aperture are not displayed. Over- and under-exposure are indicated by red areas in the gauge and a single flashing LED. Focusing is handled by the customary split-image rangefinder and matte focusing screen.

The viewfinder is bright enough when shooting with FD lenses, which use through the lens, wide-open aperture metering. But to clearly see the full frame it seems necessary to really shove your eye against the viewfinder.

Any distance between your eye and the camera results in a perspective that makes visibility much more obscured than with other cameras.

What this means for people shooting with an AE-1 is that the phenomenal FD lens range tends to be pretty inexpensive. On the contrary, they are optically fantastic. This lens accompanied by a wide and a tele, create a kit that will effectively handle every need of the average photographer at a cost that would hardly break the bank.

Walking around with the AE-1 is a pleasure. I started my weekend with the AE-1 unsure of what to expect. In its day it was a masterpiece of technology and design. Today it owns a reputation as a classic, timeless machine. But it also deserves its reputation for being temperamental. It breaks, you fix it, and it breaks again. But then you spend the weekend with it. This camera makes you relax and makes you think of things in a different way, it helps you learn and it helps you grow. By purchasing anything using these links, Casual Photophile may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.

This helps Casual Photophile produce the content we produce. Many thanks for your support. James Tocchio is a writer and photographer, and the founder of Casual Photophile. I am going to get a battery today. This camera has been packed away in a large case for probably 30 years.

I hope it still works. I have been looking all over the Internet for information about this camera, you are the very first one I have found that answered all my questions. I know how to shoot in manual, yet was frustrated with my first experience with the AE-1 yesterday and was about to scrap it for the Program — you have convinced me to have another go at it.

Cannot thank you enough! HI, first of all, thank you for this site which is incredibly well-informed and so, not just a little interesting. I also found out somewhere on the net that my A-1 can share its Speedlite A flash with its older brother. Is it correct? Excellent article and a joy to read. I purchased my black body AE-1 in Hong Kong back in while serving in the Marine Corps, and to this day it has been a great camera and has produced some amazing pictures, given the limitations of the guy standing behind it.

But I must say that it appears I have an abnormal one. I am the only owner and it has never experienced any of the symptoms that you described. I finally did send it in for its first cleaning and foam replacements recently, but nothing was broken, and there has never been any squeal.

It has just worked flawlessly for over 30 years. Best camera I ever purchased! As a side note, the all black model was very difficult to find in the U. I personally love the black model.