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I've always been a Nikon girl, but when a friend recommended that I try the AE-1, I couldn't resist. I purchased one on eBay and tried it out (and quickly decided to buy another AE-1 and also a TX). It feels great in my hands. What is it comparable to? Hmmm, my Nikon EM, feels about the same as that, as far as the weight, appearance, and ease of use go. Let's see the pros--very easy to use. If you've ever used a manual camera, you can use this. Like I said, it is on a bit heavier side, but it has that substantial feel, not the flimsy plastic stuff. The lens changes out effortlessly. All the controls--apertures, shutter speed, zoom, focus--everything is pretty simple. Film winds easily. There's one or two cons I have to mention though. The lid for the battery compartment is flimsy. I actually cracked it a little bit while opening it and had to super glue it back. Also, when you close it once you put in the battery, it feels almost like the lid won't click all the way in because the battery is too big, or something like that even thought it's not true. I hate forcing it because I don't want to crack it again. I haven't played with all the features yet, but as far as I know, this camera is awesome. It's a fun piece to add to anyone's collection of vintage SLR's.Read full review
This is my first camera and I was expecting it to be a hard learning curve but this camera is pretty easy to use and the lens is perfect for all the pictures I've wanted to do so far. adjusting aperature, shutter speed, and iso are all easy to do and image quality is great. though the built in light meter is a little hard to use at times.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I've only recently started photography and this is my second camera(i'll have 2 of these, soon), so i have nothing to compare against and little knowledge however i will try and explain what i think of it. Please read other reviews before buying. Features- The canon ae-1 program differ a bit from its predecessor over that fact that it has the program mode which automatically choses shutter speed and aperture for you. This mode i think is the only difference between these two. It also allow for shutter speed priority which allows the user to choose a shutter speed and the camera automatically chooses an aperture to compensated for optimum exposure. It has a flash sync of 60, max shutter speed of 1/1000 and iso setting ranging from 12-3200. It also allow aperture preview when aperture is not on 'A'(took me a while to figure this out). Also this camera has a stupidly bright viewfinder( i have a f 1.8 lens) which help greatly while shooting at night and in general. Build- Plastic, its mostly made from plastic, however surprising it is very robust, apparently its made from some kind of new polymer back in the day. You can really feel the build quality from the camera. Its not too light and not too heavy and this offers a decent weight to balance with heavy lens. and also this camera just look gorgeous, it just scream vintage and probably one of the best looking cameras ever made. Bad Points- No Aperture priority mode - this really bug me since the old a1 model had all 3 modes. It allow you to choose the aperture and the camera automatically choose the shutter speed to compensate. however this camera doesn't have this mode so the only way to choose aperture is the go manual. Build - don't get me wrong the construction of exterior is fabulous however i can't say the same about the inner mechanic. It was primary targeted to a consumer market, so value for money was also a priority so a lot of plastic was used internally as well. This doesn't effect the performance of the camera however it create unnecessary problems over time. The infamous canon squeak caused by lack of lubing of the mirror gear and a lot of cameras have cracks in the back door. All in it has a lot of feature which made it one of the best selling cameras of its day, and there is still a decent market of it today. Lens from 3rd parties are very cheap and even canon fd lens can be found at a decent price.(high end lens are still in demand, so save up and invest) an amazing buy for anyone who is into film photography and for amateurs like me a awesome camera to learn with. Did I mention that its gorgeous? Finally, a few words of advice; 50mm lens is deabak always keep one. Once in a while an unused camera will appear, grab em before there gone. Be wary of shutter squeak as they can be hard to fix. Lights seal are a problem but can diy, not that hard to fix, however costs extra money. Don't try and clean viewfinder, get a professional to do it, i ruin by first one. and finally get out and get shooting =D Hope this help. Sorry about grammar mistakes. Enjoy and have a nice life. Abz~ P.s. deabak = great success / big winRead full review
Firstly, it worth each penny, and I felt it's a bit more than I excepted. You shouldn't use the Canon AE-1 until you've read the manual and are sure you know how to load and unload film, check for battery strength, and set the aperture, shutter speed, and film speed. But once you know where everything is, the Canon AE-1 is very easy to use, and its controls are more clearly labeled and intuitive to use than those of the majority of more modern cameras. As an SLR camera, the Canon AE-1 may be mounted with a variety of lenses from close-up to telephoto, and Canon offers a wide variety of excellent lenses. You can find used Canon AE-1 cameras in excellent condition on Ebay and elsewhere for well under $100. You can also get lenses and other accessories at very low prices. The old line of lenses manufactured for the Canon AE-1 generation of cameras can't be used on Canon's digital SLRs. Thus, as Canon photographers go digital, they have no use for their old lenses and often unload them cheap on Ebay or at used camera equipment stores. If you're serious about learning photography and you'd like to know how to work with film as well as digitally, buy yourself a used Canon AE-1. You will rarely learn so much and get so much enjoyment for such a small financial investment.Read full review
I am a vintage photographer, so I now blog about vintage cameras with which I am familiar. I just purchased a Canon AE1 Programable 35 mm camera to review, having need for one in hand to photograph and to use for image comparisons. The AE-1 was introduced in 1976 after a lengthy marketing build-up, and previews at various shows. It was a milestone for Canon, as a compact 35 that could be used by amateurs and professionals alike. It was also relatively afordable for the time. Any photographer who liked Canons either bought or planned to buy one. There was an ongoing fued, just as there is today, between Canon and Nikon. Nikon was considered to be the preferred professional camera at the tiume, but Canon was gaining ground. Minolta would take a different route and Olympus would own the sub-contact market, gaining great loyalty among its smaller group of owners. But the Canon AE-1 certainly generated plenty of fanfare. And it was largely deserved. I got mine a couple of years after its introduction, an old habit that I got into with virtually everything newly made, in order to allow time to get any bugs worked out. It had a few, but still became wildly popular. My canon came with a fixed 50mm 1.4. I bought an extra 135mm Canon lens, and a 28mm, in order to have the usual compliment of basic lenses. I was a fast proponent of medium format. The 35 had always been considered something of a toy to me. With ownership of a Pentax Spotmatic, I had grown slightly more trusting of 35. The Canon helped me a little farther along. The AE1 "tweren't no Hassy", but it was a fun camera with fairly true metering. Back then, pros preferred so set their own aparture and shutter, after having taken or devined the proper combination (usually a combo of both). The AE1 could be used in full manual mode. It could also be used in shutter priority mode. This meant that you set the shutter speed, and the meter and electronics would adjust the apeture for the best exposure. This was okay for many applications, but left something to be desired while hoping to control depth of field. Symbols were used to denote various other modes much as cameras are labled today. Portrait, scenic, macro, sunsets, and even back-lighted scenes--which would automatically open up an additional stop and a half. This could also be accomplished by way of a left index finger on a silver button-within easy access. The FD mount lenses were a little different, and were called the "New FD lenses". Lens compatablility has never been one of Canon's bragging rights, but the old lenses would work after a fashion. The optics and color corrective coatings on the AE1 were very good. In lens test from the time Nikon lenses were said to stillo have an edge. As I have come to know, different photographers look for different characteristics in lenses. Sharpness is merely one ingrediant sought after, and is often not sought after at all. Focus at all f/stops is also important. The Canon lenses were good at this in my experience. I am running out of space, so I need to draw this to a conclusion. The AE1 was and is a good 35mm film camera, which allows both manual and automatic use. One notorious problem for the aging cameras is called "chirp". Cameras which have not been used much for a long time develop a sound from the shutter blades that sound like a "chirp". It is pretty loud. I haven't acertained if it is an accurate predictor of shutter problems. I would always ask.Read full review
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