Canon A-1

Hi guys I had a few questions about a Canon A-1 my dad gave me yesterday.

 

I first wanted to ask when this camera was made, Where can I learn more about it?

I own a Nikon D50 right now so I'm completely oblivious to the whoole 35mm thing.

Canon A1 1978-1982 RIP. Check here

 

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/SLRs/a1/index.htm

 

You can also get a lot more answers in the Canon FD forum. The EOS forum is not the right place.

Hi Erik,

 

The Canon A-1 was the first fully electronic SLR, and my very first brandnew top-of-the

line camera. I felt like a million bucks with it. And, it being my first (camera-)love, I'll never

forget it.

I also won't forget why I got another SLR, a few years later: the superspecced A-1 had so

many possibilities and settings that I always (well, not always; but far too often anyhow)

forgot to set one or more settings... Resulting in shitty exposures, of course. That, in the

pre-digital age, obviously became a bit too expensive. Too frustrating too eventually. So I

started shooting slides and changed to a Minolta 9i, and a couple more Minolta's after

that, until my personal 'dawn of the digital age'.

 

So my advice to you is: shoot slides. That will, overall, turn out less expensive than

shooting color-negative film.

 

The A-1 was the most advanced SLR of its era, but to be honest, I wouldn't want to go

back to that technology....

The A-1 was a thing of beauty. A mint condidition A-1 is stunning. Put a clean F 1.4 50 Canon FD glass on it and load it with good film (good print or good slide) and it will shoot images that will make Canon 1D shooters sit up and take notice the image is that good.

 

The key to shooting film is good glass, nothing more. Prime lenses are the only way to go with film. Have some fun with it and look for accesories on E bay such as MA drives and a good canon Speed light like the Canon 299T and you will have something wonderful and a delight to shoot.

 

I've played with all sorts of cameras and have really gone back to Canon FD even for serious work. The EOS was just no more fun and the Digital SLR's I've played with lack goobs of class in my opinion compared to FD Canons.

 

Dave

The A1 was supposed to replace the F1 but Canon became fearful it would be too great of a leap for seasoned F1 users so they backed off and marked both cameras side by side.Well, that is the story as I remember reading it in the photo mags back in the late 70's.I owned and enjoyed a A1 for quite a few years until I bought a New F1N to replace it.Never could understand why Canon never updated this model with user replaceable laser matte focusing screens and adding a partial metering mode - would of been just about perfect with these changes.

I too, like the previous poster, have pretty much gone back to FD (primes only) after many EOS auto focus bodies and the whole digital revolution.Recently sold a Canon Pro 1 digital to finance a overhaul of my F1N 1984 LA body!!!Sometimes simple is better for the heart and mind.Having to think again before pushing the shutter release has put the satisfaction back into photography.

I agree with what everyone has said. I think the primes are the best for this camera. But I also have a Canon 35-105mm f/3.5 also, and it is very nice as well. It is funny what looks you get when you walk around with a A-1 that has a MA drive, 35-105mm lens, and a 199a flash on it. I love it.

Okay after reading I'm pretty sure I want to give it a try. What would be the best place to shop

for film? Ritz is local, But I'm not sure if they have what I would need.

 

The lens' on this now is a Tamron 1:2.5 28mm it seems to be really wide and I'm still also

learning about lens' for SLR's, so for basic shooting what are some less expensive lenses?

I gave my son one of my A-1 cameras and sold the rest of my FD gear awhile back. Very nice camera, just had too many.

 

Anyway, if 28mm is too wide for you at this time (keep it, though), you might want to look at the 50/1.4 and 85/1.8 lenses.

Can you tell me what the 28mm stands for and also the 2.5?

 

What does a mint condition camera like this go for? I need to know how well to protect this

shiny little camera lol.

28mm is the focal length of the lens. A 28mm lens is considered a moderate wide angle. It's quite a bit wider than a 35mm lens, which is also considered a wide angle, but not as wide a 24mm. 28mm tends to be a really good focal length to learn on, as they're generally inexpensive, sharp, and have a nice amount of coverage without having too much of the extreme perspective of wider lenses.

 

2.8 refers to the size of the opening of the lens. Just know that the smaller the number, the larger the opening. The size of this opening directly impacts how much light can enter the lens.

 

A mint condition, new-in-box A-1 would be worth at least $250. Examples more in "user" condition are generally $100 or less.

Sorry, I missed your question about film.

 

The Ritzs I've been to generally have an okay selection of film, although not as good as some other camera stores I've been to or most online places. For starters, though, just to see if everything's working, you might go to Walmart and get some Fuji Superia 400 color print film. 5 rolls will cost you $7.

 

Once you're confident that everything seems to work well, I'd suggest moving up to slide film. You can use Elite Chrome 100 or Sensia 100 for starters, both of which Ritz should have.

What is the diference between slide and regular film?

Basically, when slide film comes back from the lab, you can hold the film itself up to the light and see the original image. With print film, you have to have a print before you can really tell anything about what's on the film.

 

Slide film is advantageous in camera testing because, basically, what you see is what you get. If the exposure isn't just right, it's pretty obvious. With print film, the printing stage allows a chance to fix any problems with exposure or color.

Slide=Positive, Print=Negative

SO much to know about the A1 (or anyof the canon cameras of the past)that simple searches on the internet will lead you to an unending source of information, and hopefully assist you in educating yourself on all the "lingo" and Canon FD specifics. So many things...yet know when you're into it, you will "WANT MORE!" P.S.-Perhaps try shooting some Black & White film first; photos and results are more apparent and less likely to "burn you out", as color might! A stand 50mm, used close enough to your subjects will surprise you both in portrait and scenic shots. IN TIME, FILM WILL BE AN ART!

I too am becoming a digital shooter turned film. Though, mostly because im going to be getting a new tele for the FD mount... Im curious to know if there are any quirks about the A1, as in, metering high or low often etc. I know that with my 350D i should usually under expose a slight bit and that indoors at a gym the meter often wont give good results and i can shoot a fair bit faster than what the meter thinks i should. I'll be getting my second roll of film with this camera delopted tommarow, so i guess i'll see for myself then.

 

 

Also, on the subject of the A1 and manual cameras, how should i go about using a flash? my new 230 EX speedlight works with the old A1 (which i was very surprised by) however, the screen blinked at 60 and 1.4. I assume 1/60 is the sink speed, but no matter where i pointed the camera it always wanted me to be at 1.4 and both numbers where blinking. Do i have to use a meter or what? TTL wouldnt work, would it? i doubt there is much 'talking' going on between the camera and flash with reguards to how much light there is and shutter speed etc.

 

 

Erik, if you spend time on this website long enough, you'll eventualy learn most of the lingo, i know it worked for me...

my first post :)

 

my dad gave me a A1 as well, with a prime 50mm canon and a vivitar zoom (i cant

remember the focal lense...) I took very cute pics with it (was a cool hobbie I had

while I was 14 to 17)...

then the film got to expensive... and I had to repair a couple of things... the rubber

things were becoming kind of a glue, and stuff like that, so I kindly put it in a great

bag and it's part of my collection...

 

as my arrival to london, my flatmate had a 400D and a bunch of L lenses, and I

couldn't resist, run to the next store and bought a 400d with the basic lense... now

i've bought a 70-200mm f4 and saving to a 17-40mm f4L... i find it harder with the

digital could be the "1st month" thing :P