Canon AV-1

How much is an Canon AV-1 in good condition worth?

Less then $100...more then $50.

But not very much more than $50. Actually, maybe $60 INCLUDING the 50mm f1.8 lens

Thanks. Guess I got jipped. My fault. My Aunt gave me a Canon AV-1 and Canon TX along with various lenses. I went to a used camera store to sell one and the guy told me TX is best for beginners since it is manual. He offered 20$ or a 25$ store certificate for the Canon AV-1 with a 50mm/f1.8 and a compatible telephoto lens ... I knew it sounded too low but the guy was really helpful and answered my questions. Oh well, ignorance doesn't pay.

Well not really. $60 is a top dollar price on ebay. I would never expect to get more than half that much from a dealer. Frankly, he gave you about as much as ANY dealer would have given you for it.

I knew he was a nice guy! I was searching on the net and I saw some AV-1's auctioning for 200 and 300$ ... maybe it's some other Canon thing? I don't know. Anyways, it really does not matter. Thanks again.

You got what was IMO a fair dealer price. They're not going to pay retail - you're lucky to get half of that. A search of recent ebay auctions lists most recent AV-1 sales at between $40 and $80 dollars depending on condition and what's included. You pay a few dollars for the convenience of unloading it without the hassle of selling it yourself, and for the benefit of having him answer your questions. I also think his advice to keep the TX was reasonable. Giving him the AV-1 and keeping the TX was probably better for both of you.

 

However, keep in mind that given the age of the AV-1, cameras that are rare or in truly pristine condition can get three or four times the normal price. I could see a black body AV-1 in like new condition going for $200-$300, especially if it included a lens or two. If it included a good lens, the lens could easily be worth many times the value of the camera. I've placed bids on camera/lens packages because I wanted the lens and figured I could turn around the camera to help offset the cost of the lens. I recently saw a New F-1, body only, sell for just under $1,000. It was one of the Olympic editions, had absolutely no visible wear, and included the original boxes - even the boxes looked to be in near mint condition. That was a collector's dream and sold for at least three times the going rate for average New F-1s.

 

I'm actually really sorry to see these great old cameras starting to get the attention of collectors. They should be used, not be sitting on a shelf somewhere.

No Way that an AV-1 ever legitimately sells for $200 nowadays. The AV-1, along with the T-50, are the two SLRs Canon ever made for FD mount that are simplistic plastic toys. A TRUE mint one is still worth less than $100 anywhere. It's not like it's an A-1 or an AT-1, or an FTb-n that someone serious about photography might actually be looking for a pristine one.

<I>...still worth less than $100 anywhere...</i>

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What's it worth has nothing to do with it - it's just a matter of what it will sell for. Anything in like new condition can be worth double the going rate for a similar item in average condition, more if it still has original boxes in good condition. Anything in black is worth an extra $50 or so. Add a basic 50mm f/1.8 lens, and you're beginning to approach $200, make that a 50mm f/1.4 or some other more interesting lens, and you're there. As I noted, "<i>the lens could easily be worth many times the value of the camera</i>."

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Perhaps I have this camera confused with some other model, but I recall the AV-1 being a metal body camera just like all the other A-series cameras. I haven't handled one in years, but in photos it looks something like an AT-1 without the DOF preview, or an AL-1 without the molded grip. Check the <a href="http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/f_camera.html">Canon Camera Museum</a> for details.

The AV-1 had one big downfall, the lack of shutter speed selections. You get two, 1/60 and bulb. The AL-1 was just as bad but it went from 1/15 to 1/1000 plus bulb. Both built for aperture priority but no exposure lock or depth of field preview. Compensation for either was done with the back light control switch (+1.5 stops) or the ISO dial but was limited to 25-1600, so no two stops exp. comp. with Velveeta. Both cameras did do stopped down metering though, but I don't know how you do this without DoF preview, I guess it's for the 500 f/8?. The bodies were formed from plastic nylon then copper coated then painted. Some one said Canon made them from plastic not save money or weight but to insulate the electronics. Sounds good to me.

<I>... lack of shutter speed selections.</i>

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Apparently I do have this camera confused with something else. I don't recall ever personally seeing a Canon SLR without manual shutter speed controls, even if they were hopelessly cumbersome to work with in manual mode.

Probably because there was only two, the T50 and AV-1. The book says the AV-1 will do manual control, I guess x-sync and bulb is better than nothing.

<p>The way to do stopped down metering with the AV-1 is to use a lens, such as a Canon FL lens, that is set to manual aperture mode. The AV-1 then meters according the the actual stopped-down aperture. Same way for M42 screw mount lenses set to manual aperture mode and attached to the AV-1 using the appropriate Canon or off-brand M42/FD adapter.</p>