New (to me) Canon AE-1

[greg_brubaker1]

Hello, i recently received a canon ae-1 from my grandfather, and am

looking for some beginner tips on how to use it. Along with the body

came a 50mm canon lense, a vivitar 80-200mm telephoto lense, and a

vivitar SMS 28mm close focus wide angle lense (along with a hoya

skylight(1B) filter for the telephoto lense. The included flahs

(vivitar auto 225) doesn't work probably because batteries leaked

inside the battery compartment.

 

Anyway, I'm looking for some general advice on the camera and

equipment, as i would love to be able to use it to its potential. (THe

feel and sound of this camera is so much more rewarding than my

digital camera...)

[awahlster]

The camera manual is here:

 

http://www.canonfd.com/choose.htm

 

if you want a general book on photography I suggest you look into John Hedgecoes books on ebay or ABE books online

[walter_degroot]

i went thru the sam,e thing in april of 2005.

lenses are reasonably priced, I got a vivutar 70-205 zoom for about $20.00 make sure it a FD lens not a fl lens,

vivitar tx lenses are also abailable but adapters are hard to find.

I got 35mm and 28mm f/2/5 lenses and 1 adapter for about $20. ( should be more nobody else bid)

look for a dedicated flash either canon or sunpac as it will auto switch the camera to 1/60. and flash photography will be VERY simple.

 

at least the battery is available because the camera won';t work without it.

the battery door can get broken if you are not careful

\the only down side it no dx film setting , but that's minor.

just don'r forget to set the film speed.

it's a better camerra than today's p&s wonders and very easy to use.

the ease almost tripped me up , but my first shoot came out perfectly, a big wedding.

[timothy_fitzgerald]

Hi, Greg!

 

Welcome to the world of Canon FD! I think you'll enjoy using your "new" toy!

 

The AE-1 was one of the easiest cameras to use, so it's a good one to begin with. The

basic premise of the camera's function is what's referred to as "shutter priority;" in short,

you pick a shutter speed appropriate to the shot (e.g., slower shutter speeds to get

maximum depth-of-field, or faster shutter speeds for stop-action), and the camera will

meter the shot and set an appropriate lens aperture (provided you remember to set the

aperture ring on the lens to "A"; otherwise, the camera/lens will function in manual mode

and expose the shot at whatever lens aperture you have set). That's really about it!

 

Can't really provide much information on the Vivitar flash, but if it's anything like the

Canon Speedlites, it should work in much the same way: you attach the flash to the hot

shoe, turn it on, and it should automatically set the shutter speed to the sync speed of

1/60, and as long as the lens is set to "A," the lens aperture will also be set automatically.

The flash will monitor it's own light output and cut off the flash output when the proper

light level has been achieved for the exposure.

 

About the best advice for you now is to load a roll of film and try it out. I used an AE-1

exclusively for many years and got some very good shots with it. At least any bad shots I

got weren't the camera's fault... ;-)

 

Have fun!

[daniel_taylor]

When you do get used to it and want more lenses, check out KEH. It's amazing how cheap some good FD glass goes now days.

[pmind]

Greg, you can sometimes clean up the mess from a leaky battery with common kitchen variety vinegar. Just moisten the end of a Q-tip and dab where the acid is hardened (you can watch it foam away, repeat this process until clean. Also a pencil eraser is a good tool to finish up the job as it will improve the connection with the battery. Just erase on the battery contacts to �rough� them up. Paul

[greg_brubaker1]

thanks for vinegar tip...it did the trick!

[gnashings]

Well, you have pretty much a full set up - you will hardly need anything else for a long time, or unless you go into some very equipment specific fields (macro, wild-life). I have an AE1, and its a good camera - mine developed some problems, but they are old cameras and some issues are to be expected with some examples. I think as far as pointers on how to get the most out of it, aside from a manual, you will be best served by a general photo book - I find that your local community coleege's photo101 text is usually a decent (albeit very general) place to start. There is no substitute for shooting, so just get a pile of film and shoot. I would suggest sticking to one lens at first - probably the 50mm would be my first choice - and seeing what you get out of that. Its a good way to learn, and all 50mm glass is pretty darn good and the fastest glass for your dollar. Have fun and welcome to the club!