My first camera: 35mm A1

[jose_marin2]

<p>Hey,<br>

So after some time of exploring a lot of different cameras, with the very little knowledge I have of photography, I decided on a 35mm Canon A1 to start of my photography career. However, the camera I ordered online only came with the camera body. So, I was wondering if I could get some input on what is the best lens to start off with and were can I buy it?<br>

I was mostly going to be using the camera for a photography class that only required me to have "a 35mm camera capable of full manual control". I am hoping I got the right camera for the job. If not, please direct me to the camera I should have bought. <br>

Also, it would be of great help if I could get some pointers on learning how the camera works and its various uses. <br>

Thanks!</p>

<p> </p>

<table summary="This panel contains controls that are vertically aligned.">

<tbody>

<tr>

<td >

 

</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td colspan="2"> </td>

</tr>

</tbody>

</table>

[Lou_Meluso]

<p>The Canon A-1 is a fine camera that does auto as well as manual exposure. The operation manual is found <a href="http://www.butkus.org/chinon/canon/canon_a-1/canon_a-1.htm">HERE</a></p>

<p>The Canon FD lenses are very good quality and can be found many places that deal with used photo equipment or places like eBay. Often for very reasonable prices.</p>

<p>Here on photo.net there is a Canon FD forum devoted to cameras and lenses like yours. There are many dedicated users over there who would be happy to help someone starting out.</p>

[SCL]

<p>Congratulations on your purchase. Do be sure to read and reread the instruction manual....the camera has lots of features which aren't intuitive to a new user. Most new users opt to begin with a 50mm lens (in your case a nFD (new FD mount), usually f/1.8 or f/1.4. The 1.4 is a better lens than the 1.8, but for really great versatility, I prefer the f/3.5 macro. All are readily available on Ebay or used from dealers such as KEH, Adorama and B&H. This link may give you lots of info on the Canon FD line of lenses http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/fdlenses/index.htm</p>

[steven_clark]

<p>If you aren't comfortable with eBay, buy lenses off of KEH. A 50mm f/1.8 is usually the recommended place to start: it's a so-called normal lens. Once you've been annoyed enough at things you can't quite shoot right with it you'll have a better idea which lens to get next. 28mm f/2.8 and 135mm f/3.5 make good next lenses. Zooms weren't quite as good or quite as popular in this era, you can buy a wide to normal zoom but one that covers a wide enough range to be useful is expensive. You might want to pick either New FD or older ring-lock lenses and stick with that kind, that way most of your lenses can use the same filters without adapters. Don't go crazy with the filters; they are a hassle, and only a few of them are really useful. Shoot mostly outdoors, during the day, with 100/125 speed film if you have a choice. If you end up using a 400 speed film like HP5+ for class you might want to invest in a neutral density filter (say 2 stops/0.6 or 3 stops/0.9) to open up the range of settings in daylight. The maximum shutter speed on an A-1 is 1/1000 so in full sunlight on 400 speed film you might be bouncing around f/11 and f/16 (on lenses that go down to f/2.8 or less). When you doubt your meter err on the side of slight overexposure. With time in a darkroom you can recover an image from a dense negative but you can't recover an image made of a lack of silver.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>The A-1 is a very fine camera (<a href="/modern-film-cameras-forum/00b82L">link</a>), but has a steeper learning curve than the more "automatic" FD-mount cameras. Do read the manual carefully.<br>

The FD 50mm f/1.4 is a superb fast prime, for one lens choice.<br>

Some of the zooms, e.g., 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom, are not so fine as the more evolved technology in newer EF lenses, but they are better than their reputation, and cheap besides.</p>

[peter_simpson1]

Jose, another vote for buying your lens from KEH. They have an excellent return policy and I have always found their prices reasonable. Their BGN grade has always provided me with the best quality/price trade-off.

 

Go for the 50/1.4 and shoot some B&W!

[Matthew Currie]

<p>Being more used to Nikons I found the A1 a bit odd to use, but I had one briefly with the 50/1.8 standard lens, and it worked beautifully. I passed it on to one of my sons who is an A1 lover. </p>

<p>But the A1 is a great machine, well suited to manual control and very easy to use in Aperture priority, and in my opinion one of the nicest looking cameras ever, though my bias toward the Nikon F and F3 prevents it from taking first place.</p>

<p>I found the metering on the A1 to be very good, and the standard lens quite decent. </p>

<p> </p>

[jose_angel]

<p>It was one of my very first cameras. I bought it new at the release, together with a 135mm lens (I used it mostly for portraits). It was my favorite for years.<br /> Agree with above, I`d get a 50/1.4. But if you think you shoot indoors quite often, I`d get a 35mm instead.</p>

[brett_w.]

<p>if this is your first camera on a start of a photography career I would suggest a <strong>digital</strong> DSLR. Sure, you can learn on an old film camera but modern digital cameras with manual controls are available for $100 or less - - -- and you don't need to keep buying film or darkroom supplies, processing, scanning and converting to digital, etc, It's a heck of a lot more convenient (and cheaper) ! </p>

[Keith S in Arizona USA]

<p>Congratulations on the A-1, Jose. This is a very fine camera, and over the years the three I have have proven to be VERY DURABLE and required no service except for the usual replacing of deteriorated back door seals, and a one-time lube for all three cameras to cure the 'Canon Mirror Squeal.'</p>

<p>The A-1 was the camera purchased after my AE-1 that REALLY got me much more interested in film photography. Its nice design allows for very quick and easy selections among the multiple modes. This was a real boon for learning quickly the various aspects of depth of field, motion-freeze, lengthy manual exposures, etc. I really like the easy-to-use top-mounted mode switching.</p>

<p>Butkus's site is great for getting a downloadable manual, and you can also get an original manual from ebay for a very reasonable price.</p>

<p>Have fun learning how to use this camera's modes. Experimenting with it should teach you very much in short order.</p>

<p>HAVE FUN !!! !!! :-)</p>

[glen_h]

<p>I have found thrift stores like Goodwill, or www.shopgoodwill.com auctions, a good place to get FD lenses for reasonably prices. Well, you don't say what you budget is, but FD lenses are often available for very low prices. (EF lenses, used with later Canon film cameras and Canon DSLRs, aren't so hard to find, either.)</p>

<p>You should be able to find lenses for around USD 10.00 or so. (You don't say where you are.)</p>

[jcuknz]

<p>That the 'school' suggest you get a '35mm film camera' to my mind just shows how old fashioned they are and a digital with full manual overides will give you the learning experience at a much cheaper cost. 35mm film is horendously expensive and except as a nostalgic fun exercise for an experienced photographer is very much a wrong entry for a beginner.<br>

While possibly a bit more expensive I would suggest a Panasonic FZ camera ... FZ50*. Such a DSLR-Like camera will give you pretty much all the features you need to learn about and better than a fixed 50mm has a 35-430 zoom....I gave up on my 50mm when I got my first digital :-)<br>

*While the small body FZ cameras are good the 'large body FZs' have the feel of an SLR.Heavy enough to help with stability without the weight of a DSLR.<br>

I am expressing my personal opinion based of use of the FZs, several as they developed, before I changed to Micro4/3.</p>