Customer Reviews

Canon AE-1 35mm SLR Manual Focus Camera w/ FD 50mm lens

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great camera, it is a little outdated (it was made between 1976 and 1986) but takes wonderful pictures, considering if you know how to use it. It has a bit of a learning curve, you have to know how to meter and focus the camera by hand as it cannot do that by itself and you can't just snap the picture because then the lighting and focusing may be off. I would recommend this camera to anyone who is a serious photographer, a hobbyist, or someone who prefers film to digital. A great camera by any means, shame that they don't make cameras like this much anymore.
Note: If you have glasses (as I do) it may be hard to read the meter in the view finder so you have been warned.

I've always said that people today don't have much appreciation for most of the arts they take on as a hobby (in this case photography). If you're serious about photography as a hobby or part-time do yourself a favor and buy a film camera before splurging on a DSLR. It may seem unproductive but it's anything but. A film camera will force you (and help you) to learn the terminology involved in DSLR's and photography in general. You WILL learn techniques even if you don't take any course what-so-ever.

I got this camera (Canon AE-1) and it's successor, the Canon AE-1 Program, as a gift from my parents. The cameras where the same ones they bought when the model was launched and I was surprised to see them still function perfectly easily rivaling entry level SLR's. I've shot with both cameras and prefer them to my Canon digital SLR. The only real cons with shooting film is the price of film vs. the price of digital storage and the interval between taking the shot and seeing the results which is also the driving force behind the appreciation of photography as an art.

The colors produced by this camera give a soft feeling of nostalgia and the focus seems soft. The pictures look professionally taken even with the soft focus and they are sure to amaze. Buy the camera and learn on it... you might find yourself using it as a secondary camera for more "specialized" shots.

I just received this camera yesterday and already finished a practice roll of fujifilm superia xtra 800 film. I only killed 2 pics because of the loading process that I'm not used to(advancing the film and then making a few blank shots to get to 1), and rewinding at the end (hard to tell if it's all rewound), but the pics came out nice! It's a bit heavy, but I got used to the controls quickly and had fun:) I'd definitely recommend this camera for anyone with a desire to return to 35mm film. With patience and learning, the AE-1 will produce some fantastic results!

The original (non-program) Canon AE-1, introduced in 1976, was a groundbreaking product, being the first microprocessor-controlled camera. Backed by a major marketing campaign, it sold tremendously well and introduced a whole lot of people (myself included) to the world of the SLR. It was aimed at the amateur, and as such lacked several features, which limited its capabilities; it also lacked a lot of metal (the body is mainly plastic), which made it comfortably lightweight but which also led to some pretty serious durability issues over the long run. But within its range and given its target audience it was (and remains) a nifty little product. I have spent long hours behind an AE-1 and can speak from experience.

The AE-1 is easy to load and operate, and extremely comfortable in the hand, ergonomic, and easy to handle as well. It can accommodate the excellent range of FD lenses, giving it a lot of versatility in this regard (note: the modern and even better line of Canon EF lenses won't fit it). It's made to be shot in automatic, and its sole automatic mode is shutter priority (no aperture priority, no program, no specialty settings). While you can shoot in manual mode, it is a bit of a pain to do so because there's no indication in the viewfinder of what your aperture setting is (or your shutter speed setting either, for that matter); instead you can see only the camera's recommended aperture setting. (Action shooting in manual, while technically possible, is very difficult as well as totally pointless.) And the center-weighted meter has its drawbacks when your picture isn't particularly evenly lighted. In short, this camera is geared to snapshot-style photography of the sort that amateurs are wont to engage in, in fair-to-good lighting conditions. When used for that purpose it excels, or at any rate it did.

On the plus side, the AE-1's light meter is amazingly responsive, and stands up quite well even to that of modern DSLRs. Combined with a short-throw film advance lever, that means you can fire off pictures at a pretty good clip for a manual camera (made faster by an auto-winder if you can find one). This rate of fire (even with autowinder) is nothing compared to that of a modern camera, but it was impressive in the 1970s considering the AE-1's price. The on-board microprocessor talks via hot shoe to the Canon Speedlite flash units of 1970s-80s vintage, a fairly new idea at the time, making flash photography and sync highly automatic. The camera's 6-volt battery (which does not power the flash units) will last for months and for dozens of rolls of film; compare that to the lifespan of batteries in modern cameras, typically measured in terms of hours. (The downside, however, is that without the battery, the AE-1, like all modern cameras, is just a lump of metal and plastic. Prior cameras only needed the battery for light meter operation and except for the meter would work fine without a battery, so the AE-1 was a major departure in this regard). The 1/1000 top shutter speed was impressive back in the day, if not unprecedented, and is still an acceptable but not great top speed. The shutter speed dial, moreover, is very ergonomically placed. Given decent light and with your eye to the viewfinder, you can match even a modern camera's ability to get the exposure right when it comes to single shots (although the AE-1 lags terribly when you factor in the modern DSLR's ability to set exposure on the fly while firing 3- or 6-frame bursts). In fact, given the powerful combination of responsive meter and excellent shutter speed dial, the "program" function of the camera's successor (the AE-1 Program) was not really necessary: Somewhat like the hedgehog of the fable, The AE-1 can really only do shutter-priority automatic, but it does that very well for a camera of its vintage.

Nowadays, of course, this camera wouldn't stack up. To add to that, even the newest AE-1 body is now more than 25 years old (the camera went out of production in 1985), which means wear and tear is likely an issue, and as mentioned above this is not what you would call a physically durable camera. On the other hand, you can buy three or four used AE-1s for the price of an entry level DSLR. I own three AE-1s, one of which was my first SLR back in 1979, and while I'm now purely digital, in the past I've taken some of my best pictures with them. Assuming the used body is refurbished or otherwise in good shape, a beginner could do worse than the AE-1 even today. One alternative for someone who wants to learn film would be the Canon FTb. It's older and lacks many features of the AE-1, but it's more durable and easier to shoot in manual (there's no AE mode at all), and the spot meter offers some possibility that the AE-1's center-weighted meter doesn't.

i was so pleasantly surprised with how fast the seller shipped the product. i received it in 3 days. the camera was in perfect condition (with the exception of a canon squeak which was mentioned in the description, so i already knew about it) and although the aperture on the lens wasnt working properly, a new lens was shipped to me immediately. i will definitely be using this seller again!

This camera really fit the bill for my son's photography studies. I would like to say "Thanks Guys!" to the sellers whom made this available.

I needed the camera as soon as possible for my class. Maybe I couldn't get due to the class, but I asked the company that please sent soon and he did it. I'm really appreciate for you! I can get the camera before the class !! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Just as described (only wasn't informed that battery door was glued shut - but was able to easily take care on my own), got here in decent amount of time...and even came with a couple items not listed. Thanks so much!

I needed camera for ohoto class the cranker didnt work .I had to have my friends look at it .And he had to lone me a new one.What a waste of fifty dollars .

THe camera itself is in great condition, but once i developed my film some shots were over exposed than others so i assume there is something wrong with the light meter since it always happens. i am going to try to open up an f-stop each time, but i haven't tried it yet.