The AE-1 helped Canon "Turn the Corner"
I am a vintage photographer, so I now blog about vintage cameras with which I am familiar. I just purchased a Canon AE1 Programable 35 mm camera to review, having need for one in hand to photograph and to use for image comparisons.
The AE-1 was introduced in 1976 after a lengthy marketing build-up, and previews at various shows. It was a milestone for Canon, as a compact 35 that could be used by amateurs and professionals alike. It was also relatively afordable for the time.
Any photographer who liked Canons either bought or planned to buy one. There was an ongoing fued, just as there is today, between Canon and Nikon. Nikon was considered to be the preferred professional camera at the tiume, but Canon was gaining ground. Minolta would take a different route and Olympus would own the sub-contact market, gaining great loyalty among its smaller group of owners.
But the Canon AE-1 certainly generated plenty of fanfare. And it was largely deserved. I got mine a couple of years after its introduction, an old habit that I got into with virtually everything newly made, in order to allow time to get any bugs worked out. It had a few, but still became wildly popular.
My canon came with a fixed 50mm 1.4. I bought an extra 135mm Canon lens, and a 28mm, in order to have the usual compliment of basic lenses. I was a fast proponent of medium format. The 35 had always been considered something of a toy to me. With ownership of a Pentax Spotmatic, I had grown slightly more trusting of 35. The Canon helped me a little farther along.
The AE1 "tweren't no Hassy", but it was a fun camera with fairly true metering.
Back then, pros preferred so set their own aparture and shutter, after having taken or devined the proper combination (usually a combo of both).
The AE1 could be used in full manual mode. It could also be used in shutter priority mode. This meant that you set the shutter speed, and the meter and electronics would adjust the apeture for the best exposure. This was okay for many applications, but left something to be desired while hoping to control depth of field.
Symbols were used to denote various other modes much as cameras are labled today. Portrait, scenic, macro, sunsets, and even back-lighted scenes--which would automatically open up an additional stop and a half. This could also be accomplished by way of a left index finger on a silver button-within easy access.
The FD mount lenses were a little different, and were called the "New FD lenses". Lens compatablility has never been one of Canon's bragging rights, but the old lenses would work after a fashion. The optics and color corrective coatings on the AE1 were very good. In lens test from the time Nikon lenses were said to stillo have an edge. As I have come to know, different photographers look for different characteristics in lenses. Sharpness is merely one ingrediant sought after, and is often not sought after at all. Focus at all f/stops is also important. The Canon lenses were good at this in my experience.
I am running out of space, so I need to draw this to a conclusion. The AE1 was and is a good 35mm film camera, which allows both manual and automatic use. One notorious problem for the aging cameras is called "chirp". Cameras which have not been used much for a long time develop a sound from the shutter blades that sound like a "chirp". It is pretty loud. I haven't acertained if it is an accurate predictor of shutter problems. I would always ask.Read full review
