Canon A1

[bored]

Hi, just been given a canon a1 but don't know a thing about it. can anyone help please. using a 300d at present, but i think it has a tendency to underexpose.
bored.:)

[scottbergerphoto]

That is a really vague question. If you are expecting an answer that is useful, I suggest that you get a little more specific.

[bored]

Hi Scott,new to this, so apologies. can you alter the metering pattern on the a1. ie:spot,centre-weighted, ect.
Thanks.
bored

[PacAce]

Hi Scott,new to this, so apologies. can you alter the metering pattern on the a1. ie:spot,centre-weighted, ect.
Thanks.
bored
Here's a very good site where you might find the answer you're looking for. I have the A1 but it's been a while and I've had several cameras since so I can't answer your question off the top of my head without looking it up.

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/SLRs/a1/

[mbze430]

I don't think they had Spot metering, and Partial Metering and Evaluative metering till mid 1980s. You'll only have the center-weight metering. But this is the first of it kind to have the P mode, as well as AV mode.

[slin100]

I may be mistaken, but I believe the AE-1 Program was the first Canon SLR to have a P mode.

The A-1 only has center-weighted metering. Spot metering was available on the Canon F-1N, which came out in early 80s. The A-1 takes FD mount lenses, so modern EF mount lenses from your 300D won't fit and vice versa.

[KennyG]

Ah the venerable A1. I started shooting motorsport for money in 1978 with one of those. It was the very latest model at that time. Metering was fairly simple, but quite accurate, equivalent to centre-weighted in today's models. It was as tough as a sherman tank and mine saw some really hard work. It is still in use today, used by a friend of mine, with what I estimate is half a million shots taken and it never saw the service department.

Good god, I'm old......

[slin100]

Yup, you're old! ;)

I bought my A-1 along with a 70-200/4 and 2 fps Power Winder A2 in high school and spent my senior year as a yearbook photographer. In a way, I guess I can consider myself published. :lol: Man, I loved that camera. Still have it, although it hasn't seen a roll of film in who knows how many years.

[PacAce]

I may be mistaken, but I believe the AE-1 Program was the first Canon SLR to have a P mode.

The A-1 only has center-weighted metering. Spot metering was available on the Canon F-1N, which came out in early 80s. The A-1 takes FD mount lenses, so modern EF mount lenses from your 300D won't fit and vice versa.
Yes you are mistaken. The AE-1 Program didn't come out until 1981 whereas the A-1 was introduced in 1978.

[slin100]

Thanks. I stand corrected.

[chucksberg]

They are built like a tank. I ran over mine with the rear wheel of a 1975 Grand Prix. The camera way laying on its back with a 28mm f2.0 Vivitar. They actually made some good lenes back then. It wiped the lens out. Put on another lens and kept on shooting.

[Harry Settle]

Still have my A-1 with the motor-drive and a host of FD lenses. Still my favorite film camera to shoot with.

[cecilc]

Yep ...
I still have my A1, too, that I bought in 1980 ...... I think the last time I used it was about 2 years ago shooting lacrosse - no autofocus, no burst mode (although I do have a motor drive on it). Still a great camera!

I've only had ONE problem with that camera in the 25 years that I've owned it. I was living in Egypt in the mid 80's and had the electro-magnet go out on it. Not many places to get that camera fixed in Egypt. Soon after the camera "broke", I took it to Cyprus with me on vacation and while I was there I found a guy who "worked" on cameras when he wasn't running whatever other business he did out of his shop. This guy fixed the electro-magnet for $40.00 - and that camera has worked flawlessly since then. Not one hiccup, not any other problems.

They don't make cameras like the A1 any more .....

[Jesper]

From the Canon Camera Museum (http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/f_camera.html):

The A-1 was the top-of-the-line A-series camera. (The AE-1 was the first in this series.) It was a sophisticated electronic camera with all-digital control.

Besides the shutter speed-priority AE and aperture-priority AE modes, it featured the first fully automatic program AE mode, preset aperture-priority AE, and Speedlite AE mode.

The viewfinder information was also easy to read with a 7-segment red LED readout. The control settings were displayed at the same time which made it very useful.

Besides Power Winder A, developed at the same time as the AE-1, accessories for the A-1 included the compact Motor Drive MA which attained a maximum shooting speed of 5 fps. This Motor Drive had a convenient vertical-grip shutter button. Also, there was the Speedlite 199A which had bounce flash capability.The A-1's body had a fine black finish.

[PacAce]

From the Canon Camera Museum (http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/f_camera.html):
Don't forget, there were two versions of the AE-1 camera, the AE-1 that came out beforet the A-1 and the AE-1 Program that came out after the A-1. The AE-1 Program was the version that featured the AE Program mode, as indicated by the new name.