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Canon A-1 - the unloved Canon SLR?
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 1:50 am    Post subject: Canon A-1 - the unloved Canon SLR? Reply with quote

I have just acquired one of these cameras and am awaiting its arrival.
I have and use - infrequently now, but they were my workhorses in the past - FTb and EF Canons.
This camera (A-1) will be the most modern of my Canon SLR's.
The question that has popped into my head is why these particular Canons are somewhat unloved. Canon AE-1's seem to sell for more.
Lloyd tried to sell one here for a very long time and had little to no response.
Any thoughts?
OH



#1


PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 3:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would not say it is an unloved one. I had one and loved it just for the red led readout in the viewfinder. I sold it because it had one of the loudest shutters ever (no coughing though).
It was a bit awkward in use with certain lenses and sometimes you were left in doubt when using the two buttons on the side of the side of the lens mount.

Wonderful camera, but now too much of electronics for me. I cannot do without me F-1.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 5:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

zanxion72 wrote:
I would not say it is an unloved one. I had one and loved it just for the red led readout in the viewfinder. I sold it because it had one of the loudest shutters ever (no coughing though).
It was a bit awkward in use with certain lenses and sometimes you were left in doubt when using the two buttons on the side of the side of the lens mount.

Wonderful camera, but now too much of electronics for me. I cannot do without me F-1.


A very good camera which, perhaps, had too many shooting modes for the Sunday photographer. One of the members of our camera and audio syndicate in Hongkong bought a Canon A-1 c.1981. An all FD lens set was too expensive, so some were Tamrons which did very well, too. AFAICR it had a mercury battery.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 7:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It was an amateur camera. Perhaps a bit ahead of its time, but just a feature rich amateur SLR camera. It uses an 4LR44 battery that one can easily find. Yet, I prefer the less intrusive finder of the F-1 (new/old) their durability and their low crisp shutter sound.
The main problem with SLRs of that style is that you cannot change things quickly. Say, if you want to give it a stop more exposure you need to count clicks on the aperture ring, change ASA, etc.
Nod a bad camera at all, just not for every ones taste. Buying one today has to make sure there is no "coughing". It is easy to fix though, by spraying a bit of lubricant through a hole from the bottom of the camera. One can find a mint one at a ridiculously low price just due to coughing and fix it in less than 5 minutes.


PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 9:22 am    Post subject: Canon A-1 Reply with quote

I was GIVEN an A-1 outfit some years ago by a Gent whose Brother had Died and it was in a metal case in a loft for over 7 years until he found ME as 'Someone who would appreciate it and give it a Good Home' -- well I expected all FUNGUS in the lenses and damage in Battery Compartment but NO -- on opening there was a MINT A-1 with 28mm, 50mm and 75-150mm lenses, Winder 'A', Focus Magnifier, 199a Speedlite, filters etc -- It had NO Battery so no damage. On trying it out it had the infamous Canon 'Cough' so I researched many Videos and Forums and had a go -- I managed to take off base-plate even though then I did not have a 'JIS' Screwdriver and not having a Syringe picked up one drop of Three-in-One oil onto a piece of electrical Fuse-Wire and poked it down and after a couple of tries must have hit the right cogs as the 'Cough' stopped. Then I noticed the EXPOSURE was out on the faster speeds -- a couple of years passed and off came base-plate again and compared with interior of my AE-1 and I noticed a small 'lever' was not in the same position as it was on AE-1 -- I must have pushed it down a bit -- so gently touched it and it came in line, same as AE-1 and LO! and BEHOLD! -- on film tests the 1/1000 and 1/500 are correct again ! What a relief !




PostPosted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 12:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well maybe you have to think of when it came out and now....I remember when it came onto the market and had excellent reviews from mags but for average joe public it was more expensive, but wasn't unloved. Now with super duper digi that can do everything, anyone who wanted to play with film would probably want something more simple.
Some of the last amazing film cameras made e.g. Nikon F6 are similar to digi in quite a few ways and the difference is they use film.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 3:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You mention that the AE-1 sometimes sells for more. I'll bet it's the AE-1 Program and not the AE-1. The reason for this is because of release dates. The A-1 was first released in 1978, while the AE-1P was released sometime in the early 80s. It was not just an update to the AE-1, but in some respects, an update to the A-1 as well. The biggest difference between the two, other than the A-1 having an Aperture Priority mode, whereas the AE-1P doesn't, is that the AE-1P takes interchangeable focusing screens. The A-1 was billed as having interchangeable screens, but they had to be changed at a Canon service center.

This rather small detail might account for a difference in pricing. I know that, one of the first things I did after buying my AE-1P (a mint black one, by the way), was to buy a plain matte screen for it, which I prefer. I managed to find one on eBay after looking for less time than I expected.

One accessory you might want to think about is the Motor Drive MA. It ended up being one of Canon's best, actually. Up to 5 fps with the A-1. Sometimes you can find 'em for reasonable on the bay.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 6:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks everyone for the feedback.
Yes, it might be the electronics that scares people off.
An F-1 would be nice, but I already have the poor man's F-1, the FTb - and everything to do with the F-1 is expensive by comparison with other alternatives.
Anyhow - the die is cast and I am looking forward to using the A-1 when it comes.
I am guessing that it will be around the same dimensions as my Fuji X-E1 and I am comfortable with that.
Happy snaps to all
OH


PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 7:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oldhand wrote:
Thanks everyone for the feedback.
Yes, it might be the electronics that scares people off.
An F-1 would be nice, but I already have the poor man's F-1, the FTb - and everything to do with the F-1 is expensive by comparison with other alternatives.
Anyhow - the die is cast and I am looking forward to using the A-1 when it comes.
I am guessing that it will be around the same dimensions as my Fuji X-E1 and I am comfortable with that.
Happy snaps to all
OH


You will like it and I prefer it to the similar Minolta X-700 but both are obsolete compared to the Canon T90....but hey if you could put the same lens on any film camera you would get the same result in general use.
And don't forget you can get a cheap adapter that takes M42 lenses (that can be stopped down) and I think you can get an adapter that takes old Nikkor lenses.
If you are a digi guy and want to play with film, I always suggest use a digi for general use and when you want to slow down and enjoy taking pictures then get a Medium format film camera, maybe next time Smile but I think what might put you off (and others) is getting the film developed as some countries are better than others.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 9:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excalibur wrote:
Oldhand wrote:
Thanks everyone for the feedback.
Yes, it might be the electronics that scares people off.
An F-1 would be nice, but I already have the poor man's F-1, the FTb - and everything to do with the F-1 is expensive by comparison with other alternatives.
Anyhow - the die is cast and I am looking forward to using the A-1 when it comes.
I am guessing that it will be around the same dimensions as my Fuji X-E1 and I am comfortable with that.
Happy snaps to all
OH


You will like it and I prefer it to the similar Minolta X-700 but both are obsolete compared to the Canon T90....but hey if you could put the same lens on any film camera you would get the same result in general use.
And don't forget you can get a cheap adapter that takes M42 lenses (that can be stopped down) and I think you can get an adapter that takes old Nikkor lenses.
If you are a digi guy and want to play with film, I always suggest use a digi for general use and when you want to slow down and enjoy taking pictures then get a Medium format film camera, maybe next time Smile but I think what might put you off (and others) is getting the film developed as some countries are better than others.



Thank you Excalibur.
I hope that I like it as much as my other Canons.
I was in Saigon in 2004 using my Canon EF, and went soooooo close to purchasing a second hand T90 for nearly US$500.
I am so glad that I did not.
Strangely I prefer the look of the clunky A-1 to the super smooth T90
And if truth be told, I prefer my FTb over all of them Smile
OH


PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oldhand wrote:
.
I hope that I like it as much as my other Canons.

[ . . . ]

And if truth be told, I prefer my FTb over all of them Smile
OH


Truth be told, from a functional standpoint, your FTb is to be preferred over the others for good reasons.

I prefer the FTb over almost all other FD Canons for two reasons -- its match-needle style of metering, and its 12% partial area metering, which is the same as the original F-1's.


PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 8:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

cooltouch wrote:
Oldhand wrote:
.
I hope that I like it as much as my other Canons.

[ . . . ]

And if truth be told, I prefer my FTb over all of them Smile
OH


Truth be told, from a functional standpoint, your FTb is to be preferred over the others for good reasons.

I prefer the FTb over almost all other FD Canons for two reasons -- its match-needle style of metering, and its 12% partial area metering, which is the same as the original F-1's.


The FTb is a very good mechanical camera, but for me I like a bit of semi auto at times e.g. quick shots where you can't be bothered to work out the exposure esp when the clouds are continually flitting across the sun.
Another e.g. unless you are used to sunsets how do you get the exposure right without bracketing, well I let the Canon T70 work it out and I was happy with the results with these quick shots with no tripod:-




PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 11:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You were probably using the partial area metering setting on your T70 for your sunset shots.

I have always used slide film with my old Canons and dealing with slide film's narrow exposure latitude can be a real pain. But a solution I discovered for getting an accurate sunset exposure with my F-1s and FTb was to meter the sky directly overhead. This technique would of course work with an A-1 as well, as long as you lock in exposure if you're using an auto exposure mode.

Canon A-1, cheapo Albinar 80-200mm f/3.9 @ 200mm, Kodachrome 64. Circa 1984.


Canon F-1, Vivitar S1 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5, Kodachrome 64. Circa 1987.


PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice shots cooltouch and it can go off topic to human versus machine for exposure Smile
But just add, the advances in film cameras weren't all about selling more cameras but to help you get more winners out of a roll of film esp for those quick shots.
When you have those tricky shots of a person squinting in the sun, you would probably turn them around round so the sun is on their back (or worse coming from the side) and if you want the background to look natural you would use fill in flash, well ok you can use a flash meter and work the total exposure out inc ambient light with pencil and paper....or just use a T90 with matching flash gun and it would work it all out for you.
So the next off topic could be:- is it sorta cheating used an advanced camera over an old mechanical camera Smile but to get on topic there is nothing to stop you using the A1 on all manual and have the extra goodies as backup if you want to use them.


PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 8:24 pm    Post subject: Re: Canon A-1 - the unloved Canon SLR? Reply with quote

[quote="Oldhand"]I have just acquired one of these cameras and am awaiting its arrival.
I have and use - infrequently now, but they were my workhorses in the past - FTb and EF Canons.
This camera (A-1) will be the most modern of my Canon SLR's.
The question that has popped into my head is why these particular Canons are somewhat unloved. Canon AE-1's seem to sell for more.
Lloyd tried to sell one here for a very long time and had little to no response.
Any thoughts?
OH


I've still got the damn thing, it's not mine - I'm selling it for a good friend who was given it by her father when she was at art college in Brussels, she's a painter but photography was part of the degree course. She didn't even like photography, so this camera has hardly been used - her guess is maybe 100 to 150 rolls have been through the camera. There's a huge Mecablitz, an unused Vivitar 135 and other stuff. No squeal, no battery corrosion, it's very very good. But nobody even picks it up when I have a stall at the local Antique & Collectors Fair. I sell Zenit's and Praktcka's no problem, Chinon CE4 and 5's fly off the table. But the Canon gets no interest at all, and seriously - this is going for beer money.


PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 10:26 pm    Post subject: Re: Canon A-1 - the unloved Canon SLR? Reply with quote

[quote="Lloydy"]
Oldhand wrote:
I have just acquired one of these cameras and am awaiting its arrival.
I have and use - infrequently now, but they were my workhorses in the past - FTb and EF Canons.
This camera (A-1) will be the most modern of my Canon SLR's.
The question that has popped into my head is why these particular Canons are somewhat unloved. Canon AE-1's seem to sell for more.
Lloyd tried to sell one here for a very long time and had little to no response.
Any thoughts?
OH


I've still got the damn thing, it's not mine - I'm selling it for a good friend who was given it by her father when she was at art college in Brussels, she's a painter but photography was part of the degree course. She didn't even like photography, so this camera has hardly been used - her guess is maybe 100 to 150 rolls have been through the camera. There's a huge Mecablitz, an unused Vivitar 135 and other stuff. No squeal, no battery corrosion, it's very very good. But nobody even picks it up when I have a stall at the local Antique & Collectors Fair. I sell Zenit's and Praktcka's no problem, Chinon CE4 and 5's fly off the table. But the Canon gets no interest at all, and seriously - this is going for beer money.


Crikey - I thought that had long gone. It was a couple of years ago that I saw your for sale notice on the forum.
Give it a free plug here Lloyd.
How much are you asking?
OH


PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 11:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Canon A-1 - the unloved Canon SLR? Reply with quote

[quote="Lloydy"]
Oldhand wrote:
I have just acquired one of these cameras and am awaiting its arrival.
I have and use - infrequently now, but they were my workhorses in the past - FTb and EF Canons.
This camera (A-1) will be the most modern of my Canon SLR's.
The question that has popped into my head is why these particular Canons are somewhat unloved. Canon AE-1's seem to sell for more.
Lloyd tried to sell one here for a very long time and had little to no response.
Any thoughts?
OH


I've still got the damn thing, it's not mine - I'm selling it for a good friend who was given it by her father when she was at art college in Brussels, she's a painter but photography was part of the degree course. She didn't even like photography, so this camera has hardly been used - her guess is maybe 100 to 150 rolls have been through the camera. There's a huge Mecablitz, an unused Vivitar 135 and other stuff. No squeal, no battery corrosion, it's very very good. But nobody even picks it up when I have a stall at the local Antique & Collectors Fair. I sell Zenit's and Praktcka's no problem, Chinon CE4 and 5's fly off the table. But the Canon gets no interest at all, and seriously - this is going for beer money.


Just sent you a PM David.


PostPosted: Sat Sep 10, 2016 11:33 pm    Post subject: Re: Canon A-1 - the unloved Canon SLR? Reply with quote

[quote="Oldhand"]
Lloydy wrote:
Oldhand wrote:
I have just acquired one of these cameras and am awaiting its arrival.
I have and use - infrequently now, but they were my workhorses in the past - FTb and EF Canons.
This camera (A-1) will be the most modern of my Canon SLR's.
The question that has popped into my head is why these particular Canons are somewhat unloved. Canon AE-1's seem to sell for more.
Lloyd tried to sell one here for a very long time and had little to no response.
Any thoughts?
OH


I've still got the damn thing, it's not mine - I'm selling it for a good friend who was given it by her father when she was at art college in Brussels, she's a painter but photography was part of the degree course. She didn't even like photography, so this camera has hardly been used - her guess is maybe 100 to 150 rolls have been through the camera. There's a huge Mecablitz, an unused Vivitar 135 and other stuff. No squeal, no battery corrosion, it's very very good. But nobody even picks it up when I have a stall at the local Antique & Collectors Fair. I sell Zenit's and Praktcka's no problem, Chinon CE4 and 5's fly off the table. But the Canon gets no interest at all, and seriously - this is going for beer money.


Crikey - I thought that had long gone. It was a couple of years ago that I saw your for sale notice on the forum.
Give it a free plug here Lloyd.
How much are you asking?
OH



I nearly sold in on Gumtree ( UK's Craiglist ) for £75, but the buyer was a scammer who claimed that he'd Paypall'd the money and wanted me to send the camera before I'd got the money ! Rolling Eyes The camera and accessories are still in the parcel upstairs, and that is the only interest I've had in the camera for over two years.
The lady who's camera it is has told me I can have it for free, I've done some odd jobs for her husband who's a good friend of mine. But I bought an A1 in 1979 when they were a current camera, along with an AE1P and 50 / 1.4, 28 / 2, 80-200 / 4 and all the other stuff like the speed winder, it cost a bloody fortune back then! But I didn't like the A1, I just couldn't get on with it. My learning difficulties and dyscalculia made it difficult to master, so I part exchanged the lot for an EOS600 with the shitty kit lens. Crying or Very sad I've still got the EOS600, and I bought another AE1P very soon after letting my first one go, I still have that and like it a lot. I've tried this A1 and although I understand it far better than I did in 1979, it's still a camera that I can't use intuitively, which is why it's for sale and not on my camera shelf.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 5:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excalibur wrote:
Nice shots cooltouch and it can go off topic to human versus machine for exposure Smile
But just add, the advances in film cameras weren't all about selling more cameras but to help you get more winners out of a roll of film esp for those quick shots.
When you have those tricky shots of a person squinting in the sun, you would probably turn them around round so the sun is on their back (or worse coming from the side) and if you want the background to look natural you would use fill in flash, well ok you can use a flash meter and work the total exposure out inc ambient light with pencil and paper....or just use a T90 with matching flash gun and it would work it all out for you.
So the next off topic could be:- is it sorta cheating used an advanced camera over an old mechanical camera Smile but to get on topic there is nothing to stop you using the A1 on all manual and have the extra goodies as backup if you want to use them.


Ironically, I didn't start getting more winners out of a role until I took a pretty big step backward and idled my A-1 in favor of an FTb. You really don't want to get me started about the so-called "advances" of the A-1. When I bought mine, I'd owned my first "real" camera -- an AE-1 -- for maybe 6 months, and my attitude back then was that the A-1 simply had to be a much better camera because of all the advances it had over the AE-1. Well, I'd owned that new wunderkind for maybe another 6 months or so when I started feeling somewhat disillusioned about it all. And it was about that time that I read a brief article on the FTb, written by Jason Schneider of Modern Photography, which got me to thinking that maybe something simpler might be the solution.

There are two basic aspects of the FTb that I consider to be vastly superior to the A-1 -- its 12% partial area metering pattern and its manual, match-needle metering. I had become deeply frustrated with the A-1's "bottom-centerweighted" metering pattern, which skewed metering to drastic underexposure if the smallest extraneous light source entered the frame, and I was becoming progressively annoyed with the fact that, when shooting in manual mode, the A-1 suggested the aperture but would not respond to the aperture selected. So, what happened, once I got used to using the FTb was, not only did my percentage of keepers become much higher, but that I was able to shoot just as fast with the FTb as I was with the A-1 -- all it's high-tech gizmos be damned. With the FTb, I could quickly dial in an accurate exposure value, thanks both to its match needle metering and its partial area metering. My confidence began to soar and with that, my improvement in the craft began to take off as well.

So, to put things succinctly, give me that old mechanical camera any day over the "advanced" one and I'll muddle along quite happily with my greater percentage of keepers and much lower frustration level. But then, that's just me, I suppose. And being that this is a thread about the unloved A-1, while I might be one of the ones who is not so enamored of it, I have come across numerous others who are -- especially over at the Canon FD forum at photo.net. There are some hard-core A-1 lovers over there. I just shrug my shoulders and mumble something about "to each his own" and move on. Hey, if they're happy, who am I to mess with their love affair. But there is one "kudos" that I will extend toward the A-1. Despite its high level of tech, it has shown itself to be a remarkably durable and enduring photographic tool. And I suppose that's why I still own one.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 8:53 am    Post subject: Re: Canon A-1 - the unloved Canon SLR? Reply with quote

[quote="bychance"]
Lloydy wrote:
Oldhand wrote:
I have just acquired one of these cameras and am awaiting its arrival.
I have and use - infrequently now, but they were my workhorses in the past - FTb and EF Canons.
This camera (A-1) will be the most modern of my Canon SLR's.
The question that has popped into my head is why these particular Canons are somewhat unloved. Canon AE-1's seem to sell for more.
Lloyd tried to sell one here for a very long time and had little to no response.
Any thoughts?
OH


I've still got the damn thing, it's not mine - I'm selling it for a good friend who was given it by her father when she was at art college in Brussels, she's a painter but photography was part of the degree course. She didn't even like photography, so this camera has hardly been used - her guess is maybe 100 to 150 rolls have been through the camera. There's a huge Mecablitz, an unused Vivitar 135 and other stuff. No squeal, no battery corrosion, it's very very good. But nobody even picks it up when I have a stall at the local Antique & Collectors Fair. I sell Zenit's and Praktcka's no problem, Chinon CE4 and 5's fly off the table. But the Canon gets no interest at all, and seriously - this is going for beer money.


Just sent you a PM David.


I love a happy ending Smile

OH


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 8:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

cooltouch wrote:


One accessory you might want to think about is the Motor Drive MA. It ended up being one of Canon's best, actually. Up to 5 fps with the A-1. Sometimes you can find 'em for reasonable on the bay.


I have had re-think on this and have looked for the Motor Drive MA.
The 5 fps looked attractive for some situations.
After doing the math, I did end up with the same capability, but in a different form.
Found a T90 locally for around the same price as a Motor Drive MA and have gone with that.
Still no F-1, but I don't see that in my future at all.
FTb all the way there.
OH


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 9:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oldhand wrote:
cooltouch wrote:


One accessory you might want to think about is the Motor Drive MA. It ended up being one of Canon's best, actually. Up to 5 fps with the A-1. Sometimes you can find 'em for reasonable on the bay.


I have had re-think on this and have looked for the Motor Drive MA.
The 5 fps looked attractive for some situations.
After doing the math, I did end up with the same capability, but in a different form.
Found a T90 locally for around the same price as a Motor Drive MA and have gone with that.
Still no F-1, but I don't see that in my future at all.
FTb all the way there.
OH


The T90 is an amazing camera and it goes for peanuts because quite a few (maybe many) have the sticky shutter problem because either they are not used and the magnets gum up or if unlucky a washer (or whatever) in the shutter mechanism goes gooey over time. Mines Ok and have had it for 5 years but I fire it about every month just in case.
When people say I'm not buying the T90 because the shutter might stick eventually..my argument is:- if you can get a working body for £30 and say in 3 years the shutter sticks, it had cost you 83p/month to use an advance camera.....again peanuts


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 9:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

cooltouch wrote:
Excalibur wrote:
Nice shots cooltouch and it can go off topic to human versus machine for exposure Smile
But just add, the advances in film cameras weren't all about selling more cameras but to help you get more winners out of a roll of film esp for those quick shots.
When you have those tricky shots of a person squinting in the sun, you would probably turn them around round so the sun is on their back (or worse coming from the side) and if you want the background to look natural you would use fill in flash, well ok you can use a flash meter and work the total exposure out inc ambient light with pencil and paper....or just use a T90 with matching flash gun and it would work it all out for you.
So the next off topic could be:- is it sorta cheating used an advanced camera over an old mechanical camera Smile but to get on topic there is nothing to stop you using the A1 on all manual and have the extra goodies as backup if you want to use them.


Ironically, I didn't start getting more winners out of a role until I took a pretty big step backward and idled my A-1 in favor of an FTb. You really don't want to get me started about the so-called "advances" of the A-1. When I bought mine, I'd owned my first "real" camera -- an AE-1 -- for maybe 6 months, and my attitude back then was that the A-1 simply had to be a much better camera because of all the advances it had over the AE-1. Well, I'd owned that new wunderkind for maybe another 6 months or so when I started feeling somewhat disillusioned about it all. And it was about that time that I read a brief article on the FTb, written by Jason Schneider of Modern Photography, which got me to thinking that maybe something simpler might be the solution.

There are two basic aspects of the FTb that I consider to be vastly superior to the A-1 -- its 12% partial area metering pattern and its manual, match-needle metering. I had become deeply frustrated with the A-1's "bottom-centerweighted" metering pattern, which skewed metering to drastic underexposure if the smallest extraneous light source entered the frame, and I was becoming progressively annoyed with the fact that, when shooting in manual mode, the A-1 suggested the aperture but would not respond to the aperture selected. So, what happened, once I got used to using the FTb was, not only did my percentage of keepers become much higher, but that I was able to shoot just as fast with the FTb as I was with the A-1 -- all it's high-tech gizmos be damned. With the FTb, I could quickly dial in an accurate exposure value, thanks both to its match needle metering and its partial area metering. My confidence began to soar and with that, my improvement in the craft began to take off as well.

So, to put things succinctly, give me that old mechanical camera any day over the "advanced" one and I'll muddle along quite happily with my greater percentage of keepers and much lower frustration level. But then, that's just me, I suppose. And being that this is a thread about the unloved A-1, while I might be one of the ones who is not so enamored of it, I have come across numerous others who are -- especially over at the Canon FD forum at photo.net. There are some hard-core A-1 lovers over there. I just shrug my shoulders and mumble something about "to each his own" and move on. Hey, if they're happy, who am I to mess with their love affair. But there is one "kudos" that I will extend toward the A-1. Despite its high level of tech, it has shown itself to be a remarkably durable and enduring photographic tool. And I suppose that's why I still own one.


Just to add as you are interested in exposure:- The T90 has spot metering and IIRC you can select up to 8 (or is it 9) areas in your scene and it will hold this in memory and average the exposure before you take the shot....ok it's cheating again over traditional methods Smile


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 9:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excalibur wrote:
Oldhand wrote:
cooltouch wrote:


One accessory you might want to think about is the Motor Drive MA. It ended up being one of Canon's best, actually. Up to 5 fps with the A-1. Sometimes you can find 'em for reasonable on the bay.


I have had re-think on this and have looked for the Motor Drive MA.
The 5 fps looked attractive for some situations.
After doing the math, I did end up with the same capability, but in a different form.
Found a T90 locally for around the same price as a Motor Drive MA and have gone with that.
Still no F-1, but I don't see that in my future at all.
FTb all the way there.
OH


The T90 is an amazing camera and it goes for peanuts because quite a few (maybe many) have the sticky shutter problem because either they are not used and the magnets gum up or if unlucky a washer (or whatever) in the shutter mechanism goes gooey over time. Mines Ok and have had it for 5 years but I fire it about every month just in case.
When people say I'm not buying the T90 because the shutter might stick eventually..my argument is:- if you can get a working body for £30 and say in 3 years the shutter sticks, it had cost you 83p/month to use an advance camera.....again peanuts


Yep - exactly.
So, I have an A-1 and a T90 in the same week for the price of two slabs of beer.
Strange how things turn out isn't it.
I have been shooting film lately and my thoughts have been with film cameras.
Since Canon FTb was my first love, I guess it is only natural that it turned out this way.
OH


PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 10:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you are interested in flash try and get the matching 300TL cheap..but for me I try and use all my cameras in my profile, they are just tools to me with an additional hobby of playing with lenses , but they are all better than I'm a photographer Smile
AAMOI the new great buy of the year to look out for is the Canon AF EOS 300 with the kit lens for £5 (I bought one and so did someone else for a fiver) this does everything like the A1 and only weighs 820g also I've put a EF to M42 adapter on it, and it can meter....shame it can't take FD lenses Sad..thank you Canon for not caring. Sad