Canon A1 - 35mm Film Camera Review

[@randallstewart175]

In the 1980s, a friend of mine with zero photo experience or talent asked my to recommend a 35m SLR for use during his work in Barrow, Alaska. We got him an A-1, mainly because I was very possessive of my Nikkor lenses and I didn't want to have to deal with borrowing. it proved a great purchase. He took it on walrus hunts with local resident Eskimos and got great shots on auto". Although he barely knew how to load the film in the camera, his results were so good that when he died a few years ago, his family added reference to his status as a great photographer to his obit. We let him take that joke to the grave.

[@Distphoto]

Surprising how capable this camera is. Thanks!

[@cjsansoo7]

I've had mine since 1981 and I "absolutely" love it!!!

[@Distphoto]

It is a real gem!

[@SteveAtkinsonFineArt]

I've got my camera with Steve at Camera Clinic right now CLAing my new (to me) A1. He's such a great guy and really knows his stuff. Excited to get it back and run a bunch of film through it. I had an A1 back in late '79 when it first came out and have missed having it. This was the first slr camera that had all 4 shooting modes, auto, manual, shutter priority and aperture priority. Thanks for a fun review, and the ND filter is a good solution for shooting 400 on bright days. I shoot only black and white and so I also use an orange filter which loses 2+ stops of light.

[@Distphoto]

I mostly shoot black and white as well and have to pick up some filters for that! Enjoy the camera!!!

[@nwrob1]

I love that you reviewed this sweet, underappreciated little camera. Great review. The eyecup thing drove me nuts, but I never took it off either 😆 The only vices of that camera imo are the switch is easy to leave on, and then you have a doorstop the next morning; the leds are a bit hard to read in full sun, and it really doesnt like to be used in manual. I stopped trying to use it in manual, and just used the AE lock as an exposure adjuster, and never looked back. I shot it for years, and it almost never missed an exposure no matter what I threw at it. My understanding is it was a test bed for the technology they used in the New F1 (another underated camera). Great stuff. Love your videos.

[@Distphoto]

Thanks! I nearly always use it in aperture priority. The meter does a good job! Seems like it was ahead of its time.

[@RobertFalconer1967]

"...this sweet, underappreciated little camera." I can assure you that this camera was far from under-appreciated when it first debuted in 1978. At that time it was the most technologically advanced 35mm SLR on the planet, was number 2 in Canon's lineup after the F-1, got lots of buzz, and sold plenty of copies...until Canon retired it in 1985. Back then it would have been considered what we call a prosumer model today.

[@bernardkelly235]

Very capable little camera. I’ve used it for studio portraits. Agree with you about the shutter release. Too deep.

[@Distphoto]

That would be my biggest gripe, but still loving the camera!

[@ZZStudd1978]

Put a screw on shutter button, it makes all the difference.

[@marcelschepers626]

Lovely portraits ... looking forward to your series about lith printing!

[@Distphoto]

Thank You. Lith is my favorite! Working on it for sure!

[@michael195b]

Thanks for the video, just discovered your channel after getting back into film after many years hiatus and love the content you produce. Bought myself an A1 couple of weeks ago for a bargain and fixed the mirror squeak and new seals for only £30 and works great now, I was an Olympus OM2n guy before. You can get different focus screens for the A1 it was only supposed to be replaceable by service technicians but found a few on eBay and KZbin videos on how to remove them. Keep up the great content.

[@Distphoto]

Thanks! Gonna look into the focusing screens!

[@terben7339]

I bought my A-1 in 1984 on a trip to Hong Kong. One of the best features is that half pressing the shutter button lights up the exposure LEDs in the viewfinder so you can decide whether to shoot with those settings. It's just one of three ways the camera offers to preview your exposure. Years later I picked up a used motor drive for the A-1 which was a lot of fun. I think I removed the eye cup the day I bought it and only use it in extremely bright conditions.

[@Distphoto]

I do love the led in the A1. Especially compared to my F1 where is is really Al hard to read the gauge in even dim light. Never removed the eyepiece… not sure why. Just did and I think I will like it more that way. Thanks!

[@DerGeileEisbaer]

This is by far my favorite camera. Small and light but still has (almost) all the features you would want in a camera. I bought a relatively low priced A1 exactly two years ago and fixed it myself. Right before the prices on them shot up. I just changed the light seals, silenced that coughing mirror mechanism and it feels like new :)

[@DerGeileEisbaer]

I also upgraded it with a soft release button, that is just screwed onto the shutter button. That makes it way more comfortable ;)

[@Distphoto]

Definitely a favorite for me as well. I have heard of others using a screw on top of the shutter button. Where did you get yours? Is this something I can get at a hardware store? Thanks!

[@DerGeileEisbaer]

@@Distphoto A friend just uses a regular screw for his beat up av-1 :D Looks kinda crap but does the job and fits the broken look of his camera. Or you could just use a dedicated "soft release/shutter button". I got mine on Amazon for a few bucks but maybe your photography store of trust sells them, too. There's a lot of shapes, materials and colors out there and they are fairly cheap, give it a try :) Pro tip: some of them come with a tiny rubber ring. Without the ring the screw-in button will come loose sooner or later and that's when they forever disappear on hikes :D

[@alfredmitchell7588]

I was recently gifted one looking forward to shooting with it for sure.

[@Distphoto]

Enjoy it! Love when people give me cameras… the best 👍

[@mathewmccarthy9848]

The A-1's are beautiful and quite capable during its day. They are the equivalent to the Nikon F series (F2, F3, F4). I have an F3; tanks. So, I can appreciate your love for the A-1. Glad you took it off the shelf and played with it.

[@Distphoto]

Thanks, having a ton of fun with it!

[@olafwDE]

I sort of agree concerning the FM2, but imho the Nikon F2 and F3 rather compare to the Nikon F-1(n), and the F4 maybe to the T90. The latter never offered interchangeable viewfinders, which actually kept the F-1n alive for quite a while. It took the switch to EOS and the FE mount to extinguish both of them (RIP FD lenses).

[@mathewmccarthy9848]

@@olafwDE very good points.

[@olafwDE]

@@DessieTots I second that, and I would consider the Minolta X700 as closest competitor to the A-1. I owned an X-700, bought it new, but years later (1984 or 1985). Given that the A-1 was already around in 1978-ish, it's probably fair to say that the Canon was (once again) a pioneer product.

[@caldera878]

The Canon F-1, F-1n and New F-1 are the only models comparable to the Nikon F, F2 and F3. Canon, get your names straight.

[@olafwDE]

When I was a teenager, this camera was one of the holy grail items every "prosumer" would dream of. The Canon lineup offered only one camera superior to the A1, which was the F-1 (or later, the F-1n). The AE-1 model was the actual consumer model, being the first camera ever that sold several million times. Afaik, the A-1 is the last, predominantly mechanical gem that Canon has produced to last forever, although the AE-1 was released later. The T-models (T50, T70 and the gorgeous T90) would hit the market only a few years later, but they relied heavily on electronics, which can be apita nowadays. FD mount offers several outstanding lenses. It was a good idea to have your A-1 CLA'ed. If you'd like to dive deeper, get lenses, a winder or the MA-1 motor drive and use it to its full potential.

[@Distphoto]

I have been looking into accessories for it! Definitely gonna get some extension tubes and looking for a decent wide iso lens like 35mm (24 or 28) just not sure of what is available. Love the camera and thanks for that info! It sure does have a nice build quality and feel to it. Such a capable little guy!

[@olafwDE]

@@Distphoto The Zenography channel is a good starting point if you are looking for decent FD lenses and want to find out which ones are the best buy. Happy shooting.

[@caldera878]

The Canon F-1, all three versions has interchangeable viewfinders and professional quality build.

[@Distphoto]

I would like to pick one up. Everything I have read seems to lean toward them needing a lot of maintenance. Still love to have one!

[@caldera878]

@@Distphoto All vintage cameras would benefit from a CLA and the Canon F-1 cameras are definitely worth it.

[@henryrogers5500]

Great video! Really nice photography!! My wife bought me the Canon AE-1 (silver and black) for my birthday over a year ago. My first film SLR! It was in excellent shape but it had the Canon shutter squeal so I took it in and got it CLA’d. Takes really nice photos with any film stock. Those FD lenses are amazing! I have seven other vintage film SLRs with my Nikon F being my most favorite.

[@Distphoto]

Thanks Henry! Love these old cameras so fun to use. Would love to get a Nikon F to shoot 👍

[@drewsleyy3836]

the first switch (battery check button) is actually to turn the digital viewfinder display on/off! The A/L switch in the top right is the power switch, and i’m really careful to leave it off as my A1 eats batteries

[@Distphoto]

Thank you! I was just messing around with this camera on a walk last night. It seems like the first switch must have to be off to shoot in full manual as well? I did not realize that. Have to go pick up a spare battery 👍

[@drewsleyy3836]

@@Distphoto It doesn’t need to be off to shoot in full manual, no! For full manual mode, simply switch to the speed setting on the AV/TV dial, and select your desired aperture on the lens. If you leave the lens on A (or O for some), then it’s speed priority mode. The viewfinder when on will still give you advice about proper exposure, which i find very nice in most situations when shooting manual. Another feature: to the left of the viewfinder on the back, there’s a little switch you flip down to cover the viewfinder. Very good for long exposures to prevent light from leaking into the film through the finder!

[@Distphoto]

@@drewsleyy3836 Thanksyou! That is what I originally thought. So it still gives metering advice on the digital display then but will shoot at the aperture you have set. This thing was way ahead of its time!

[@drewsleyy3836]

@@Distphoto Truly!! You also see an “M” when shooting in manual, in the digital display. And i gotta say i love the digital font + viewfinder. What i see is always what i get

[@DerGeileEisbaer]

If i don't use my A1 for a while, I pinch a stripe of paper between the Battery and one of the contacts. So when I come back to using it again, I just pull out that paper like the safety pin on a grenade and the camera is good to go :D

[@culleysmith]

I used my father's AE-1 from the 80s up until a couple years ago, when I bought an AE-1 Program body off of Ebay. The original body has too much sentimental value at this point, so I have it on a shelf and hope to pass it on to my son when he's old enough to use it. I believe the AE-1 was released around 1976 (the year after I was born) and he bought it to take pictures of me. Yes, the eye cup is a pain! Argh. But I still haven't bothered to find something better after all of these years.

[@Distphoto]

I have a Konica That was my fathers and I feel the same way about it. At this point it is not very functional but sentimentally worth a lot to me. My daughter (she is 7) already has an EOS 3 and a rebel with some pretty decent glass :)

[@j.c.103]

great camera ! I've purchased an A1 a few days before. Like this lith prints / portraits very much 👍

[@Distphoto]

Awesome, enjoy the camera!!! and thank you.

[@JamieMPhoto]

Oh hey, someone just gave me this one for free, too! It's wonderful, though I've been less confident in the FD glass I have, and I have the same gripes about the shutter speed, too. But still, I need to take this one out very soon.

[@Distphoto]

Hope you enjoy it! It is such a fun camera. I can not imagine giving mine away, great score!

[@CanoeToNewOrleans]

My dad gave me his A-1. Like you say, the shutter was dry, but other than that it was in good shape. It meters well and I enjoy shooting it.

[@Distphoto]

Some cameras are just sentimental as well!

[@CanoeToNewOrleans]

@@Distphoto Yup, it's the camera we had as I was growing up.

[@Distphoto]

@@CanoeToNewOrleans That is so cool. My dads was a Konica fs1. I left it alone on a crap tripod and well it is no longer with us 🤷🏻‍♂️. I did buy the exact camera as I came across one and couldn’t help it.

[@dflf]

I like a bit of brassing on a black bodied camera. It gives it some charactor

[@Distphoto]

Agreed 👍

[@Gerard-hu6kp]

Love the Canonet Light,easy load easy use

[@Distphoto]

Agreed!

[@jeffreyharrison2430]

Just got my T90 back from Steve at Camera Clinic….sending him my A1 next!

[@Distphoto]

Nice! Enjoy the T90… never shot one but seems like a perfect 35mm slr

[@VWLivin]

Hey there, nice video! I also own this camera but have it with the FD 85mm f1.2 L. You mentioned that your lens wouldn't focus all the way to infinity? Did the repair tech happen to tell you why it was doing this? My 85 is having the same issue. Thanks

[@Distphoto]

Sorry, no I never asked but the repair was reasonable and definitely worth getting that lens working. I really want that 85 as well 👍

[@erchata]

que casualidad yo tengo casi la misma la Canon AE1-program la compre por el año 1985 y me costo con el objetivo 50mm f1.8 sobre los 300€ de entonces, en aquel tiempo si no recuerdo mal era un gran gasto ya que mi sueldo era de unos 620€ al mes asi que era casi la mitad de sueldo y aun la conservo es mi preferida de siempre aunque tengo varias de 35 mm y medio formato, buen video me encantan y eres un gran profesional saludos desde BARCELONA ESPAÑA.

[@Distphoto]

Thanks! such a fun camera, cheers from the U.S.!

[@CharlezRichard]

What lens was on the camera?

[@Distphoto]

@@CharlezRichard FD 50mm 1.2L 👍

[@TheGreatLoco]

I was really amazed with the A-1 as a kid and teenager, I had a Pentax MX, but eventually realized the MX is a better camera. And when Nikon launched the FA, with classic controls, 1/4000s, 1/250s flash synch, matrix mettering plus PASM with AI-S lenses, it became my idea camera. Then Canon abandoned the FD mount, while Nikon and Pentax continued supporting their mounts.

[@Distphoto]

SO many awesome old cameras! I would love to have an old vintage Nikkon and glass. On my bucket list!!! Thanks for watching!

[@jeffreyharrison2430]

What lens is that? I see it’s an L series….is it a 50?

[@Distphoto]

Yes it is the FD 501.2L 👍

[@toho45]

For the first time i see this 50 f1.2L in video ❤

[@Distphoto]

@@toho45 it is a gem!

[@marceloduranarg]

Back in those days, the eyecup dilema was no issue.... people took it easier, nobody would care about that

[@Distphoto]

Yeah, you’re probably right.

[@benkrohn2144]

My favorite. I can’t even watch. I hate camera reviews:P F1 is G.A.S.

[@slobodanpejica]

👏👏👏👌👌👌❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍

[@Distphoto]

👍🏻