
- Canon ae 1 35mm film camera manual#
- Canon ae 1 35mm film camera full#
- Canon ae 1 35mm film camera iso#
On the top left there’s the ASA selector, which allows you to dial in the speed of your film. It’s also pretty light, although once you factor in the lens it certainly becomes a bit heavier than most mirrorless cameras. It’s a lot slimmer than today’s DSLRs, mostly because there are not many electronics inside. The AE-1 Program handles beautifully, and it’s just the right size for my hands. The rest of the body is made of textured plastic, and provides just the right amount of grip. It doesn’t need to be though, as this is purposely a consumer-grade camera. They feel nice and solid, but it’s definitely not an all-metal body. The top and bottom plates are made of chrome-plated plastic. Unfortunately, that’s where the similarities end because, while the Canon is very well built, it’s nowhere near the build quality of a classic Leica. Its design takes a page from the classic Leica rangefinders, only adapted to an SLR body. The AE-1 Program is a truly beautiful camera. Of course, you’ll need a tripod and a remote trigger for this feature to work well, although if you’re using this camera today, I honestly don’t think it’s for its long-exposure capabilities.

There’s also a bulb mode, which allows for capturing long exposures with ease. And if the particular lens you’re using doesn’t offer the needed aperture for the selected shutter speed, a warning sign will light up in the viewfinder’s display, urging you to choose a different speed instead. This allows you to shoot freely by simply dialing in the desired shutter speed, as the camera will select the appropriate aperture automatically.
Canon ae 1 35mm film camera manual#
The top plate features all the main controls.īesides Program and manual mode, the AE-1 Program also features a shutter priority mode, which is engaged by setting the lens aperture to “A” on the aperture ring. Set the shutter speed you want, select the aperture on the lens, confirm that the exposure is correct with the viewfinder’s built-in display, and fire away. You have a shutter speed dial, a film advance lever, the shutter release button and that’s pretty much all you need. The Canon AE-1 Program offers just the right amount of options, without all the clutter present in modern cameras. With an exceptionally well designed control layout, this camera puts you in the driver’s seat and allows you to customize every aspect of your exposures quickly and efficiently as you go along.
Canon ae 1 35mm film camera full#
The Program mode was arguably the biggest selling point of the AE-1 Program back in the 80s, but the camera offered many more interesting features for the more advanced user, which made it a commercial hit among all kinds of photography enthusiasts.Īs convenient and worry-free as the Program mode is, where the AE-1 Program really shines is in full manual mode. The Canon AE-1 Program could very well be the perfect memory-making machine, and one of the best ways to experience photography in its purest form. Now that I’ve been using it for a few months, I think I know what that is. I’ve never known my father to be a nostalgic man, but there’s undoubtedly something unique about this camera, something that moved him to preserve it in pristine condition for decades. Like I was finally ready to be trusted with one of his most prized possessions - which is saying a lot, given my dad’s general lack of interest in material things. That’s perhaps what makes it so special for me: last year, when my dad finally gave it to me, it almost felt like a rite of passage. It’d been lying around inside my dad’s closet for as long as I can remember - it’s actually older than I am - and I always remember my dad being extremely protective of it when my brother and I were kids. They have more grain than you could poke a stick at, check out the shot below.Canon AE-1 Program with Canon FDn 50mm f/1.8 lens. If you want a truly grainy image that is reminiscent of early photography check out Ilford HP5.

Canon ae 1 35mm film camera iso#
This is because they have a much wider latitude for light or a greater dynamic range.Īs the ISO value goes up to 3200 or higher, the dynamic range becomes narrower and photographs will more easily become blown out or produce dark patches if the lighting is not appropriate. Basically, lower ISO numbers produce sharper images. It’s also important to understand the effect different ISO values have on images. This is one of the biggest arguments against using T-Max – why use it when it merely replicates a digital monochrome photograph? Whereas the T-Max is very sharp and crisp with high contrast, you might even mistake some shots for digital. It gives a more nostalgic characteristic don’t you think? It embodies the classic black and white film photograph characteristics. The Tri-X should seem more washed out in comparison and grainier.

Notice the differences between the two? Tri-X has more grain and less contrast.
