The Canon AE-1 such an insanely good camera for it's price. Plus is really easy to get them fixed. I found one in my basement, it skipped every 3rd frame of a roll because of an issue with the gears not locking in. Found a local guy that had it fixed in 2 days.
I have an AV-1 and an A-1 (OK, and an AE-1 Program too, but I digress). Aperture priority is my preferred mode, for which I agree that the AV-1 is a better camera for actually using the lens' aperture ring rather than that fiddly little finger dial. On the other hand, I never have any trouble reading the A-1's meter...
I agree. It’s a tourist camera without even having aperture priority. Then there is the canon squeak and no diopter. I had 2 when I started out. Then I found much better cameras for cheaper. It was just a camera that some influencer said was great and people bought into it. Then they all kept saying how great it was.
If you want to preselect the aperture, as I prefer to do in 95% of my shots, the AE-1 is among the most clumsy cameras available.
Most mechanical cameras are much better for my needs. Or shutter priority cameras.
I want exactly two things: a meter with an indication (needle or LED, I don't care) in the viewfinder and a way to know what shutter is selected at the moment. Manual or Aperture priority, both fine.
The AE-1 was developed as an amateur's camera to shoot fast moving objects. If you shoot your little children running around in the backyard - which was the reason my Dad bought his AE-1 when I was born quite a long time ago - shutter priority makes sense. For what most people do with film nowadays, it does not make sense at all.
I do know that it is a much loved camera. The problem is: I wonder why.
When I was born, the AE-1 was rather new on the market and it was the big thing marketed to amateur photographers. My Dad, coincidentally having become a dad quite recently, decided, that it was time to buy a camera.
He was offered an Olympus OM-1 and OM-2, two cameras I really like a lot. And he was offered an AE-1 and being a nerd who loves a good data sheet, he bought it.
This camera took all the pictures of my and my younger brothers childhood and was used once or twice a year until around 2000.
I started to become interested in photography (digital) in 2006 and started to look into film in 2010. I bought Nikon. FM, FE, F2, F3 (sold some of them later). And I bought Olympus (because they were so pretty yet still so solid).
And then my dad gave me his AE-1
I put a few rolls through it. Results are fine. Then I switched it off, removed the battery, put it on the shelf and there it stands. I will not sell it, despite some guys might want to actually shoot it, because Dad's camera has sentimental value. But I will also not use it ever again.
Simple reason: with 95% of the images I take, I choose the aperture first and then adjust the shutter to match.
I love cameras with fully manual control, but I want a meter and I want a method to know the shutter speed while looking through the finder. Aperture is OK, I adjust that first and don't touch it. But while looking through the finder, I adjust the time and I want to know, if I am still ok or if I am trying to shoot my 105 mm lens at 1/15 s.
The manual mode of the AE-1 works the other way. You can set your aperture, then you adjust the shutter untill the meter needle points on the preselected aperture,, then you take it off you eye and check the time. Cumbersome!
The other type of camera I really like: aperture priority, where I can select my aperture and the camera picks shutter times. The AE-1 does have a shutter priority, which I consider to be a terribly useless mode unless you want to shoot fast moving objects. I actually do understand, why it might be good to shoot running kids in the 80s.
But to me it is the camera with the worst ergonomics for my PERSONAL shooting style. And I actually do think, that many people would agree, had they the chance to compare the AE-1 with a good manual/mechanical camera like the Nikons FM, F2, etc. where you get a nice meter AND can read the time in the finder or the Olympus OM-1, where you know the time from the position of two knobs on the dial.
I really did not enjoy using the AE-1 at all. Sorry.
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u/fjalll Sep 10 '24
As the Contax T2 or Canon AE-1 is to others. Which might not make sense but to some it might.
The Rollei AF has what, 1000 film cameras in its price range to compete with. To most, it won't be near the top