To focus, you simply have to rotate the end of the lens until you find your image is in focus. You will see numbers in white and orange, the white is in Feet and the orange is in meters, this shows you at what distance you are currently focussing on. It also shows you how close is the closest you can focus, which, in this case, is 0.6 meters, or 2 feet. There are some things to like about the Canon AE-1. It uses FD glass, which is both relatively cheap and abundant. And so I brushed off my dusty AE-1 and start shooting film again, with no real objective other than to try and spark passion. And boy did it. That rekindling of love for my AE-1 not only reignited my creativity and passion for photography, it also sparked a deep and nerdy interest in film cameras as a whole. I'd soon begin to buy and sell them with regularity and still do. Years later, my collection would swell to numbers I care not admit. The Canon AE-1 is best for all kinds of photography, it’s suited for street photography, documentary photography, portrait, travel, editorial and much more. Since it has a hot shoe you can use a flash, so this camera is suited to all sorts. Obviously, from a client perception point of view, this camera doesn’t really have a ‘wow factor’, so that’s something to bear in mind if you were to use it for anything client facing like portrait or editorial work.

It is perhaps underappreciated that because new 35mm cameras aren’t being made (or at least not produced in volume), we have changed how we evaluate these cameras as a community. When cameras were being produced like any other consumer electronic device, the longevity of a camera was less of a concern. But now, as we see once state of the art electronics fail over the decades, we’ve placed a priority on simplicity. This consideration makes once humble cameras into valuable objects in the film world. These days, I still use my AE-1 from time to time for sentimental reasons, but it's largely been retired (replaced by a Nikon FM2). Fortunately, the lessons it's taught have been well-learned, and I don't just mean exposure values. It's taught me how to slow down and reconnect with my childhood photographic curiosity, the one that sent me careening down my present career path some 17 years ago. It's taught me how to slow down and reconnect with my childhood photographic curiosity The Canon AE-1 was one of the most popular SLR cameras ever produced, it was advertised so heavily that Canon has sold an incredible 5.7 million units since its release in 1976. The AE-1 was the first microprocessor-equipped SLR so it can be shot in shutter priority as well as fully manual. This camera is recognizable the world over, but how does it perform in 2022? And how much should you be paying for it? Otherwise, you have to look out for fungus or dust in your lenses as you do with all SLR cameras, fungus and dust are very common, they don’t always make your lens too bad to use, but after a certain point, it’s far too much!By my second year in college I'd acquired a shiny new D300 and all things film photography became an afterthought. My AE-1 would remain untouched for many years to come. At its most basic, a viewfinder on a SLR should allow you to compose your shot and obtain critical focus. With a split prism, the Canon AE-1 is able to do that with aplomb, so bravo on covering the basics. However in every other way, using the AE-1’s viewfinder is an act of frustration. To Control The Shutter Speeds you simply have to use the dial on the right handside which has the numbers 2 – 1000 on it. Simply rotate the dial to choose your desired shutter speed. There isn’t much that sets the Canon AE-1 and A1. The A1 is typically a more expensive camera but I think it generally has a slight edge over the AE-1 because it’s a newer camera which means it’s slightly less likely to have one of many common issues. The A1 also looks much nicer and has a much better aesthetic to the light meter. Personally, I would choose the A1 but that’s purely for aesthetics and the light meter. If these things don’t bother you and you want to pay a little bit less, the AE-1 is a good choice.

Skateboarding was my earliest photographic obsession. I shot this in 2004 for a cover of Dan's Zine, a monthly publication I published with some friends. Will Best, Taildrop. So profound was the experience of the AE-1, even 40 years on, I would not consider buying a Canon camera. That is how much owning the AE-1 hurt! To Change the ASA/ISO, you’ll see that on the same dial as the shutter speed, there is a small window with green numbers inside, these numbers are your ISO. To change the ISO, you must pull upwards on the silver outer ring of the dial, then rotate it to choose the correct shutter speed. About the same time, a pal of mine had a Canon A1 and F1. Both of them broke in annoying and expensive ways. He replaced them with an old Nikon F2Sb, which I eventually bought from him when it was well over 10 years into a hard-used life, and it was an absolute delight! It lived alongside my Olympus cameras for many years. I’ve worked with many Canon AE-1s and over the years I’ve discovered the pros and cons of this brilliant SLR.But then when I needed it most, it reemerged: I was a year out of college and working as an assistant magazine editor , commuting daily from New Jersey to midtown Manhattan. At the time, my life revolved around all things photographic, though I had almost no time on-the-job for actual photography. It was around this point I began to feel a creative emptiness bubble inside me along with all sorts of existential dread. You can't force creative passion, so instead reconnect with what made you fall in love with photography in the first place If you want to know how this camera compares to others, how much you should be paying, some of its common issues and much more then read on! Canon AE-1 Specs

Unfortunately, because the AE-1 is quite old and it is quite an electrical camera, there are a few common faults for you to look out for to ensure you’re getting a quality camera. In fairness though, there’s nothing wrong with the AE-1, the differences are very slight and they don’t make any difference to your final image. The AE-1 and A1 take the same brilliant lenses and this levels the playing field. Also, functionally, there isn’t much difference in the way you use these two cameras. Damage to the battery door is also quite common for an AE-1, usually the bottom corner of the battery door can end up damaged and in some instances, the door may be missing completely. This is not the end of the world as the battery does sit in position quite nicely. You can replace the door but you would obviously have to find another door in good condition, you would be able to find out how to replace the door on youtube. Both the Canon AE-1 and A1 were incredibly popular cameras and if you’re looking to buy one then it’s likely that you’re trying to see which of these two is better. Read more about the Canon A-1 here!This camera is ideal for someone that is trying to learn film photography, the shutter priority mode makes it a lot easier for amateurs to take better shots without having to worry about the rest of the settings. This camera really lends itself to a beginner. Is The Canon AE-1 Fully Manual?