Canon AT-1 questions

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fuzk

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Hi all, before I start with the questions, maybe I should start with a little background.

I have a friend who is taking the plunge by quitting her full time job and taking up a photography diploma in London. I've briefly read through her course requirements and modules and come to the conclusion that she needs a film SLR camera. I've found out from her that she's currently using a Canon DSLR (EOS something), so I thought I would get her a film SLR camera with a basic lens for her studies in London, and she could probably use the lenses for both her digital and film cameras (please, if I'm wrong here, someone let me know).

Now, I have to say I'm not too familiar with the Canon line of SLR cameras, but I did some research and figured that the Canon AT-1 is probably the 'best' for her as it requires her to manually expose her pictures without any help (Aperture priority and/or Shutter priority).

Some questions I have at the moment:

Does the AT-1 work without any batteries? I know it uses silver oxide batteries for the meter and if batteries are needed, what's the equivalent replacement battery now?

Does the AT-1 accept lenses for her EOS camera and vice versa?

Does anyone know where to get one other than ebay?

Thanks a lot for reading so far and I appreciate any help from anyone. 🙂

Jy.
 
Hello Jy,

The AT-1 uses FD lenses whereas your friends DSLR used EOS lenses. Whereas FD lenses can be used on EOS cameras (via an adaptor) the reverse is not true.

Best regards,
RoyM
 
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Ah okay. Thanks for the clarification. And I thought they were compatible.

So, would there be any manual SLR cameras that would have the same (EF I assume?) mount as her current camera?
 
Not without batteries. However, the AT-1 is an excellent camera. It does have a mechanical shutter, and will work without batteries. FD lenses are very inexpensive these days for their quality, but the same is true of Minolta...
 
bennyng said:
The EF-M should be the most basic of Canon EOS series film cameras that can accept EF lenses. Besides that, there are many other EOS film cameras.
Click to expand...

The EF-M is the only non-AF among them, and just as battery dependent as a AF EOS. But it is usually more expensive than a superior prosumer film EOS these days, and may even reach EOS 1 proportions, as it often gets bought up to be butchered for its split/microprism EOS focusing screen, so that its price tends to relate to a pro DSLR spare part rather than the used consumer film camera market.
 
Ranchu said:
Not without batteries. However, the AT-1 is an excellent camera. It does have a mechanical shutter, and will work without batteries. FD lenses are very inexpensive these days for their quality, but the same is true of Minolta...
Click to expand...

The AT-1 is the same shutter as the AE-1. It will not work without batteries. An FT-1b will have a mechanical shutter. Hope that helps.
 
Thank you everyone for answering.

Let me see.. my choices are (if I want to stick to a Canon SLR):

1) A Canon AT-1 but I must make sure to get batteries and lenses will not be compatible with her EOS DSLR. (Anyone knows what batteries work?)

2) An EF-M as suggested by Benny but only if the price is not too exhorbitantly high.

3) Check out FT-1b as suggested by Joachim as it's a camera that's NOT dependant on batteries.
 
Well, last but not least another choice would be to buy some film AF EOS - even the most humble among them can do all the EF-M can, plus the option to enable AF whenever desired. And prices on nice prosumer or professional models are at a all-time low...
 
Don't worry about it Ranchu, I saw that site and I was trying to decipher the message myself!

Sevo: I'm trying to get my friend an 'all manual everything' camera. I believe, and this is purely IMO, that it'll be best for her to learn everything manually. 🙂 But that's for the suggestion, I'll go look it up.

Spavinaw: Thanks for the info! Now, to check if that's a readily available battery.
 
OK...here are my thoughts
FD to EF adapters are not recommended (quality usually is on the low side...and that kind of adapters always have lenses that could deteriorates quality image coming from any good FD lens...)
The Canon EF-M is piece of plastic junk (same as EOS-1000)...buy instead an EOS 5 (EOS A2E) or EOS 3....or if you want go dirty cheap an old (but gold) EOS 620 (one of the few with 1/250 sec. synchro-flash)
 
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fuzk said:
....Sevo: I'm trying to get my friend an 'all manual everything' camera. I believe, and this is purely IMO, that it'll be best for her to learn everything manually. 🙂 But that's for the suggestion, I'll go look it up....
Click to expand...

If you really want a manual Canon, as somebody else suggested, skip the AT-1 and go with a FTb. Be aware though, these are heavy cameras by today's standards being made of metal (chrome-on-brass construction). Built like a tank though and will last your friend a lifetime. Cheap too, as are most film cameras from before 1990.

Jim B.
 
Lorenzo1910: Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look it up. 🙂

Mackinaw: FTb sounds like a good idea. Built like a tank and lasting a lifetime sounds like a good sales pitch to maybe get her to switch to film. 😛
 
You are welcome...

Just to show you what an EOS 620 with a 50mm EF can do (film is Ilford HP5 souped in Ilford Microphen)

4717310064_4edfb3b8e0_b.jpg
 
I love the Canon manual focus system -- FD. But it really seems to me that getting an EOS film body makes more sense than sticking her with incompatible platforms. And she can always shut off the autofocus. Lorenzo's model suggestions are good.
 
The Canon manual cameras using FD lenses are terrifi9c. For years I used at EF and still have it. Someone suggested the FTb. That is good too.

Both the lenses and the bodies are selling for next to nothing here in Canada.

I recently loaned my EF to an art student who needed "an analogue camera" for her course.

If you want to meter manually, you can pick up the old FL lenses for even less.


On a broader question, you seem to be saying that she quit her job to study photography. It is getting harder and harder to make living in photography. Does she know that?
 
lorenzo: That's an excellent photo!

pagpow: That was what I was thinking as well. more searching to do then!

easyrider: Admist all the suggestions of EOS cameras, I AM thinking about the EF, FTb and AT-1 because it's almost fully manual. Nothing else that will do her job for her (aperture priorty, etc.). So, although it might not make sense to get her something in another mount, I'm still considering it.

Argh! This is so difficult! Haha. There's more mulling to do and I have to make a decision soon!

Easyrider: I think she has a rough idea that it's not doing to be a bed of roses. But she always had a sort of... affinity with photography, that's why she's just "going for it" and learning all the basics, and hang around to see what happens eventually. As long as she knows what she's getting into, and she's doing something that she'll be happy with, I can only support her as a friend. 🙂

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Like I said, I'll mull over it a bit. 🙂
 
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