Canon A-1 on the way.

[Paul Jenkin]

Had one of these (and an F1-N) with 20mm/f2, 20-35mm/f3.5L, 24mm/f2, 50mm/f1.4, 58mm/f1.2 Breechlock, 85mm/f1.8, 200mm/f2.8 and 300mm/f4. Great rig but ended up trading it for some Leica gear a few years ago. Regretted it ever since as, although the Leica kit was excellent, what I shot was better suited by the Canon gear.

 

[Keith]

Won't actually have the camera until next Tuseday ... he's going to drop it in at work. 🙂

 

[MiniMoke]

Won't actually have the camera until next Tuseday ... he's going to drop it in at work. 🙂

Bummer, you'll have to wait until next YEAR!! 😱

 

[btgc]

This reminds me an old anecdote....no, sir, I'm not this kind of a woman...but if price is right.... 🙂

 

[Keith]

This reminds me an old anecdote....no, sir, I'm not this kind of a woman...but if price is right.... 🙂

I have no morals where cameras are concerned I admit! 😀

 

[nobbylon]

I had an AE1 for a long time when they first came out. They were £199 from memory. It was scratched, dented and squeaked but with a 28 I had welded to it took great pictures.
The AE1 Program I had however was why I switched from Canon to Nikon. I even had it serviced by Canon and it still underexposed badly and randomly. When my daughter was born I promised myself a reliable camera to document her growing up so the Canons went.
I used an A1 for a while and really liked it. You've got me thinking now that I really do NEED to get that F1 I've been looking at!

 

[wakarimasen]

Had an A1 and an F1. Went to an FE, and an F3 in the end, as I just didn't like the Canon FD bodies. Good cameras though!

 

[steveclem]

Never tried one but I'll take an FTb or an EF over them all any day. FTb for film loading and small size, EF because the meter and shutter speed dial are spot on.
Plus, and for me it's a big plus, they are manual,mechanical marvels.

 

[venchka]

Never tried one but I'll take an FTb or an EF over them all any day. FTb for film loading and small size, EF because the meter and shutter speed dial are spot on.
Plus, and for me it's a big plus, they are manual,mechanical marvels.

I often wonder which shutter speed dial placement came first: The Canon EF or the Leica M5? I have owned the Canon EF since forever-bought it new. The M5 seems like a rangefinder sibling. I really like using both cameras. My wife bought an A-1 for me at one of her garage sale gigs. I'm a happy camper with those 3 cameras.
Enjoy Keith! Standing by for the photos of and from your new kit.

Wayne

 

[Keith]

I often wonder which shutter speed dial placement came first: The Canon EF or the Leica M5? I have owned the Canon EF since forever-bought it new. The M5 seems like a rangefinder sibling. I really like using both cameras. My wife bought an A-1 for me at one of her garage sale gigs. I'm a happy camper with those 3 cameras.
Enjoy Keith! Standing by for the photos of and from your new kit.

Wayne

This means I'll have to get off my arse and shoot some film ... OMG! 😱

😀

 

[venchka]

There it is! Same here.

Wayne

 

[Art Vandalay]

Here's mine. My first 'real' camera. It now has the 35 f2.0 SSC on it (thorium coated), which has yellowed nicely and works wonderfully for b&w.

Canon A-1 by Black Jack Shellac, on Flickr

 

[venchka]

Here's mine. My first 'real' camera. It now has the 35 f2.0 SSC on it (thorium coated), which has yellowed nicely and works wonderfully for b&w.

Canon A-1 by Black Jack Shellac, on Flickr

The Thorium yellow cast be removed if you so choose.
Internet sources say that a few days under an LED desk lamp IKEA makes the yellow disappear. I own the same lens with the same yellow tint. I plan to try the IKEA lamp trick.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20169658/

Wayne

 

[FrankS]

A friend of mine recently started working part time at one of the thrift stores (St Vincent de Paul) known as Vinnie's here in Oz. I asked him to keep an eye out for any decent looking camera gear that may turn up.

He's just rung me to let me know he's picked up a Canon A-1 and four lenses for ten dollars from someone who bought it in to sell it. The owner has had the gear a long time and is happy just to see it go to a good home ... all in very nice condition apparently.

I need another camera system like I need a hole in the head but it was hard to say no at that price and though I don't have a clue what the four lenses are they sound like two primes and a couple of zooms from the description over the phone. Should have it in a few days! 🙂

Garage sales/prices is how/why I have so many different camera systems. My purposeful 35mm systems are Leica and Nikon, but through the sales I also have Canon FD, Olympus, Pentax K and screw, Minolta MD, Contax/Yashica, and even Exakta, Miranda and Topcon.

In Canon, I have an F1, EF, and FTb. My good FD lenses are a 50f1.4 and 24f2.8.

The Canon A1 is much different from the Olympus you like so much, Keith. There is no exterior polycarbonate on the OM1.

 

[ajb7661]

Still have my A-1 and AE-1. I take them out when I need to work bicep curls. The bodies weren't too heavy, but those FD lenses were not lightweights. Love those cameras as they were my first 35mms and built like a tank.

 

[rbsinto]

Although I've been a Nikon user since 1977, I did have access to a fairly good Canon system through a Pro photobud who shot with F-1, A-1's, EF, and Ftb bodies and a small pile of excellent Canon glass.
I liked his motorized A-1s so much, I came within a hair of trading in my then- small Nikon system to get one.
The Canon gear, was rugged, reliable and the lenses were first rate.
I suspect that in those days it was Nikon's marketing that kept them on top because dispassionate thinkers knew there wasn't a great deal of difference between the quality of either system. You really couldn't go wrong using either one for serious or professional 35mm work.
However my photobud told me that during the 1960s and 1970s apparently the pros in France preferred the Canon gear to the Nikons. Why France? I have no idea.
Many years later I finally got Nikon's version of the A-1 when I got a motorized Nikon FA which I use to this day.

 

[HuubL]

Threads like these are always a good opportunity to show some of mine. The EF and A-1 have been my main shooters in the 70s and 80s. Wonderful cameras!

 

[venchka]

There is nothing half so nice as proper black paint on a camera or a lens.
I feel blessed to own several black paint bodies and one black paint lens.

Wayne

 

[nikon_sam]

A friend gave me her father's A-1 and it is in like new condition...I have since found a Canon 50mm 1.4 SSC, a Canon 100mm 3.5 FL and a Vivitar 28mm 2.8 lens for it...I also bought the A2 Power Winder...
It's pretty and even though I'm a Nikon guy I like this camera...

I just gotta limit what I spend on this system since the lenses for it are out there and affordable...
Keith, don't listen to the voices telling you you need more lenses...unless the price is right...

 

[Greyscale]

I lucked into these at an estate sale the day after I gave my AE-1 away to my niece. I guess that the universe was not ready for me to give up on Canon.


Canon F-1 with Canon FD 28/2.8 lens by Greyscale3, on Flickr


Canon A-1 with Canon FD 50/3.5 Macro lens by Greyscale3, on Flickr

$80 for both cameras (and they are perfect, they had even had the original light seals replaced at one time), plus three more lenses, caps, and filters. I have since gifted my FTBn (great camera also) to my nephew, to keep the good karma flowing. I like that 50/3.5 macro lens quite a lot.