![]() ![]() With this bit of history in mind, when I finally got to shooting with this camera again, it truly brought me back to the same feeling I had when I took a Photo 101 course in high school. Finally, the AE-1 also debuted alongside a dedicated flash, the Speedlite 155A, which could be set to configure the camera’s f/stop and shutter-speed settings automatically, based on metered reflective light from the subject that differs from TTL metering and, rather, relies on a front-facing photo sensor on the flash body itself. The Data Back A was also available, which can be seen as the precursor to EXIF metadata, and could be used to imprint configurable sets or types of data, such as the date, onto your negatives as you shot. The electronic infrastructure of the AE-1 also brought with it a range of accessories that were unusual for their time in 1976, including an accessory motorized film winder, the Power Winder A, that replaced the need to physically wind between shots and offered up to a blazing-fast 2 fps continuous shooting rate. The AE-1 paved the way for future electronic cameras and signaled the transition from all-mechanical to electronically controlled operations. For Canon it meant millions of sales over the course of the camera's eight-year production run, and its subsequently legendary status. For the user, this meant a camera with high-end-for-the-time functionality and versatility along with an affordable price tag. By replacing the multitude of mechanical, metal, and machined components with relatively few electronic components, manufacturing costs could be reduced and the process of building each camera could be further automated. While this may seem like a nuisance, or very normal by today’s standards, it afforded more precise, repeatable results, and reduced the overall cost of the AE-1 when it was introduced. Since the AE-1 is an electronically controlled camera, it will not perform without battery power. ![]() The front of the camera body has a similarly Spartan design, which includes a depth-of-field preview switch, a backlight control switch that lets you override the meter’s reading and overexpose the scene by 1.5 stops, a flash sync terminal, and the battery compartment, which doubles as a finger grip.Īs insignificant as it might seem now, this battery compartment is the gateway to one of the defining components of the AE-1, and what essentially differentiates the AE-1 from the mostly mechanical cameras of the era. Each of the few controls on the top panel is easily accessible, including the shutter-speed dial, which provides speeds from 2 to 1/1000 second, as well as Bulb the simple ASA selection dial that is adjustable by pulling up on the shutter speed dial, and permits metering for film speeds between the film advance lever, which is fitted with the customary rubberized tip the shutter-release button along with the swinging self-timer lever and the battery indicator button, which I’ve yet to figure out. On the outside, it sports the classic silver and black finish, or if you are lucky to find one, an all-black finish, along with a lightweight, compact profile. The beauty of the AE-1 is the simplicity that eloquently disguises the truly innovative inner workings of its design. And even though I had hardly looked at an AE-1 in more than a decade, having the opportunity to work with one again felt akin to returning to your childhood hometown and still knowing your way around the block. As my skill set improved and my curiosity was piqued, I gradually moved away from the AE-1 in favor of other, more esoteric cameras-medium format and large format-and eventually digital. It was my first real camera, and was the only camera I used for the first five years of my photographic education. If you haven’t guessed yet, the camera is the Canon AE-1, which stands for Auto Exposure One, and is now one of the most popular cameras with which many have learned the basics of photography. ![]() It was, however, a forward-thinking SLR that became the first camera to feature an internal microcomputer, as well as rare-for-its-time shutter-speed priority TTL metering. It does not take EF lenses, it does not have autofocus and, of course, it is not digital. Developed nearly 30 years before the 5D, this camera is not even part of the now-prevalent EOS system. The USA celebrated its Bicentennial, Apple Computer was founded, the first commercial flight of the Concorde took off, the Ramones released their first album, and Canon introduced one of its most successful cameras of all time. Believe it or not, numerous technological and cultural events occurred in 1976 that continue to shape our world today. ![]()
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