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Home >> Photography >> Film Equipment Canon AE-1 Program
The Canon AE1 was first introduced back in 1976 and was marketed for mid level photographers who desired high-end features such as Auto Exposure modes. Previous to the AE1, Canon had produced manual exposure cameras such as the FTb bodies, which were far simpler to manufacture than electronic ones. The AE1 was a fresh design with electronics in mind from day one and new manufacturing techniques also helped to keep costs down and affordable for the intended non-pro market. By Canon’s claims the AE1 was wildly successful and from what I can see of the used bins and in the Buy & Sell papers, the AE1 seems to be the most prolific offering from Canon’s FD mount bodies. It would seem quite natural to compare the AE1 to the Nikon FE as they were of similar vintage and offered an AE mode but there are some differences, which I’ll get to later on. Canon followed up on the success of the AE1 with the AE1 Program in 1981. This updated and upgraded model provided for full automation in exposure settings. With a simple turn of the Shutter Speed dial and Aperture ring to the program modes, the shooter only had to compose and focus a scene while the camera set the aperture and shutter speed. The AE1 Program also incorporated a slight change in the lens mount that compelled Canon to call it the new FD mount, of which I’m not all that familiar with. The AE1 also allowed for an ergonomic motor winder MA to be attached while still being able to use the older Winder A2. All in all a fairly competent package for a mid-level photographer to dive into. Technical The serious and more knowledgeable photographer can put up with a lack of creature comforts for solid build and reliability in the field. Many photographers choose not to even bother with such frippery for a more controlled and elegantly precise way of creating images. It’s no accident that the all-manual Nikon FM2n is still in production after all these years and has now been updated to an even better FM3A status. Also witness the ongoing strength of the Leica M series bodies and the resurgence of the old Voigtlander name by Cosina with the new Bessa L body. Although many serious photographers did buy the various electronic offerings from Canon and Nikon, it is frankly obvious that cameras such as the AE1 and FE/FE2 were marketed for people who wanted greater simplicity in the picture taking process exposure wise. Trying to teach people the basics of exposure (film speed, shutter speed and aperture together and how they interrelate) can be quite challenging and time consuming. It took me long enough to learn the basics and I was enthusiastic about the subject, most consumers are not and are far happier to push a button after focusing. That’s not to say that more advanced photographers can’t enjoy the virtues of AE as it helps to speed up the picture taking process in certain instances. I tend to shoot in Aperture Priority for the majority of my 35mm shooting but I prefer to shoot manually when I work with my Bronica. The AE1 Program has the look of all classic manual cameras. Chrome top and bottom deck with a black, textured plastic covering for the mid body section. For all its electronic wizardry inside the outside is fairly simple and easy to comprehend for an experienced photographer but perhaps not so easy for the complete beginner. The front of the camera has all of its controls and buttons on the right side of the body (right side as you view it from the front). On this side from top to bottom are a PC Sync socket, an AE lock button, an AE Preview Button and a Depth of Field Preview lever. All useful to have except for the superfluous AE Preview Button since it just mimics the Shutter Release button’s meter on mode. The other side of the body, which the right hand would grip when using the body, is bereft of any features except for the battery chamber. A small ergonomic grip piece covers the battery chamber door and must be removed before changing batteries. The battery is a 4LR44 type but I believe that this can be dispensed with when using the MA motor winder as the MA would power the meter as well. One very important item to note, when the battery dies so too does the camera. You can’t even wind the film forward manually, as the camera will lock the lever until the Shutter Release button has been depressed. No juice, no release not even a mechanical shutter speed setting as with all manually focusing Nikon bodies up to 1984 with the FG-20 being the last of the manual focus Nikons to have such a backup feature. The back of the camera is bare save for the film tab slot on the camera back door to indicate what type of film you have loaded in. The bottom of the camera has the standard threaded tripod mount, rewind button as well as four electrical contacts for the motor drive and a slot that looks like a typical button cell battery chamber that is actually the motor drive interface on the right hand grip side of the body. The top of the deck from left to right has a film rewind crank that is merged with the ISO dial. A black button beside the dial checks the battery power by beeping when depressed. The speed and loudness of the beeping will indicate the level of power available from the battery. The prism finder has a dedicated hotshoe that works best with the Speedlite 188A. On the other side of the prism is the Shutter Speed dial that ranges from 2 seconds to 1/1000 of a second with Program Auto and Bulb mode available. Flash sync speed is a brutal 1/60 of a second but typical of the consumer oriented models of the day. The Shutter Speed dial is wrapped around by a black piece of molded plastic that also encompasses the Shutter Release button and the film-winding lever. The Shutter Release button allows for a standard threaded cable release to be used. The one-piece molded plastic also has the power on lever with the self-timer feature tied into the power on/off function. Power off is the middle setting while Power on is the top setting and the Self-timer as the bottom setting. An additive type film counter completes the top deck features. Other notable features of the AE1 Program is the ability to change focusing screens (good luck trying to find one fifteen years after being discontinued) and provisions for a rubber eyecup to be fitted onto the viewfinder window. The two main AE modes on the body are set thusly, Program AE requires the user to set the compatible lens to A (or a green dot) on the Aperture ring and the Shutter Speed dial to Program (also green colored). With these two settings in place the user enjoys full exposure automation and can concentrate on composing and focusing. If some manual control is desired then the user can leave the lens on the A setting and simply rotate the Shutter Speed dial and be in Shutter Priority mode. The user selects the shutter speed while the camera selects the corresponding aperture value. These auto modes can also be discerned from the viewfinder information available. The viewfinder provides an Aperture value read out vertically on the right side of the viewfinder. The viewfinder by the way provides 94% coverage at 0.83x magnification and has a split circle rangefinder and a surrounding microprism ring. The image is fairly bright and is typical of the era’s manual cameras unlike today’s dimmer viewing autofocus bodies. When in Program mode a small box with a P inside will light up in green to indicate full auto mode. When in Shutter Priority a red box with M inside will light up to indicate a manual setting. In either case the Aperture is still set by the camera and will fluctuate in value depending upon the lighting conditions read by the centre-weighted meter. Manual mode is simply taking the lens off of A setting and the shutter speed dial off of P setting. Kit
Tested (Lenses and Accessories) With a decent understanding of the AE1 Program body I was ready to take it shooting in downtown Vancouver. The kit I had available for use included two flash units and three lenses that Glan had accumulated. The flashes were a Vivitar 3500 and a Sunpak Auto 121S. The Vivitar 3500 has a manual zoom head that could be tilted from straight ahead direct to straight up for bouncing and came with a wide-angle diffuser for spreading out the light. It’s an auto flash that can handle film speeds up to ISO 800, unlike its bigger brother the 283 which only has film speed settings to ISO 400. Surprisingly though the 3500 only uses two AA batteries where the norm is for four AAs. The Sunpak Auto 121S is another auto flash as its name would indicate but its physically much smaller then the Vivitar 3500. It looks like just the flash you would want for outdoor fill given it small size and power output. It also has a very nifty PC cord built in that wraps around the back of the flash in an indented groove outlining the inside perimeter of the flash unit. Nifty but perhaps not all that useful given the short length of the sync cord. The lenses I had for use included the standard 50mm f1.8 lens that would be of the New FD mount type and given it’s A setting on the Aperture dial, made for the newer electronic bodies offered by Canon in the early 1980s. I also had a Vivitar wide to moderate telephoto lens that encompasses the 28mm to 85mm focal lengths and what turned out to be a pleasant surprise, a reasonably good speed available of f2.8 at the wide setting and f3.8 at the telephoto setting. I can’t say that I was all that impressed with the Vivitar name brand (made by Cosina perhaps?) but the lens is fair sized and weighty as it is even bigger then my Nikon 35-70mm f2.8 zoom lens. The focus ring is very wide and is covered with a similar textured rubber coating as my Nikon zoom. It’s an internal focus design so the front element does not rotate, facilitating easier use of filters. Unfortunately it’s a variable focusing design, which means that one has to refocus as one changes the focal length of the lens. Other nit picky things to point out is the propensity for flare with a strong light source in or near the picture area (I didn’t have a hood available for the testing period) and some slight pin cushion distortion at the 28mm setting (I missed this the first time I viewed the slides with my 4x loupe but saw it with an 8x loupe). This was my first experience with the 28mm perspective since I only have a Nikon 24mm prime to supplement my Nikon 35-70mm lens for wide-angle coverage. I like the mid-range wide coverage of the 28mm. More interesting then the 35mm which I consider to be a normal perspective instead of 50mm and wide enough to encompass most scenes adequately. Another appreciated aspect of this lens was its ability to focus very closely at the 28mm setting. A minimum distance of about one-foot to the film plane meant that the front element is a scant 3-4 inches away from the subject. Unfortunately when zoomed out to 85mm the minimum distance becomes a rather dismal four feet to the subject. The other lens I had for testing was a Kiron 80-200mm f4 zoom lens. About average size for a lens of this aperture value and focal length coverage. The name Kiron sounds very familiar to me but I can’t place where I have come across it previously, perhaps from going over the various lenses made available to the old Bronica S2 series bodies on Bob Monaghan’s comprehensive medium format site. Anyway, the Kiron lens is a one touch zoom and focus with a very, very wide zoom/focus ring with the same textured rubber coating as the Vivitar lens. A macro setting allows for close focusing up to about four feet at all focal length settings and it maintains its focus at all focal lengths too. Alas, it’s not an internal focusing design so the front element rotates as you focus. The lens came with a hood that given its diminutive size is obviously only good for the 80mm focal length. This hood snaps on like a lens cap and can be reversed for storage. In short, it was a good, well rounded package for me to use. Use
and Handling Shutter Speed Priority is simply the opposite and in most situations is as easy as Aperture Priority; it just entails a bit of reorientation to Canon’s preferred AE mode. The viewfinder information has the M in the red, square box to signify manual mode. With Aperture Priority cameras the viewfinder information is the shutter speed settings. I find this way of shooting to be more convenient for determining which aperture/shutter speed combo is suitable for a given scene or subject. With the focal length of the lens in mind, by changing the value of the Aperture I can instantly see if I’m within range for over or under exposure and keep in mind the safe hand holding speed of the lens or focal length zoomed to. In actual use though it wasn’t that much of a concern and one gets use to the Shutter Priority mode fairly quickly. The manual focusing and winding of the camera made me slow down a bit more as is the nature with such cameras. Winding action was smooth and comfortable and honestly I’ve yet to come across a 35mm manual camera that didn’t feel good in my hands. It felt very classical in my hands and the AE modes allowed for some freedom from the manual exposure route and belied the rather sophisticated electronics built inside this small package. In general feel the AE1 Program body didn’t match the physical size or weight of the old Canon EX Auto body I had previously. That really old body exemplified the prevailing manufacturing processes of a bygone era when camera bodies were as tough as brick outhouses and one really could use it for hammering nails or as a weapon. The AE1 Program is of another decade and era where downsizing and greater use of electronics were utilized to reduce the number of mechanical parts in such cameras. Smaller and lighter then the typical late 1960s and early 1970s camera bodies, the AE1 Program still felt quite solid for a mid level consumer body. I also had to get use to the opposite nature (for a Nikon user) of Canon lenses for focusing and aperture settings. Canon lenses mount on the body in the opposite direction of Nikon lenses, probably by explicit choice of Canon to be different from Nikon and probably why Shutter Speed priority seems to be so favored in these older Canons. I also found the manner in which the lenses mount onto the body to be a bit more fickle then necessary vis a vis Nikon. Nikon lenses need simply to be aligned correctly and then rotated counterclockwise to lock onto the body. Canon lenses have a locking ring around the base of the lens that need to be properly aligned and then this ring is rotated clockwise to lock onto the body. In theory not much different from the Nikon mounting method but in practice a bit of a hassle. Nikon’s is a one handed and fast lens mounting and dismounting operation but Canon’s is a two handed operation due to the need to rotate the base ring instead of the entire lens. Again in actual use I didn’t find it to be too much of a hassle but in various time-constraint applications it could be an irritant. These observations on lens mounting apply only to the two off-brand lenses I was using and may be the major difference between the old FD mount and the new FD mount. The 50mm lens that I hardly used has a faster one-handed operation for mounting as there is no base ring to rotate for locking and unlocking. A small button on the base of the 50mm lens is the release and the whole lens rotates for the locking process. I did not do much in the way of flash photography as the brutally slow 1/60 sync speed limits what one can do outdoors unless one desires a tremendous amount of depth of field with portraits. Flash photography indoors with the AE1 Program would be more an indication of the flash used itself rather then the camera. The AE1 Program would probably acquit itself well when used with studio strobes where blistering sync speed is not needed. I wasn’t too interested in flash photography with the AE1 Program and was far more interested in how it handled as an ambient light only camera. It did quite well as such and I didn’t miss autofocus too much as I used the 28mm setting on the Vivitar zoom lens much of the time so infinity focus was more often then not utilized for many of the shots I took. The look of the AE1 Program actually allows one to go about unnoticed in the areas I shot in. Tourist came to mind especially in the tourist trap area of Gastown, which is Vancouver’s old part of the city mixed in with the nearby squalor of the Downtown Eastside, notorious for its drug trade and refuge for the rejected, weak and downtrodden of the city and actually the whole country but that’s another essay for another time. Conclusion I even thought of making an offer to my friend for the whole kit but my common sense returned to me when I thought about what I required of a manual kit. Although the kit I tested is fairly complete and suitable for many shooting needs I had to question whether or not I really needed a third brand and system in my cupboard. My original idea of having a cheap manual kit for questionable areas and shoots is less applicable for the Canon kit I tested. If I lost this kit it would hurt me much more then say a Nikon EM body with a 28mm or 35mm E series lens. The Canon kit is just in too nice of a condition to merit such risks.
Then there is the obvious incompatibility with the Nikon equipment I have. A cheap EM body is at least usable with all of my accessories and lenses. Still it is quite tempting to keep it around for some general shooting applications. I’ve gotten over my other original manual kit requirement of being mechanical too. I’m the type that keeps several spare sets of batteries in the house and on the road for all of my equipment and the need for a fully mechanical camera, although nice to have and even more classic, just didn’t seem so important anymore. I wanted the mechanical body for long time exposures but given my time constraints and lack of ability to head out into the bush on a lark for starscapes the need for a mechanical system just didn’t seem to merit the cost and inconvenience. Besides which I have the Bronica with its timer control on the lenses that allow long time exposures without draining the batteries. Of course as I type this I’m reminded of a recent incident when walking around the neighborhood just as the magic hour of golden late afternoon sunlight was bathing the area, the lithium AA batteries finally gave up the ghost in my Nikon F90x body. Given my minimal attire I didn’t bring any spares (contradicting my earlier statement of always carrying extra batteries – but this was done deliberately) and had to rush back home for fresh cells. The previous night I had drained most of the lithiums with a number of longish exposures I shot to finish off a final roll of Kodachrome. If I had had a mechanical body, it would have been the body of choice for such shoots where the exposures ran into several seconds. Be that as it may, batteries are relatively cheap and however much as it bites to be caught without spares, it rarely is an issue. I would never do a field or wedding shoot without spare sets and given my liking for a semi AE mode (Aperture Priority) I’ve come to accept the idea of a manual focus but battery dependent body for most of the shoots I had in mind for a mechanical body. If compatibility wasn’t an issue then the Canon AE1 Program would either be tops or be very close to on my list for a used kit to buy into. Lots of the bodies are floating around on the used market so parts shouldn’t be a problem should servicing be required and FD lenses are as abundant as older Nikon ones. It makes for an affordable entry into a highly capable system that can be as automated or as manual as preferred, just make sure you have spare batteries. Lots of FD lenses are also easily available on the used market but ruefully, not the most interesting ones that would really make for a killer kit. It does seem strange to recommend a nearly two decades old designed body given the relative affordability of entry level SLRs but lenses being the key to any photo system, these can be had at obviously greater value then new AF lenses and can be used on new EOS bodies with an adapter. If I had a substantial investment in old FD mount equipment I don’t think I would part with it, instead it would supplement a new EOS kit and I think the FD lenses would be of better quality then the non L series EOS lenses, some of which are known to be atrocious.
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Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
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Introduction
As mentioned above, the AE1 Program offers two main Auto Exposure
modes, Program AE and Shutter Speed Priority AE. These were the main
selling features of the AE bodies and such electronic bodies from
both Nikon and Canon acknowledged more consumer-oriented offerings.
My own experience with novice photographers revealed a lack of interest
for anything manual whether it was in focusing, film loading and winding
or exposure settings. 
Kiron 80-200mm f4 lens, AE1 Program Camera and Vivitar 28-85mm
f2.8-3.8 
The
Vivitar up against the Nikkor 35-70mm 2.8 lens.» 
I
wanted to do a few shots of a nearby intersection in the rain, trying
to get streaking bands of the car's lights as well as the traffic
lights lighting separately as well merging into each other. The idea
was to get all these lights reflectiong off of the very wet pavement.
But before embarking on such a shoot with someone else's camera (or
mine), I had to take proper precautions to protect the equipment in
the deluge. A ziplock bag with a hole cut open and then taped around
an accessory lens hood made for fine protection. You just can see
the cable release required for these shots requiring 5-20 seconds
of exposure. 
