I honestly can’t remember where I got this thing, but I don’t suppose it matters. I just remember cleaning it up, replacing the light seals, and picking it up to admire it from time to time. Finally, I loaded it up and took it on a couple of road trips. Shooting casually along the way, I developed a good working relationship with this camera, and think very highly of it.
Canon’s A-1 was produced from 1978 to 1985 in Japan. Canon already had a long history of innovative development and competitive technology. The A-1 was reportedly the first SLR to feature a full “Programmed” autoexposure mode. Other SLRs had aperture-priority and shutter-priority mode, but the A-1 offered a fully automated mode in which the camera meters the scene and chooses both the shutter speed and aperture. It could be argued that the Minolta XD beat them to that, but that is a subject for a another day.
Canon was Nikon’s primary competition for the professional market for decades. Both houses produced cameras for the amateur, advanced enthusiast, and professional. The A-1 was aimed at the advanced enthusiast as well as the pro. Camera companies engaged in fierce competition, and the evolution of photographic technology benefitted as a result.
I understand that the Canon A-1 initially faced some scrutiny by the professional ranks. This was a transitional time, and there was a general distrust of electronics-dependent cameras. But, the timing was right. This camera heralded the paradigm shift at Canon that brought them into a new age. Electronics were the future. Automation and convenience were driving market forces, and Canon embraced that.
My first impression of the camera was that it was solidly-build and feels good in the hand. Manufacturing tolerances appear to be tight and all the controls operate smoothly. This has always been important to me. I have assumed that if the exterior features are precise, the interior features that make the image are also precise. Whether that is accurate or not, a machine that feels well-built inspires confidence.
Most of the controls are located across the top of the camera. From the left, we have the rewind knob, ASA dial, exposure compensation dial, battery check button and viewfinder display switch. The display switch is an interesting feature not found on many cameras. Exposure information is displayed at the bottom of the viewfinder in red LED characters, and this switch simply turns it off.
What would we want to do that? When shooting in an automated mode, perhaps the red lights are distracting from the experience. Also, lighting up LEDs increases battery drain. If one is simply running in Program mode and unconcerned with details, this is a nice feature. Automatic exposure still works fine; the switch simply turns off the display.
On top of the pentaprism there is a hot shoe with additional contacts for dedicated flash units. Left of the eyepiece there is a blackout switch for preventing stray light entering the viewfinder and possibly affecting the exposure during longer shutter speeds. Some cameras have this feature built in; others are shipped with an eyepiece cover that accomplishes the same thing. This is the first thing the new owner loses. The second thing, of course, is the lens cap, followed by fiscal discipline and shelf space. But I digress.
The right side of the camera top is the business side. This is where I got a bit confused, so I’ll try to demystify it. Here we find the predictable film advance lever, frame counter and shutter release. There is a switch with settings for A, L, 2 and 10. “A” is the operational “ON” setting that allows full functionality. “L” is the locked setting, that shuts off the meter and the shutter. “2“ and “10” are self-timer setting for 2 seconds and 10 seconds, respectively.
If the photographer wishes to be in the photo, I would recommend the 10 second setting. Fast runners may enjoy the challenge of the 2 second setting. I find the 2 second setting useful when I plan to use a slow shutter speed on a tripod and I have forgotten a cable release. That allows just enough time for any movement to stop after pressing the shutter release button.
On the right rear of the the top there is a frame counter and a multiple exposure lever. This lever disengages the film advance while still allowing the shutter to be cocked. Forward of the film advance there is a red LED that serves as both the battery check light and self-timer beacon. Exposure modes are controlled with a collar around the shutter release button. (For a more detailed explanation of the exposure modes, scroll to the bottom.)
There is a bevy of controls in a small cluster on the left front of the camera body. From bottom to top: We find a sliding switch that hinges up as well. When the shutter is cocked, this engages the aperture and closes the diaphragm for previewing the depth of field. Doing so with the end of the switch flipped up will lock it in the closed position until manually disengaged. This is needed with older FL lenses that use stopped-down metering.
Above that there are two buttons. The lower one, ringed in chrome, is the exposure preview button. This simply shows the exposure values in the viewfinder (lightly pressing the shutter release does the same thing). The black button above that is the exposure lock. This allows you to take an exposure reading, say, from a gray card or a subject’s face and lock in that exposure while recomposing the image. We also find the PC flash sync socket above that.
On the right front of the body there is only one control, and that is the adjustment wheel that allows you to choose the shutter speed or aperture, depending on the mode. Immediately below that there is a sliding switch that, when engaged, covers the wheel to prevent accidental changes.
That’s a lot of stuff. I have tried to list the features as simply and briefly as I can, but it still seems quite lengthy. This is not a Pentax K1000; it is a more complex image making machine. Both have their beauty and value. This is a camera for somebody that wants manual mode, programmed mode, and every degree of assisted shooting between the two. More detailed explanations appear in the manual, which I would suggest downloading if you have (or plan to buy) one of these.
What feature can it possibly be lacking? Notably absent is a mirror lockup option. I’m going to to venture a guess that the design engineers did not feel it was necessary. They may have been right. Do I use the mirror lockup on my Pentax 6×7? Absolutely. Whenever I can. Having that huge mirror slamming around inside that body creates vibration that can detract from a sharp image. This camera, however, has a very well damped mechanism that had been evolving for a while. Mirror slap and vibration is kept to a minimum, perhaps eliminating the need for this feature.
A possible improvement may be having the actual aperture set on the lens visible in the viewfinder in manual mode. Instead, it shows the correct aperture for the shutter speed selected with the top dial. You must read the meter in the viewfinder then lower the camera to be able to see the actual aperture on the lens. Other cameras make this more convenient.
I like to think that after handling all the cameras that have come across my desk, I would be able to pick up just about anything and know how it works. This was not the case with the A-1. It is not a “basic” camera. I had to download the manual, read it, and fiddle with it for a bit before I understood the mode controls.
Not that it was confusing, but packing multiple features and modes into a single camera results in a certain level of complexity. I simply had to make friends with it. What I have found is that once the user is familiar with the controls, the camera has a great deal to offer. This is a camera designed for serious photographers. Those photographers tend to invest the time and effort into learning their equipment and honing their craft.
Overall, I have found this camera to be quite capable. After the initial phase of figuring out the controls, I have come to enjoy it. It is unlikely that any photographer would use all of the available features over the course of shooting a single roll of film, but that’s a challenge I will happily accept.
Specs:
Designation: Canon A-1 35mm SLR
Introduced: 1978
Manufactured: Japan
Weight: 609g (21.5 oz), body with battery
Shutter: Horizontal cloth shutter, electronically controlled
Shutter Speed range: 30 seconds-1/1000 second plus bulb
Exposure Modes: Programmed AE, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Stopped Down AE, AE Flash, Metered Manual
Flash Sync: 1/60 second
ASA range: 6-12,800 (!)
Hot shoe: Yes
Meter: Center-weighted
Battery: 1 x PX-28 6v or equivalent
Self-Timer: Yes
DOF Preview: Yes
Mirror lockup: No
Explanation of Shutter Modes:
The manual states that there are five automatic exposure modes in addition to Manual Override, namely: Shutter Priority AE, Aperture Priority AE, Programmed AE, Stopped-down AE and AE Flash. These modes are controlled with the collar around the shutter release.
Shutter Priority: You set the preferred shutter speed, the camera chooses the aperture.
“TV” , or Time Value, is the shutter priority mode. When the dial is set to “TV”, the dial around the shutter release changes to black and shutter speeds are visible. With the aperture ring on the lens set to “A” or the green circle, the camera chooses the appropriate aperture for correct exposure.
Aperture Priority: You set the preferred aperture, the camera chooses the shutter speed.
“AV” is the designation for Aperture Value (priority) mode. When set to this mode, the aperture ring on the camera is rotated to the “A” or green circle setting. The aperture is selected using the yellow dial around the the shutter release. This is controlled with the wheel just forward of the dial. The camera chooses the appropriate shutter speed to make the correct exposure.
Programmed AE: The camera chooses both shutter speed and aperture. Rotating the wheel all the way to the left, a green “P” appears. With that set as well as the aperture ring on the lens set to the “A” or green circle, full programmed mode is engaged.
Stopped-down AE: You engage the DOF preview switch, adjust aperture to your preferred depth of field, and the camera chooses the shutter speed. This is basically Aperture Priority, but with older FL or R series lenses that require manual actuation of the aperture for metering.
AE Flash: Used with a dedicated Speedlite unit that communicates with the body for proper flash exposure.
Manual Override: This is simply a metered manual mode in which you control both shutter speed and aperture. The selector dial is set to “TV”, turning the control wheel will allow you to select the preferred shutter speed. You also adjust the aperture ring on the lens to the preferred aperture, (using the meter as a guide if you choose).