Canon A-1 with Canon Zoom FD 70-150mm, 1:4,5
This camera is a landmark in what concerns to camera history.
The A-1 was the top-of-the-line A-series camera. (The AE-1 was the first in this series.) It was a sophisticated electronic camera with all-digital control.*from Canon Camera Museum , where you can find a lot of other useful and detailed technical info.
Besides the shutter speed-priority AE and aperture-priority AE modes, it featured the first fully automatic program AE mode, preset aperture-priority AE, and Speedlite AE mode.
The viewfinder information was also easy to read with a 7-segment red LED readout. The control settings were displayed at the same time which made it very useful.*
It was introduced in 1978 and produced until 1985.
Mine is from 1980 when it was the Official camera of XIII Olympic Winter Games, Lake Placid.
A bit of camera porn, if are reading this you like it.
This camera is very special to me. It belonged to my great late friend Vitor Martins.
He gave it to me a few months before he's death.
He bought it from new, with FD lens 50mm, 1:1,8, Zoom FD 70-150mm, 1:4,5 and Canon Speedlight 199A.
He made lots of beautiful photos with this set and had great pride in it.
I don't use it a lot. I cherish it to much, to risk it to any damage.
Anyway I made a few shots with it and it's an impressive piece of hardware.
This is the one I like the most:
Web by RaúlM.
Maravilha das maravilhas... e belas capturas... muito bom!
ReplyDeleteI love this A-1 item.
ReplyDeleteLooks good and it's very informative.
I've got the same one but I must confess up to now I've never used it.
I've also got a 200mm and 300mm in combination with this camera.
You're inspiring me to use it.
Regards - Wessel
@Raul PC
ReplyDeleteMuito obrigado.
@Wessel
Thank you.
I'm so glad if I indeed inspired you to use it.
It's a little awkward, until you get the hang of it.
I have one. With a motor drive - 50 mm f1.8 35 - 70 mm zoom f4 35 - 135 mm f3.5 and a 70-210 mm f4 along with the 199A flash. It is a great camera
ReplyDeleteBack in 1980 ( I was only 14) my sisters boyfriend bought a brand new one. I got his old equipment (Practica MTL 3) and learned to take good pics with a SLR. The A1 for me was the limit to achieve and I wanted one when I had the money for it. In that days it never came that far. All I could afford was a 2nd hand AE1. Lateron the autofocus-era started and I never bothered getting an A1... Until last year. I have an EOS 5D and take a lot of pics with it, but somehow I wanted something else. My wife asked what I wanted for my birthday and I responded with: "An A1!". We got one in mint condition in a secondhand camerashop. In fact I got a perfect set complete with a couple of lenses, motordrive MA and Speedlight 199A. All of this for only € 150!
ReplyDeleteHaving used it for over 6 months now I've completely fallen in love. The handling, the looks and the quality of the pics: in one word Awesome!
I just won one of these from my grandpa, barely knee how to use it but already in love with it.
ReplyDelete