Canon AE-1 - Honest Thoughts (Best Beginner Film Camera?)

My honest thoughts on the Canon AE-1, and why it might be the best beginner film camera. I’ll be talking about what I like and don’t like about this vintage film camera, and I’ll be sharing some sample photos to hopefully give you a better idea of whether this film camera might be for you. This video will also cover how to use the Canon AE-1.

Canon AE-1 - Honest Thoughts (Best Beginner Film Camera?)

The Canon AE-1 is a great vintage film camera for those looking to get into film photography. Its manual controls might take some time to get used to, but once you’ve worked them all out, you can pretty much use any film camera from then on. It’s definitely a step up from a point and shoot or a disposable camera, but it’s a great way to learn more about photography in a more hands-on way.

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:51 How To Use
1:39 SLR Focus
2:04 Lenses
2:57 Flash
3:18 Weight & Size
3:55 Price
4:47 Battery
5:04 Shot Counter
5:47 Tripod Socket
5:56 Variants
6:14 What To Look Out For
6:48 Summary

So the Canon AE-1 is no doubt one of the most popular 35mm film cameras of all time. Since released in 1976 it’s sold millions of units, making it a very loved film camera for most people. There is also another iteration called the canon ae-1 program, but in this video, I will be focusing on the original, but it’s more or less the same.

The canon ae-1 is fairly straight forward to use, but it might take a bit of time to get used to as there is a fair bit of manual control. So what I mean by this is you have to set your ISO, shutter speed and aperture by yourself and then use the light meter to determine whether you are exposed properly.

But don’t let that scare you, because there is a shutter priority mode on most lenses that makes it slightly more automatic. All you have to do it set it to A, and then you only have to worry about the shutter speed and the ISO.

So as I mentioned it is an SLR camera, which means you focus using the lens through the viewfinder, so what you see is what you get in terms of composition. For those that have never used a film camera before, this system is very similar to what you would find on most entry-level digital cameras, which makes it nice and easy to see exactly what your composing.

In terms of lenses, the canon ae-1 uses the FD mount, which has a fair few lens options out there, giving you a lot of choice of what focal length you prefer. In my case, I have a 24mm, 50mm, and 135mm, and they’re all great options. But as a beginner, you’ll most likely find a 50mm works best as it is a somewhat halfway point and covers most bases.

These lenses on the canon ae-1 aren’t the sharpest going around, but for a beginner film photographer, they do a great job and are definitely good enough. And sharpness isn’t everything, and by shooting on 35mm film that’s almost a given. The lenses have a lot of character and will really give you that vintage look if that is what you’re after. I’ve used this camera in a lot of different scenarios and am always pleased with the results and quality.

This is pretty common with most 35mm film cameras, as they’re always pretty small, but it is still worth mentioning. The Canon AE-1 is obviously not pocket-size like a point and shoot camera but can easily fit in any small bag. I’ve taken in this camera on most overseas trips and I always find it’s the camera I just have to bring as it works in every scenario. The best part about 35mm film cameras is they’re so easy to document the day-to-day events, and this camera does a great job of capturing just that.

For me personally, it’s one of those classic cameras that I never plan on getting rid of, due to it’s sentimental value, but also because it’s such a classic camera. It’s almost the stereotype of a film photography camera, so there’s definitely something interesting in that. Then again, people do sell these fairly regularly as there are still so many of them out there, so you should be able to find one quite easily.

So in terms of major features, there’s not a whole lot to it, as at the end of the day the canon ae-1 is a consumer camera targeted at either beginner or hobbyist photographers. It’s not overly complex which is very ideal for those just starting out in film photography or photography in general.

But in saying that, even if you are more than a beginner, the canon ae-1 is still a great option and I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of experience level. As I said, I’ve had this camera for quite some time now, and I still find myself using it in conjunction with some of my other more advanced cameras.

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