The A-1 was a beautiful camera in addition to its advanced features. It had the delicate battery door of the AE-1 but it was protected by what Canon called the “Action Grip” which gave the A-1 a finder grip on the camera under the thumb winder lever.
Canon A-1
Auto Programming and All
The Canon A-1 when released in
April of 1978 was the epitome of
the “A” Series. And it was also, in my opinion, one of the prettiest cameras ever made. Not only that, its
credentials were impressive.
In 1976 Canon had introduced what proved to be the best selling SLR of all time, the AE-1. It was aimed squarely at the budget minded entry level user who wanted a camera with some advanced features. Two years later it was still selling well but Canon wanted a more advanced camera for their current series, one that would attract a more
sophisticated and possibly professional user and the A-1 was that camera.
It was superior in almost every way to the AE-1. It was released only in a beautiful black finish like the F-1. It was built far more robustly with a metal machined body and machined metal gears. The A-1 was historically significant in that it was the first SLR to have all four of the now standard PASM exposure modes, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual. In the Program mode the camera could select the shutter speed and aperture for the user automatically.
The layout of the A-1 from the front is very like the AE-1 although the controls on the top differ because of the additional features found in this camera.
A fifth mode, “Stopped Down AE”, was also available in which the aperture was stopped down and controlled by the photographer while the camera selected the shutter speed based on the actual light reading. This differs from Aperture Priority in which the aperture is not closed until a photograph is taken and the shutter speed is calculated based on the light measured through the fully open aperture.
Aperture or Shutter priority are selected by a switch on a collar around the shutter button. The apertire or shutter speed are selected by a toothed wheel in front of the shutter release. This wheel has a cover which can be slid up over it to prevent the selection being changed
accidentally. Moving the shutter speed beyond 1/1000th reveals a green “P” setting which puts the camera into programmed mode where the camera will decide both shutter speed and aperture. Manual mode is engaged by selecting shutter priority and moving the FD lens off of the automatic setting.
The Newsletter
Yes, we have a Newsetter that we send out every …. whenever we have something to say. We won’t try to sell you stuff, we won’t give your e-mail to anyone else, and we won’t clutter your mailbox. The best part is that you can cancel at any time.
But the goodness does not end there. There is so much more to this camera. The shutter is a 4 axis cloth focal plane shutter with all speeds electronically controlled from 30 seconds to 1/1000th of a second. Electronic shutters are inherently more accurate because the timing is not dependent on a mechanism that can become obstructed by dirt, springs that can weaken or break or grease that can harden.
The “Action Grip” was secured on the camera body by means of a single large screw. The battery compartment and door were exactly as found on the AE-1.
The viewfinder of the A-1 had no aperture or shutter speed scales or meter needles. Instead there was a strip of LED characters across the bottom giving the aperture and shutter speed. If a Speedlite was used a red “F” would appear to indicate when the flash was fully charged and ready to shoot. An “M” was displayed if the lens was set to manual.
The Instruction Manual (Publication C-IE-070X) is the place to learn the operating details of the A-1.
The prism is not removeable and the standard focusing screen has the same split image surrounded by a microprism focusing area as on the AE-1. The focusing screen can be changed by Canon technicians and in addition to the standard screen there were 6 others available on special order. These were the A, B, C, D, E (the Standard Screen), G and I. I don’t know where F and H went. You will have to ask Canon.
A. a round microprism area surrounded by a
matte/Fresnel field;
B. a split image element in a matte/Fresnel field;
C. a matte circle in a matte/Fresnel field;
D. same as C but with the field inscribed
with rectangular grid;
E. a split image element in a round microprism
area in a matte/Fresnel field (this is the
standard screen);
G. a microprism circle for smaller aperture lenses
in a matte/Fresnel field;
I. A cross hair reticle in a clear circle in a
matte/Fresnel field;
The viewfinder has no scales or meter needles. The A-1followed the example of the Fuji ST901 which was the first camera to use LED readouts in the viewfinder. Along the bottom edge of the A-1 viewfinder was a six-digit, seven-segment per digit, red alphanumeric LED display which displayed the shutter speed and aperture. There was a red “F” that would appear when a Canon Speedlite was fully charged. There was also a red “M” that would appear if the lens was not set to Automatic. In the event the camera felt there was too much or too little light one of the numerals would flash.
The light metering employed a Silicon Photo Cell (SPC) for its superior linearity and sensitivity. The metering pattern was what Canon called “Center Weighted Averaging”. The whole field was sampled with greater emphasis given the closer to the center. Film speeds from ISO 6 to 12800 could be set. The metering was very sensitive being useable from EV -2 to +18.
The standard lenses for the A-1 were the FDn 55mm f/1.2 S.S.C. and the FDn 50mm f/1.4 S.S.C. Of course all FD lenses work with this camera. FL lenses can also be used in stop-down mode. The camera senses when the lens will not work automatically and will measure the light with the lens stopped down. The Instruction Manual does indicate that there are five lenses that should not be used on the A-1; FL 19mm f/3.5, FL 58mm f/1.2, R 58mm f/1.2, R 100mm f/3.5 and the FLP 38mm f/2.8 (Page 79).
On the inside the A-1 is pretty standard for an SLR.
The back is easily removable which allows the use of the Data Back A on the A-1.
Flash Photography
The A-1 is equipped with a PC Socket on the front left side and it has a hot shoe on the prism housing. You can use most flash units manually so long as you know the Guide Number for the flash. The shutter must be set to 1/60th for electronic flashes and 1/30th for M or FP flash bulbs. Aperture values appearing in the viewfinder will be largely meaningless and the LED display can be turned off with the Viewfinder Display Lever on the top deck, left side.
However, Canon recommends using their Speedlites 577G, 533G, 199A, 188A, 177A, 155A, 133A which work automatically when properly set up. This is described in detail in the Instruction Manual at page 83. You set the film speed on the Speedlite and select an aperture indicated on the calculator on the back of the Speedlite which you set on the lens manually. Then when you take a picture the Speedlite senses the light reflected back from the subject and cuts off the flash when it senses that the subject has been sufficiently illuminated.
Brochure for Canon A-1 System
Publication C-CE-0990
This camera is feature rich which means that it is also complex if you want to use all of its features. We have only touched on the highlights and have certainly not given full instructions on the use of the camera. Refer to the Instruction Manual available here for complete instructions for the use of this wonderful camera.
Accessories
There is a reason that the A-1 was often considered a professional camera: the accessories. Having an FD lens mount meant that the camera could mount all of Canon’s lineup of excellent optics. But more than that, it could also use any of the accessories that utilized the FD mount. This included bellows units, extension tubes, angle finders, magnifiers, microscope and telescope adapters, oscilloscope mounts, and copy stands.
The Canon A-1
with the Power Winder A which
was introduced with the AE-1. It allows continuous shooting
at about 2 frames per second.
The Motor Drive MA adds a full grip and extra shutter buttons to the A-1 as well as the option to shoot at 5 frames per second. In this picture the A-1 has the Data Back A on it which connects to the PC Socket on the front of the camera.
The A-1 could use the Power Winders A and A2 and Canon introduced a new power winder for the A-1: the Motor Drive MA which allowed continuous shooting at about 5 frames per second. In addition, the back on the A-1 was interchangeable with the one on the AE-1 and so the A-1 could use the Data Back A that was developed for the AE-1.
The A-1 caused a sensation when it was released in early 1978. Most photographers were amazed by its advanced features, years ahead of the competition, but not all comments were positive. Professional photographers worried about the long term reliability of its consumer-level mechanical and electronic components under heavy daily use, the relatively slow flash sync and top shutter speeds. Traditionalist photographers complained about an “excess” of automation ruining the art of photography, a criticism that was leveled at all of the newly automated cameras released in the 1980s. However, automation turned out to be the right way to entice many new amateur photographers on a budget, and it paid off very well for Canon. The Canon A-1 was a runaway best seller, as it offered new SLR buyers considerable features and value for the price.
The Data Back A, shown here on the A-1, allows the imprinting of characters and numerals on the film on the lower edge of the frame. It is triggered via the PC Socket to imprint the film when the shutter is fired.
Using the A-1
The best thing about the A-1 is that the user can chose the automation level that he feels most comfortable with. The beginner can set it to Program mode and just take pictures without fussing about settings. The purist can use the camera in Manual mode and control everything. And guys like me can shoot in Aperture Priority mode to get the best performance from our lens.
With any of the motor drives, the A, A2 or MA, the operation becomes very similar to shooting with a digital camera. I control the shutter and the camera does the rest. Now normally I don’t use the motor drive because it makes the camera heavier and a bit more of a handful. And winding the film with my thumb makes the film experience more immediate. Funny about that. I think it takes me back to my youth shooting with my Minolta A2.
Were I to be shooting sports action, say my grand
Here the A-1 is shown mounted on the Canon Bellows M. The Canon accessories available for the A-1 make the camera a serious contender as a professional camera and made it very popular with all levels of users.
grand daughter playing soccer, or an airshow then I would absolutely use a power winder. The Power Winder A would be my first choice: smaller and lighter. And two frames per second is pretty good. But for really fast action then the Motor Drive MA with its 5 frames per second might be my choice. It depends on the action.
This is a great camera. Mind you, I say that about most of Canon’s cameras. If you can find one in operating condition you will not be disappointed. If the light meter is not working it is not a problem. So long as the shutter functions you can use the camera in Manual mode and still have a great shooter.
This website is the work of R. Flynn Marr who is solely responsible for its contents which are subject to his claim of copyright. User Manuals, Brochures and Advertising Materials of Canon and other manufacturers available on this site are subject to the copyright claims and are the property of Canon and other manufacturers and they are offered here for personal use only.