I've owned and shot with a Canon AE-1 for a few years now but a few months ago, I came across a pretty mint AE-1 program for a really good price so I went ahead and bought it. I've got to say, if you are someone who is looking to pick up film photography as a hobby, this is definitely the camera to go with. AE-1 is cool but you definitely need to know how to shoot manual, and that to some, is daunting. A lot of people are so used to shooting auto on digital cameras these days, they don't even know how to balance exposure using shutter speed and aperture. there really isn't such a thing as cranking ISO up or bringing it down for getting the correct exposure in film. The beauty of shooting on the AE-1 Program is that you can shoot it on program mode which is essentially, auto. All you need to do is focus, and the camera will determine the speed and aperture for you in order to nail the perfect exposure in the current light conditions. it's really that simple.. And once you get the hang of that and feel a bit more brave, take control and shoot full manual. the set-up that I had was perfect. The AE-1P paired with a wide 24mm 2.8 and a motor drive which helped me auto wind the film. It was the ideal build for getting shots on the fly, especially on my trip to Arizona when we did all the activities outdoors. I had no time to fiddle around the settings to get the right exposure. Sadly, I recently sold this build because as easy as it was to use, I really enjoy the challenge of shooting fully manual. Having program mode so easily accessible was too tempting so I did away with all of it. I'll talk about my new camera in a future post. In the mean time, if you are looking for a Canon AE-1, I've sold a few on our FleaMrkt Instagram account. If you need help finding one, hit me up!

entry-level film