Photo 101 - Canon AE-1 Program - Land Use

[FuzzyNutz]

I'm taking an Intro to Photography class this semester to fulfill my non-music arts requirement. I know just about NOTHING regarding cameras, and I stopped in a shop on the way home from class to purchase a manual 35mm camera (required for class). The old guy behind the counter offered me a Canon AE-1 Program camera and a 50 F1.8 FD lens for $125 (or a 28 lens, but I preferred the 50 for now). Is this a descent camera and is it a good price? I told him I'll take it, so he's fixing up a bearing for me and Ill pick it up tomorrow. I tried to pay him today, but he told me to keep it and go look around to see what I can find (if I want). He said other than the bearing (that he's fixing), the camera is in perfect working condition. It looks really clean on the outside and it doesn't even look like any film ever ran through the inside. He was a really cool old guy and he took the time to explain a lot to me. He was in a shop inside of a shop... more like in a closet with a window on the door, but he seems like a rare gem that goes way back with photography and really knows his stuff - kind of like an old school piano or watch maker.

The professor suggested a Pentax K1000, and the internet also points to a Nikon FM2 or FM10. I know this is a forum for underwater photography, but I trust most of the opinions I get here on ScubaBoard, so I figured I'd ask here first.

Also, after unsuccessfully searching online, are there any housings made for these antique cameras? I would love to be the only one showing up to class with underwater photos!!

 

[flareside]

Considering you can get an AE-1 for half that on ebay, is $125 a good deal? ....Absolutely. You're not just buying a camera. You are buying a resource to go with it, a veritable fountain of knowledge plus a source of repair should have any problems.

As to why the teacher recommended the K1000, it is the ultimate teaching/learning camera because it is totally manual. No electronic shortcuts like the AE-1. But if you ignore the shortcuts and learn to use it strictly in manual mode, you will gain similar experience. And when using it at that level, the only real advantage the K1000 has left is that it still works with a dead battery.

 

[Warmwater Wank]

PS--Your camera sensei sounds like a most useful resource, as flareside notes. Tough to ignore that aspect of the equation. However, you are taking a class and are already paying for an instructional resource. Depending on your needs, and what you want to do after the class, the AE-1 is a decent choice but not your best. The camera was designed to be used in program mode (auto aperture & shutter), or auto aperture, or auto shutter mode. While it can claim to be able to function in manual exposure mode it is not as easily done as say the K1000 or FM, etc. Not a deal breaker necessarily, just a consideration.

As for housings, no. You won't find those for old film slr's (well, not for most and not easily). You could however pickup an old Nikonos, Nikon's uw camera. Great camera system for uw work but that means it's kind of like an old, great typewriter. Uh, typewriter? You know, before keyboards and before...oh, nevermind.

What you'll find after you get exposure figured out (not all that complex) is that your camera is really just a tool for letting you put the right amount of light on to the film. Beyond that, what makes photography really engaging is the ability of it to change the way you see the planet and to allow you to communicate your changed vision to others.

Since a camera system's lenses play such a significant role in that "vision thing", I'd suggest you make a deal with your new found camera wizard. You'll buy the camera if he helps you track down some good glass for it. And for heaven's sake, have fun with this--though it sounds like you will! // ww

 

[FuzzyNutz]

Thanks for the input so far! I really can't wait to start learning, although I'm sure my formal education on the subject will stop after this class. I mentioned the camera thing to my mom and she said my grandfather had a few brand new cameras from yester-year still sitting in the boxes, and she knows one of them says Pentax. She's going to go rummage through them tomorrow and send one to me, but I think I'll still buy the other camera just because I liked the old man - and like you guys said, to develop a good relationship with him. My professor sort of seems like a loon, so I think this guy might be my best resource throughout my class, lol.

I found some housings for old slr cameras... but none for sale (yet). It seems like they're VERY rare.

Hopefully it's not too hard to shoot photos with the Canon in full manual mode - I'd actually like to learn about photography, so I don't want to cheat. I guess that'll just mean more questions for the old man! haha! I was also thinking of buying the second lens from him so I can see the differences. He said he'll sell me the other lens for 40 bucks, and I don't know what pricing is like on these things, but I figure it's cheap enough to give a whirl.

I think I'll have fun in this class... there's quite a few attractive ladies and we'll be in the dark room a lot... HAHA!!

 

[Gene]

I don't stop in on Scubaboard very often but I'm glad I did tonight as I loved reading this thread.
I grew up around cameras (for decades) and I shoot professionally. Also, I've taught as an adjunct before and my wife teaches college photo classes.
Along with what other people have said so far, I say buy the camera, learn how to use it, be creative and have fun. Many people have changed majors and careers with just one photo class so be forewarned....
When I went to grad school around 1990, those K1000s were the student loaners and we had plenty of them and they almost never broke. I'm a Nikon guy though and have always been very happy with them.
I don't think you will find an underwater housing for your "new" Canon, but it does not hurt to look.
Before my father shut down his darkroom in his house about five years ago or so I made sure to take my children in there to develop and print some black and white images we had shot that day as I wanted them to see the "magic" of the darkroom. I don't care what anybody says.... Sitting in a chair in front of your computer using Photoshop is not the same thing.
Enjoy the class and keep your light-colored pants and shirts away from the fixer!

 

[darook]

Along with your photography sensei and loony prof here: Canon Digital Photography Forums - Powered by vBulletin is a great place to read up on all things photography. My guess is that you will get a lot out of the class but will find that for UW stuff it will likely be worth your time to go digital. Have fun!

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

Does the AE-1 program have metering in manual mode? I was under the assumption that it will display the Aperture based on your shutter speed setting, and if you take the lens out of Auto mode, it will just do some blinking or something. It doesn't have the metering like the old manual cameras (or the digicam's equiv of manual) where it will point to whether you are going to be under or over-exposed based on the current shutter/aperture setting.

As for housings, the old Ikelites could be pretty easily adapted to these cameras. You will not be able to access most of the functions, but they usually have a shutter lever and maybe film advance lever, and those levers, you just bend and twist so that it rests on top of the shutter button and film advance lever. When I did that, I usually used a camera with built in film advance so I don't have to fool around with film advance, plus the ones w/o film advance cannot fit once I put a motor drive on it.

 

[Warmwater Wank]

As I recall, you could get metering but it wasn't coupled? You had to look and see that you had set the shutter speed dial to what the display said, there wasn't any confirmation of that looking through the viewfinder. (I think.) If it doesn't have a manual I saw this scanned in copy online: http://web.mit.edu/adorai/Public/Canon_AE-1_Manual.pdf

If someone's intent is to shoot in manual a lot, best they see for themselves how much they like using a particular camera in manual mode. There is a difference between offering manual exposure and actually making it a useful, accurate function. I'm just sayin'...

As for the $40. lens, if it is a Canon F/D 28mm in good shape you'll enjoy it.

Your photo prof is a loon, eh? Good to know some schools are still holding to the old standards. // ww

 

[Reefwalker]

Hi PansSiren
I shot underwater back in the 90's with a handful of Canon AE1 Program cameras. I know these beasts backwards and they are a very capable camera that can be used to shoot in full manual (including manual focus - no auto focus), also in Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority.
I used a housing made by Tussey (USA) and Aquasea (Australia). I used these camera's to take photos (in full manual) for a book I published (Dive Western Australia) and dozens of magazine articles, including Scuba Diver Magazine, Underwater Geographic, Ocean Realm & GEO magazine. I also had a front cover on a USA dive magazine named Discover Diving... all taken with my trusty AE1 Program. As an interesting point, I entered an International photo competition in Indonesia (my first and only competition in 1992), and won a 1st, 2nd & 3rd prize (big bucks $$). The judge commented at the awards night that I could now afford to go and buy an auto focus camera that would also shoot TTL strobe .... my reply "Why would I, when I just beat the other guys who already have all the fancy gear"
My son inherited some of my gear and still shoots with them..... over and above his Pentax dslr digital. He says that nothing is nicer than the sound of a film camera's shutter. I must admit I love digital, but for learning photography NOTHING beats using a film camera first, you will understand far more about camera's this way.

 

[flareside]

PansSiren: You might consider putting out a feeler in the classified section for the UW housing. Who knows, you might get lucky.