Canon A1 coming
 

When I first picked up a digital camera, not for one minute did I think I'd ever pick up a film cam again, let alone be excited by it, but I've just ordered a 30year old A1 with a lowly 50mm 1.8 lens and can't wait until it gets here :)
The last film camera I had was a Canon T90 and was tempted to go there again, but they have LCD's on the top plate and they get a bit untrustwothy after 10 years, so this time I went for that ones daddy.

Going to use it exclusively for black and white and probably stick with that lens, I may fork out the exra few shillings for a f1.4 but this even has the commemorative 1980 winter olypics lens cap - how flashy's that?:cool:

deci,

You might find this a useful link:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SQUEAK-REMOVAL...item1e58f56295

I don't know if you do your own D&P, but if you don't then this is the cheapest B&W I've found:
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...oducts_id=6073

I still like film for mono, but found the cost somewhat prohibitive until I discovered the 7 day shop mailers. It's still by no means cheap, but it is more affordable than you can get elsewhere.

Sweet! The A-1 is a beautifully made camera--now you will return to the feeling of holding something properly hefty and solid, made by people who built it to last, not to fall apart. Those old metal SLRs will outlive a lot of digital cameras, despite being a lot older!

I wouldn't bother with the f1.4 lens, best save up and get a small tele for portrait/cat work.

No I don't do my own processing, apart from the complaints from my other half being part disabled means I'd end up with most of the stuff on the floor :) Thanks for the links - I'll add them to my ever increasing A1 bookmarks.

Alex - Yeah, I remember borrowing one just before I got the T90, felt like you could break rocks with it and I can't really see my 30D taking many pics in 30 years time, even if I put it in airtight/humidity + temperature controlled storage now. Wimpy thing that it is. Not like in my day......... Used to have a handfull of cold gravel for breakfast as well, if we where lucky ;)
Agree on the lens...... I had a small mental problem last night (it'll be the excitement) and forgot that having a 50mm on a film cam would be like a 35mm on a 1.6 crop. I'm just so used to slapping a 50 on my cropper as a 'go to' lens for portraits/cats/just about everything else. So I'll be after something like an 85mm..... Will have to look around and see whats available.

Yeah, 85 or 100mm is a good focal length to have as these lenses are still fairly compact (in many cases not much bigger than the 50) but offer a closer perspective without being too close. I hear the Canon FD 100mm f2.8 is a nice piece of glass.

Congrats to you. There's some very nice glass out there in the FD fitting, which can be had for not much money at all.

Just been around the 'previouslly loved' (second hand to you and me) and as I like natural light photos there doesn't seem to be all that many what I would call fast (<f2) lenses going cheap.
Still to see an 85mm never mind pick one up. 100 is just a touch too long for how I see me using this - In slightly cramped/close up kennels and/or bars.

Just had a quick look in this week's Amateur Photographer and one of their regular advertisers, 'Camtech' have both 85mm F1.2L (Mint-) at £495 and F1.8 (Mint-) at £165 which I suppose is about what you'd expect for those specs. Also, a 28mm F2 (Mint-) at £145

That's a tad steep, Olympus OM Zuiko lenses are definitely far cheaper! I find f2.8 is enough for natural light photography.

This may be useful to you: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-FD-1-8-8...item3a523fccfb

The closest Olympus do to deci's requirements (<F2) is the 85mm F2 but there are no dealers' offers that I can find in the same 'AP' issue to compare - likewise, the Zuiko 28mm F2. There are a few 28mm F2.8 Canons from other dealers at prices between £20 and £39 (the Zuiko F2.8 28mms are £39 and £69 whilst the older F3.5s range from £35 to £55).

Thanks for looking Adey, though they are a tad too expensive for me, to put on this cam anyway. I might run to the price for the 85mm 1.8, but certainly no higher. I'll probably just do as I said at first and get the 50 1.4. This was only meant to be something I could play around with and I can't afford to play with just under £500. If I had that amount to play with I'd be putting toward a Canon 1D mkIII.

I'm sick of falling over the box of FD fit lenses at work...though most are telezooms, but sure there 'must' be some faster glass in there too.
It's funny how now in the digi world we think of a f/2.8 lens and is considered 'fast'! Cranking up the ISO setting and getting great results is an option we've gotten use to.

Thats another reason for me wanting to play with film.... OK you can turn up the ISO to get faster shutter sprrd, but the noise is UGLY. Give me a nice film grain off a 400+ film anyday.:)

Oh.......... If you find any fast glas, I'm only 30 minutes away, drop me a line and I'll be happy to take it out of your way ;)

High ISOs are downright inconvenient with film, because you can't change it. I find ISO 400 gives intolerable grain, with ISO 100 being nearly unnoticeable. Besides, if you have ISO 400 loaded in and the sun comes out, bad things start happening on the f16 1/1000th of a second front. Give me a shallow DoF with nice wide open aperture any day.

I hope you enjoy your A-1, and if you see someone with a digicam do what I do--challenge them to a camera battle. At this point they will say something like: well MY camera has variable ISO, 3fps, a 5x optical zoom and I can take all the pictures I want!

At this point you grasp your A-1 firmly and bring it down rapidly on their fancy 21st century plastic and silicon, and then depart with a smug smile ;-) This trick works particularly well with my Leica R3, which weighs in at a back-breaking 960g!

Now now Alex, that's not the right attitude, is it?

You seem obsessed with equipment, thinking that if you have high-end equipment, it will make you a high-end photographer. This is complete rubbish. If you give a Leica to a bad photographer, they will still produce poorly composed, unimaginative pictures that lack any great merit and leave the viewer wondering just what it is they are supposed to be looking at.

Give the most modern, "plastic and silicon" camera to a photographer that has put thought and imagination into the composition and structure of their picture and it will beat the unimaginative Leica user any day all day. It's the photographer that makes the difference, NOT the camera.

Quite right Yelvertoft--which is why most of my kit is actually not far above the 'prosumer' level. You have grasped the wrong end of the stick slightly; I am not saying that kit matters more than skill, merely that cameras were generally far better built in 70s than today. The Leica I own is a rebadged Minolta really. What I am referring to when I say 'crappy plastic and silicon' camera could be something like a D90--which will certainly not produce shabby pictures at all. I am referring to build quality; while the pictures it produces will be excellent, will it be able to keep on working after 40 years?

You would not believe the number of old 'pro-sumer' level 35mm SLR cameras we have binned, just as the number of DSLR which will also probably be binned.
I'm not saying that an average DSLR is more durable than an average 35mm SLR once was, far from it. In fact, yes, some older kit is probably over engineered.....BUT, there is a myth that all older solid metal 35mm SLR cameras will last and last. Have seen enough defunct Canon F1n's Minolta XD7 Nikon FM FE FA's and Pentax LX dodgy electrics. Only today I was talking to a chap with a mint looking Nikon F3,hardly looked used and still boxed!, but non working due to shot innards (ironically probably due to non use and damp storage). bearings and moving parts SOMETIMES arent as durable are a circuit board.
Just saying that because a camera looks solid from the outside, doesnt mean it is inside. This is also probably apt for many ebay hunters too I guess?.

Yes, they're not invicible. I still remain convinced that if you shoot at least 4 rolls of film a year and give a CLA every 5-10 years an old SLR will last a long, long time. In fact just shooting the shutter with no film and pressing/turning every button and knob on the camera to keep the contacts clean will keep it going. Broken ones can often be repaired (admittedly at a cost higher than buying another used one).

Yes, agree totally.
Along similar lines I think shutter counts which can often be found from DSLR cameras is a long overdue aid to buying s/h, and will become more so as the earlier DSLR's get older. Its' a shame its not quite so easy with something like a Pentax K1000 35mm film SLR, where serial numbers can produce a red herring if a later model has had lots of 'actuations'.
Spare parts availability is a major issue with some film SLR (oddly some of the later cameras like Eos3000 being worse than some earlier models like A1).....I'm guessing spare parts issues will become a major factor with DSLR's too. I shudder to think how many Sensors will fail in future years

on the reliability issue I have a canon 17-85mm kit lens that is 18 months old the zoom locked up no play either way ..when I contacted Canon dealership they informed me "oh yes its a common fault with these " at 18 months old!!!! I have a Miranda 100-300 zoom so not exactly cutting edge and it is 25 years old no problems whatsoever it did cost £120 all that time ago so maybe it is related somehow ..ie digital kit is cheaper in relation to our earnings now as to then ....maybe

Alex - If the film is too fast for the conditions, slap an ND filter on the front.... Problem solved ;) The grain is a part of my pics I work with it, or used to. Now to get the same quality of grain, I have to clean the digital noise up with Dfine and add some false 'quality' grain with another bit of software. Thats just plain wrong :p

We've had one or two Nikon VR lenses in with similar problems. Sometimes I wonder if every manufacturer has a bad day on the production line once in a while, blind QC staff, or maybe some hit the deck in despatch?! I'm taking a punt and second guessing that much of the time a heavier reliance on plastic parts, even in the more expensive kit, has a role to play in these issues

............. and here she is, sorry about the pic, but just had to show her off........ Mrs. d just doesn't understand.

Now to get some film

Nice! The A-1 has an unashamedly old design, so beautiful and boxy =)

The A1 certainly has a lovely well made feel, nicer more solid feel than the AE1 and much more of a compact feeling package than the F1

A great classic, nice one

Thanks guys,
Just had time to find a battery today. So going over the manual and remembering stuff I never even knew I knew :confused: What did surprise me a bit, was how small it is. I have been carting a gripped 30D with some big glass about for about 3 years, but it was still a bit of a shock
Full work out tomorrow.

It's main weakness was it's shutter, if it occasionally makes a funny noise it will eventually need sorting. I wonder how long it will take you to be used to winding on manually?

Mike, Someone........Duncan, I think, gave me a link to a company that can fix that 'mirror squeak'. As yet the only sound it gives is a satisfying 'Thunk'.
Onto the second point, stood for 10 minutes in the town center today wondering why I couldn't take any pictures :o

LOL, been there, done that.

Great to see this camera again.

See if you can find a Motor Drive MA cheap. It'll give you shutter button on vertical grip position plus second shutter button to shift from single shot to multiple frames. Motor drive will add that weight for better grip and feel too.

Canon used to call it hexa.photo.cybernetic ;) for it's multiple shooting options.

It gave me great results for years. Remember having great time doing stage photography with 85 mm, 1.2. Seldom one needed to push TRI-X beyond 400ASA.

Already on the lookout for an MA Rudra, mainly for the added weight, but it may have to wait until the new year and I get permission to get more toys....... I've lready exceeded this months toy budget according to my accountan (Mrs. d);)