Canon AE-1 Program

Canon AE-1 Program

image by Dirk HR Spennemann (Image rights) Manufacturer: Canon Date of Production: 1981-? Variants: none(?) Type of Camera: SLR Film type: 35mm Lens: FD Lens Mount Shutter: Four-axis, horizontal-travel focal-plane Shutter speed range: B, 2s-1/1000s Viewfinder: optical TTL ASA/ISO range: 12-3200 Flash: X-sync automatic-switching sync contacts Exposure Modes: Manual, Shutter Priority, Program AE Exposure Metering: TTL Center-weighted Focusing: manual Focusing areas: N/A Continuous Shooting: N/A Film advance: lever Rear LCD monitor: N/A Battery: one 4LR44 alkaline battery Weight: 565g (20oz) Dimensions: 145,5 x 89,5 x 50mm

AE-1 Program in silver finish

AE-1 Program body in black, without its 'action grip'.

Images by Dirk HR Spennemann (Image rights)

The AE-1 Program is a 35mm SLR camera made by Canon in 1981. Canon describes it as a successor to the enormously successful AE-1, released five years earlier. Many users wanted the program auto exposure mode found on the A-1, whereas the AE-1 has only shutter-priority AE (and metered-manual exposure); so when designing its successor, Canon added a program AE mode, and upgraded the support for a new power winder (A2). The AE-1 Program became even more popular than the AE-1.

The camera also has the A-1's 'Action Grip', the detachable (and so frequently lost) grip on the front right of the body.

Links

• Modern Classics Review
• Lionel's Canon AE-1 Program overview at 35mm-compact.com
• AE-1 Program and AE-1 Program chrome and French notice (pdf) at www.collection-appareils.fr
• Canon AE-1 Program Camera Manual (PDF) : Photo-Manuals.com
• AE-1 Program Price Data at Camera Repair dot Com's price data
• The A Team an article about the SLR A models, AE-1, AT-1, A-1, AV-1 and AE-1 Program at Classic Cameras by RaúlM.

Canon Cameras