-Very good body construction, quality of lens and components -Depth of field preview -Durability -design (I LOVE IT)

-In sports or wild life photography focusing can be a pain. Nothin else -I love this camera too much

This Camera has gone through every person in my family unharmed. My father bought it in new york around the 70s or early 80s and has lasted all these years. It is still the only camera we use since it is so efficient and practical. Id say that it is even better than the Nikon FM10 which most people say is very good. The Canon AE1 has been loyal to me ever since I first took photography as a hobby when I was 10 years old.Im now 16 an I must say it is bulletproof. a shame canon stopped making them even if it was by order.

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-Nikon FM10 -Yashica electro 35 (nothing compared to this camera)

Very strong construction, accurate and well balanced features to please the aspiring beginnner and accomplished amateur. Some pro''s still love them.

Can seem short on features compared to the current AF and pro cameras, but this is relative only; the AE1 is still a great manual camera!

I bought one of these great cameras after trying out a friends Nikon back in 1984-1986, then going through many manuals from different companies, including Nikon, Canon, Minolta and Pentax. Extremely well built, trouble free, great photos time after time. I have the shutter-priority version, which is what I prefer. I use average Tamron lenses in addition to the Canon 50mm F1.8 that came with the camera. I have been very very pleased with the camera and though my expertise has increased where I occasionally wish to get into an Elan7 or a Nikon F90, this Canon AE1 would still be in my bag on all trips. Highly preferred, and highly recommended. Holds its resale value. I work in a camera store currently, and this camera is one that people still use regularly and value a great deal, after all these years! It''s a masterpiece!!

Customer Service

Canon has better customer service than Nikon, and this camera is still so popular that it can be repaired without any extra hastle due to age.

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Entry level SLR''s like the Rebel 2000 or Nikon F65.....they have more features than the AE1, but are not as sturdy.

Quality. Ruggedness. good pictures.

a little bit heavy but it worth it cause its a durable camera. and its a little old but it doesnt matter to me

the product is simply stellar. this camera started me into photography. i was rummaging through our storage room in the basement and i found it. It was my dads old camera. it take awsome pictures and its good quality, and extremly durable. my dad droped it in the snow and he didnt realize it and a car ran over it and it got emmbeded into the snow and someone found it and retured it. and e fixed it.

Customer Service

not needed

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canon rebel 2000

Clarity of functions Dedicated flash Hot Shoe Flash sync Cable Release socket

Optics are a compromise

Excellent Beginner''s camera. Manual operations are obvious and clear. If one is looking for optical excellence, these older Canons do not offer it. Image quality is OK as long as image prints 5x7 max. Beyond that, Canon''s dated optics on full display. Developments in film quality/grain of last 10 years outpace what Canon''s FD lenses can do. Similarly priced Nikon has competitive advantage over Canon in that their older mechanical line of cameras have better optics and their new line of lenses mount on these older cameras. Canon''s current EOS''s do not mount on these older FDs. For the price and a beginner''s needs, this camera is a solid place to start.

Customer Service

Never tried it.

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Nikon Yashica T4 (a different animal, but better optics) Leica

its auto-exposure, ease of use, DOF,

Availability of accesories.

One of the most obsolete camera''s which has modern features... though its accesories are hard to find now a days....

Customer Service

None

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Minolta XG2, Ricoh

rugged consistent great quality

age lack of features

the most rugged and dependable camera ever built in my opinion. If i could turn it into an autofocus it would be the only camera i use

Customer Service

it was my parents''...

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EOS 1N EOS 3N D30

Fd compatibility, really bulletproof, very easy to use, nice design:

None so far.

Very easy to use, simple built and intuitive. Probably one of the best slr.

Customer Service

Not needed

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Nikon fm2n, canon T90

Rather easy to use, low power drainage, has most of the features of todays cameras.

Not many accessories these days although I haven''t really looked. Depth of field preview doesn''t seem to work properly although it could just be the operator.

I have owned this camera since 1984?? It has been nothing short of excellent. Combined with the Vivitar Series 1 70 x 210 mm and their wide angle 28 x 70 mm zoom lens (Top rated zoom lens) and wow.

Customer Service

N/A

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Use to have a simple manual Pentax that took excellent photos, thus I am very partial to manual operation to get the greatest amount of flexibility.

extremely durable, very reliable, cheap to maintain (depending on the service provider)

None seen thus far

This camera was handed down to me by my dad who''s had it since 1978 or so. We''ve had other SLR''s but they all broke down after about 7 years or so. I''ve been comparing the quality of shots provided by AE1 to what my other cameras produce, and, I just want to say that nothing compares to the fine details AE1 produces. Newer models would average a particular shot based on a four-quadrant frame so that the balanced in terms of focus. AE1 on the other hand captures images exactly as you see them.

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None

Simple, easy to use

hard to find lenses. (You can buy used ones, but everybody wants to keep it since Canon discontinued making them!) I have currently one Canon lens, one Vivitar lens, two quantaray lens, and a 2x by DeJur -- Its a mix with a lot of after market brands.

I had this camera for about 4 years now. And don''t be surprized that I''m only 16 right now. Anyway, I''m in High school, and I take almost every sporting events, festivals, and virtually anything, and it had not let me down one bit. It''s very easy to focus with the split screen, and is simple and easy to operate. With my power winder A-1(2fps) on it, it works just like any other expensive AF SLRs on manual setting.

Customer Service

A little foam disintergaration on the back cover where the hinge is, but just masked it with electrical tape. I didn''t want to spend money on repairing that (I''d rather get some more filters)

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Canon A-1 <-also very very nice! Canon FTb <- use it for astrophotography now since the meter is dead.