A really DURABLE camera. I've had my AE-1P for 16 years and it's still going strong. Repaired only once after falling from a 3 foot high table (cost less than $20 to repair). Easy to use, great photos, lots of accessories. Batteries last a long long time - I can't even remember when I bought my last battery must have been 5 years or more.

-displays only the aperture in the viewfinder
-other than that, this camera is great!!!

I currently own 15 cameras and find my AE-1P to be one of the better ones. I find it much better than the EOS in terms of picture quality. Sure the EOS is easier to use but the AE-1 P (and other A series) take better pictures. They're also a lot easier to repair than any modern AF. My AE-1 P has been with me in all my travels and has never let me down. I've used my A series cameras to win National Photo contests and get my photos published in an international news magazine. Bottom line is that this is one GREAT camera - a real CLASSIC.

Similar Products Used:

Minolta AF
Canon EOS (4 models)
Canon A series (3 models)
Pentax
Minolta X series

Light, rugged, battery lasts forever.

dark viewfinder, difficult to focus with lenses slower than f2.8

It's cheap ( on the used shelves ), it's tough, reliable. Metering works as long as I try to remember that this is not an EOS. Actually I usually use a Polaris incident light meter with spot adapter when I use this camera. Pictures are sharp as long as my eyes aren't too tired and the lighting isn't too dark for my old eyes. It's actually fun to shoot manually once in a while and let's me regain creative vision when I lapse into point and shoot mode when using my EOS cameras every now and then.

Customer Service

never had to use.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 630, A2, EOS-1V
FD 28mm f2.8
FD 50mm f1.4
various fd mount zooms

-this camera was built to survive through the next world war.
-it's auto exposure is reliable 99% of the "normal" lightning situations.
-easy to use and handle- it's a perfect camera for the beginner.
-lightweight camera with lightweight lenses.
-optics are fine.

-no autofocus!
-viewfinder is a bit dark and makes it difficult to focus when using an aperture smaller then f5.6.
-it's getting more and more difficult to find good lenses to fit it.
-don't try action photography with this camera, it's just not built for that.

great for the beginning photographer, this camera is cheap, easy to use and perfect for learning and understanding photography. i love it! but compared to these new af cameras... well, it's just old.

Customer Service

due to the age of the camera and it's lenses the service is slower than the service given to newer cameras.

Similar Products Used:

canon ae-1 program

Easy to focus, Comfortable to hold, Long life, Looks classy, Comfortable operation and implimentation.

A bit too heavy at times, when it comes to high speed or action shots all of a sudden; a bit difficult to get the configuration right in time.

All said and done; an Ideal Gift.

Customer Service

No problmes so far :))

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS

Easy to use in A mode. Versitle. Good solid feel. Recommended for beginner or semi-pro. I carry mine in the tankbag of my motorcycle to cover moto events - and it easily puts up with the abuse! In A mode shutter speed can be adjusted easily with thumb while looking through the lens.

Shutter solinoids (shutter can "lock" and only be freed by removing film) - service costs more than the camera value, battery "door" weak, AP only auto mode.

Great buy (used) for the $! I'm looking for another for backup right now!

Customer Service

It's gotten to where it's cheaper to just toss rather than fix.

Similar Products Used:

Chinnon

Durable, dependable, easy to use. Large assortment of lenses. Shutter priority autoexposure or manual are both easy to use.

Depends on batteries to operate. If the battery dies, everything stops. ASA speed setting is inconvenient.

I bought this new in the 70s and it has never been in for repair. Still works perfectly, and dependably.

Similar Products Used:

Canon FTb, Pentax, Yashica etc

rugged and reliable, easy to use for a beginner while still offering enough control for more serious users, lots of available lenses and other accessories.

manual mode shooting is awkward because of lack of info in viewfinder. Needs a battery to function, although the batteries do last a long time and are easily checked with the built in battery strength meter.

This has been a good basic camera for over 20 years. Anyone looking to learn or who already has a fairly thorough knowledge of photgraphy will get good use from this camera. It has seen a lot of use in a variety of conditions and has held up well. It has needed service 3 times over the years, but I would consider that to be fairly normal maintenance given the usage this camera has provided. It lacks several features that a true 'pro' camera would have (multiple meter modes, better manual mode operation, multiple flash sync options, mirror lockup, battery-less operation), but I have always found ways to make this camera do what I needed from it. The feel of this camera is far superior to most of the newer, mostly plastic cameras I have played around with and I expect to keep using it for years to come, although I do have my eye out for an F-1 to give me the features lacking from this model while still being compatible with all my FD lenses.

Customer Service

have never dealt directly with Canon, local camera tech has served well for tune ups.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 6006, Canon A-1, Olympus OM-2, Pentax K-1000

Our AE1-Program is built like a Tank. Great optics, Great 80's electronics ahead of the time.

Tough, but not impossible to use for action photography.

Selected this winner by pure luck in 1983, and it has served us Oh So Well over the years since. Out of sympathy for its dependable performance I finally had it serviced in March 2001, and the technitions found NOTHING wrong with it. They did clean and lube it though, and now the familiar Canon "squeak" is gone.
This Camera has seen it all, and yet still delivers photos of stunning quality. Its sad that Canon no longer supports what may prove to be thier finest work to date.

Customer Service

Never tried it.

Similar Products Used:

Canon FD 70-210mm f4
Canon FD 50mm f1.4
Canon FD 2Xb
Canon 188A Flash
A partial list of our AE1-P system.

Easy to focus
Metal body

Not great for action shots
Slightly heavy

This is a great camera for casual photography if you don't mind carrying it around (it is slightly heavy). The functions and everything work quite well and overall it is a great camera, and looks nice as well. This camera is good for most users, but more experienced users might like the features on the newer models a little more. As I said it is not very good for action and the manual focus is hard to use when trying to take quick shots. But all in all it is a great older model camera well worth looking at.

Similar Products Used:

Eos A2/A2E
Eos 1N

Dependable camera.

Need a BIG bag

The best money I ever spent. If I remember right I purchased the camera in 1976 (I think about the time they came out) and it has never let me down. Still going strong and now my wife is starting to use it over her little instamatic. Still looking for lens and acces.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

None