low resolution photography by davin risk

the tower new signs

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Photo taken with a Canon AE-1

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8 January 2004 – Canon AE-1

9 Comments

dph – 8 January 2004 @ 11am

I really like your photographs! I’m glad to have come upon your site.


Jim – 9 January 2004 @ 6am

great light on this shot, is it early morning?

can i ask what the usual second hand price is on the AE1’s?
looks like a nice little camera, I have a modern fully auto SLR, and am looking for something a bit more hands on with a chrome 70’s kinda feel, this fits the bill, have also been checking out the Nikon FM’s, any advice appreciated, things to look out for with it when buying etc. Cheers Jim :)


Davin – 9 January 2004 @ 8am

Hey Jim, this was midday actually but the light was bright and low. One of those rare crisp and sunny winter days we have here.

A used AE-1 body in store is in the $200-$300 range but I’ve seen some full body and lens kits on eBay go within $150-$200.

I bought mine privately back in 1991 and have purchased a couple of cheap lenses since then. There are a wide asssortment of FD mount lenses available from a number of brands. Mine are either Canon or cheaper Makinon.

It’s a nice solid camera with very nice features and great sharp viewfinder. One of those cameras that’s a joy to look through.

Some people swear by Nikon because of optics but I don’t have any personal experience with Nikon SLR.


Jim – 9 January 2004 @ 9am

Davin

thanks for the info, much appreciated, it sounds to me the AE1 is similar to the Nikon range of that era but a cheaper price tag, i think with Nikon there are die hard fans who swear by them, but for me its whichever one suits me, the AE1 certainly looks good and has a cheaper price tag too, will keep my eyes peeled on ebay I think, cheers


Jim Green – 11 January 2004 @ 5am

hi again Davin

just been browsing ebay and I decided to look at some US based AE1 auctions, I just happened upon one in the last hour of auction, an AE1 program, from what i can see its same as the AE1 but with a fully program auto function also, came with 1.8 fd lens, filter and case, I bid on it and got it for 81USD, I am thinking that maybe I got a good price on this?, the seller sells mainly canon gear and has a good feedback rating, so hopefully its all cool., do you know much about the AE1 program? from what I can gather from looking at sites its pretty much the same.


Davin – 11 January 2004 @ 12pm

Wow, I think that’s a great price. I believe that’s the AE-1 Program camera — it’s a better one than the model I have and it’s from the early 80’s. Congrats!

Now you can look around online or in used camera places for some other lenses. I’m really liking the versatility of the 28-80mm lens I got recently.


Jim Green – 11 January 2004 @ 2pm

yes have had a browse at lenses, so you recommend a zoom? wil have a look round, are the canon FD ones better than the other brand ones in general? I fancy trying a fisheye or a super wide angle 14mm. :))


Davin – 11 January 2004 @ 6pm

Because I don’t like to switch cameras and lenses too much, I like the 28-80mm because it gives you a good range for framing and focus. You can move from a fairly wide shot to a portrait distance very rapidly that way.


Jim – 12 January 2004 @ 5am

yeah, I have a 28-80 on my minolta SLR, its very convenient, 28mm is a nice wide angle to work with