What's all this?

War-
ranty, instructions
Udf'lil1t4trfl fhe Basic Steps to Picture-Taking
We don't need all this
stuff . l'm going to
throw it away. Hey! Wait a minute. .

Come on. You've never read a

single instruction sheet in all the
ll, look here. This warranty ca time l've known You.
says that it doesn't cover any
mishandling of the camera by the
user. Besides, we know next to Okay. They're pretty short.
notlling about a camera like this. I I g u e s si t w o n ' t t a k e u s v e r y l o n g .
think maybe we should look into
Congratulationson your Pur- CONTENTS
chaseof a Canon AE-1. We 1. Attachthelens .r.. .pP.3-4
know that you are anxious to 2 . S e t t h e l e n sf o r A E p h o t o g r a p h y . . . . p.5
start taking pictures with it. . . P.6
3. Load the battery
Our first hint for taking great
4. Checkthe battery . P.7
ones is to read these instruc-
tions. Follow the steps in 5 . B e f o r e l o a d i n gf i l m , l e a r n t o o p e r a t e
order and become well ac- basiccontrols .... P.8
quainted with the camera. 6. Setthe ASA . p.9
Then, once you have a good pp.10-12
7. L o a dt h e f i l m
understanding of PART l,
8. L e a rnto hol d the cameracorrectl y p.13
move on to PART ll. lt con-
tains a lot of information you 9. O n es h o ta t a t i m e pp.14-15
won't f ind elsewhere. The 10. At the end of the roll, rewind
brief time spent in reading thefilm p.16
these instructions is a sound * D e d i c a t e dF l a s h P h o t o g r a p h y . p.17
i n v e s t m e n t i n s a t i s f a c t i o na n d
* S e l f - T i m e r. pp.18-19
e nj o y m e n t .
* C a r r y i n gt h e C a m e r a p.2O
Symbols * Pre-ShootinC
g hecklist.. P.2"1
f f i S i g n a l sa n i m p o r t a nD
t O.

@ S i g n a tasn i m p o r t a nD t ON'T.

C o p y r i g hot 1 9 8 0b y C a n o nI n c .

C a m e r a p a r t s a r e l a b e l e d o n t h e i n s i d e so f t h e f o l d o u t
All rightsreserved.
f l a p sa t t h e b e g i n n i n ga n d e n d o f P A R T l l .
Printed in Japan
2
t .
1. Attach the Lens

Remove the rear lens cap by R e m o v et h e b o d y c a p .

turning it in the direction of
the arrow until it stops and
p u l l i n gi t o u t .

To reattach the rear lens cap,

align it with the lens as il-
lustrated. Then lightly push
i t i n a n d t u r n i t c l o c k w i s eu n t i l
It StOpS.
To mount the lens,first align Then turn the lens in the
the rounded red positioning direction of the arrow until
point on the lens with the red it stops and the lens release
dot above the camera mount button pops out with a click.
asillustrated.
A lf your cameralooks like
this, with a red dot show-
ing inside the camera
mount, do not mount the
lens yet. First press in
t h e s m al l c h r o m e b u t t o n f f i W f r e n f i l m i s l o a d e d ,m a k e s u r e
as shown to release the it is completely advanced to
stop-down slide. Then the next f rame before mou nt-
m o u n t t h e l en s . Leave ingthe lens.

4 t h e s t o p - d o w n s l i d ea s i t i s .

R e m o v et h e f r o n t l e n s c a p .
To remove th e lens, tu rn it in
the direction of the arrow,
w h i l e p r e s s i n gt h e l e n s r e l e a s e
button, until it stops.
2.Setthe Lens for AE(3:J:[?:")Photography
anon
N
W h i l e p r e s s i n gi n t h e A E l o c k p i n , t u r n t h e a p e r t u r e r i n g i n t h e
d i r e c t i o n o f t h e a r r o w u n t i l " 4 " c l i c k - s t o p sa t t h e a p e r t u r ei n d e x .
"A" will be in line with the red dot on the camera. lf you forget
t o d o t h i s , a u t o m a t i ce x p o s u r ew i l l b e i m p o s s i b l e .
NiliT?lH
1 . A E p h o t o g r a p h y i s p o s s i b l eo n l y w i t h a C a n o n F D l e n s . S e e P A R T l l ,
p . 2 4 f o r h o w t o u s e a n o n - F D l e n so n t h e A E - 1 .
2 . S o m e C a n o n F D l e n s e sh a v e a g r e e n c i r c l e i n p l a c e o f t h e " A " m a r k . l t
m e a n st h e s a m et h i n g a s t h e " A " m a r k .
 Load the
f,,E-[

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Remove the viewfinder cover Open th e batte rY c h a mb er Load one new battery so that
f r o m t h e a c c e s s o r ys h o e . c o v e r u s in g t h e v i e w f i n d er its poles are in the directions
cover. indicated by the diagram in-
sidethe battery chamber.

Correct Batteries Examples

E v e r e a d y( U C n R ) N o . 5 4 4 ,
S i l v e rO x i d e 6 V
M a l l o r y P X 2 8 , J I S 4 G 13

Al kal ine-manganese
E v e r e a d y( U C A R ) N o . 5 3 7
6V
Insert the negativeend f irst.
Then push down a n d i n s e r t
the positive end. Close the
c h a m b e rc o v e r .
A Don't touch the battery
poles. Wipe them and the
camera contacts with a
clean, dry cloth before
loading to prevent poor
contact from dirt.
Pressthe battery check button lf the battery is good, the
while looking through the meter needle will rest at or be-
v i e w fi n d e r . T h e m e t e r n e e d l e low the battery check index.
i n t h e v i e w fi n d e r w i l l m o v e . lf there is not enough power,
it will rest above the index.
Replacethe battery.
rNilqlF
1. With normal use, the battery should last about one
year.
2 . l t i s n e c e s s a r yt o t a k e s p e c i a l p r e c a u t i o n s w i t h t h e
b a t t e r y w h e n y o u a r _ es h o o t i n g i n v e r y l o w t e m p e r a -
t u r e s ( b e l o w O oC , 3 2 " F l . S e e p R R T | | , p . 3 0
5. Before Loading Film, Learn to Operate Basic Controls

Turn the shutter button lock T u r n t h e f i l m a d v a n c el e v e r i n The AE- 1 has a two-step

l e v e rt o " A " . the direction of the arrow shutter button. Press it half -
until it stops. You may turn it way to turn the meter on and
in one continuousstrokeor in to get a meter reading in the
several short strokes. When viewfinder. Gently squeezeit
f i Im i s l o a d e d , t h i s w i | | a d - all the way down toreleasethe
vanceit to the next frame. shutter. You cannot release
-g:Turn t h e s h u t t e r a g a i nu n t i l t h e f i l m
the shutter button is advanced.
l o c k l e v e r t o t' L " t o p r e -
' vent accidentaI shutter
release o r battery d rai n
whenever you are not @ NEVER JAB the shutter button! P r e s s i n gi t g e n t l y i s i m -
u s i n gt h e c a m e r a . portant for getting sharppictures.
L i f t t h e k n u r l e d r i n g around the shutter speeddial and turn it until the ASA speedof your film is
for gettrngcorrectexposure.
a l i g n e dw i t h t h e g r e e n index. This is absolutelynecessary

The top of the f ilri

carton f its in there.
That way we can re-
member what kind of
f il m is loaded. Wh at
a conven ient memo
holder!

l f t h e s h u t t e r s p e e dd i a l t u r n Sw h i l e
uiit
you are setting the ASA, turn it to
"8" or "1000" and then set the
ASA.
7. Load the Film

Itiliiiriifirillliirri iiiliiiiiitii:ii,ii', i,':'. ltrii'' rlrli'.. r{rxti'i,#iifiiiii:'|i: iiirliiii'itiiidii riiiii

P ul l t h e r e w i n d k n o b u p u n t i l T h e A E - 1 u s e sc o l o r ( n e g a t i v e P u l l t h e f i l m l e a d e r a c r o s st h e
the back cover pops open. o r s l i d e) o r b l a c k a n d w h i t e camera and insert it into any
film in standard 35mm car- slot of the take-up spool.
A p l a s t i c i n s r- t i s a t t a c h e d t o t h e tridges. Place the cartridge in
pressure plate of a new AE-1 to the f ilm chamber as shown.
p r o t e c t i t i n t r a n s p o r t . B e fo r e Then push the rewind knob
loading the first film cartridge, it down, rotating it until it drops
is important to remove this insert.
It may be thrown away. into its normal position.

Bshield the film from direct

t h i l el o a d i n g .
s u n l i g hw
10
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Advance the film once. Check
t h a t t h e f i l m p e r fo r a t i o n s a r e
e n g a g e di n t h e t e e t h o f t h e f i l m
transport sprocket and the
t a k e - up s p o o l .
The film should be taut. lf there is slack,gently
c r a nk i n t h e d i r e c t i o n o f t h e a r r o w u n t i l i t sto ps.
cover.

@ W f r l t el o a d i n g t h e f i l m , t a k e
care not to touch the shut-
ter curtain, the film rails
o r t h e p r e s s ur e p l a t e ( p a r t s
i n r e d ).
11
T a k e s e v e r a l b l a n k s h o t s , r a l e a s i n gt h e s h u t t e r
a n d a d v a n c i n gt h e f i l m , u n t i l t h e f r a m e c o u n t e r
r e a d s" 1 " ( t h e d o t f o l l o w i n g z e r o ) . W h i l e d o i n g
this, keep an eye on the rewind knob. lf it
rotatesin the direction of the arrow, the f ilm is
l o a d e dc o r r e c t l y .
12
Each time you advance the film, the frame
c o u n t e r a l s o a d v a n c e st o t h e n e x t f r a m e . l t c a n
count up to 38 frames. The numbers 20 and
36 are in orange to call your attention to the
f act th at rol ls with those nu m bers of f rames
a r e o r a r e a l m o s tf i n i s h e d .
B. Learn to Hold the Camera Correctly

v /x) t\/\ i{l

T h e s l i g h t e s t m o v e m e n t o f y o u r b o d y d u r i n g s h u t t e r r e l e a s em a y
c a u s e b l u r i n t h e p i c t u r e . T o r e d u c e c h a n c e so f t h i s , h o l d t h e
c a m e r a a s s t e a d y a s p o s s i b l e w i t h y o u r l e f t h a n d s up p o r t i n g t h e
camera and lens. Press both elbows to your body and lightly
p r e s st h e c a m e r a t o y o u r c h e e k o r f o r e h e a d . F o r a v e r t i c a l s h o t ,
steady at least one elbow against you r body. Spread you r f eet
slightly apart, one foot aheadof the other, and relax. lf a wall or
a t r e e i s a v a i l a b l e ,l e a n a g a i n s ti t .

NF?Iil
T h e r e i s , o f c o u r s e ,n o o n e c o r r e c t w a y t o h o l d t h e c a m e r a . E x p e r i m e n t t o f i n d t h e ,ft
'!.+'i,i

most comfortable way for you of holding it steady. lt may help to practice in
front of a mirror.

13
9. One Shot at a Time
Set a shutter speed bY turning
the shutter speed dial until
a number from 60 to 1000 is
a l i g n e dw i t h t h e i n d e x .
500 |0 0 0
Then look into the view' lf the meter needle Points
f inder and press the shutter to the red zone at the top of
button HALFWAY. The meter the scale or if the red LED
needle will move to tell You (Light-Emitting Diode) Utinks
b e l o w t h e s c a l e ,t u r n t h e s h u t -
w h e t h e r t h e s hu t t e r s P e e dY o u
have set will give correct ex- t e r s p e e dd i a l a s s h o w n . O t h e r -
p o s ur e . wise, exposure will be correct
at the shutter sPeed You have
set.
A Do not set the shutter speeddial between the click-stop set-
tings. Note that it doesnot turn past"1000" or "8" .
Nriql!
See PART Il, p.14, if you must set the shutter speeddial to a number
below "60". lf action is a particularlyimportant element in the shot, you
m a y w i s h t o r e f e r t o P A R T l l , p . 1 3 , f o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o n c h o o s i n ga
shutter speed.
C o m p o s e t h e p ictu re. Cente r y o u r s u b j e c t i n t h e v i e w f i n d e r i f P r e s st h e s h u t t e r b u t t o n a l l t h e
p o s s i b l e .T u r n t h e f o c u s i n gr i n g u n t i l t h e m a i n s u b j e c ti s s h a r p . way down to take the picture.

Must be Eyecup 45. I tried attach-

ing it to the eyepieceand it made
viewing lots more comfortable.

Nifi?Er
lf there is light,suchas the sun or
a window, behind your subiect,
press the backlight control switch
as you press th e shutter button .
S e eP A R T l l , p . 2 O .

15
 Roll,
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@:

You can tell you have reached Then turn the rewind crank in Then open the back cover, re-
t h e en d o f t h e f i l m b y t h e t h e d i r e c t i o n o f t h e ar r o w u n t i I move the f ilm cartridge,place
frame counter and the film the f r am e c o u n t e r , w h i c h i t b a c k i n i t s c a n i s t e ra n d h a v e
a d v a n c el e v e r . E i t h e r t h e f i l m counts backwards as you re- it developed as soon as pos-
a d v a n c e Ie v e r w i | | n o f t u r n w i n d , r e a c h e s" S " . s ib l e .
at all or it will not turn all the
w a y . F i r s t p r e s si n t h e r e w i n d
button. You may immediately
let go of it.
Nh?EI
The rewind button rotates as you
A DO NOT open the back cover until you haverewound the f ilm
rewind the film. When the film
back into the cartridge. lf you do, light falling on the film is completely rewound, it stops
may ruin all of the pictures. rotating.

16
 * Dedicated Flash

Load the f l a s h w i t h b a t t e r i e s T u r n t h e S p e e d l i t e ' sA S A f i l m Tu rn th e SpeedI ite's ma i n

and slide it into the AE-1's speed dial to the correct ASA switch oN. After the pilot
accessory s h o e . T i g h t e n t h e speed and push the aperture lamp glows, pressthe shutter
lock nut. selection switch to tire green button to take the picture.
o r r e d ' tA " p o s i t i o n .
EUE
Canon off ers f ou r SpeedI ites ( 1 33A,
1 5 5 A , 1 7 7 A , 1 9 9 A ) f o r t h e A E - 1. 'g For correct exposure, the subject must be within a certain
W i t h s l i g h t d i f f e r e n c e s ,a l l f o u r a r e
used in almost the sameway. See
range of distancesfrom the camera. The required distance
PART ll, p.33, and the Speedlite's range is shown on the flash by the curve which is the same
i n s t r u c t i o n sf o r m o r e d e t a i l s . c o l o r a s t h e s e t t i n g o f t h e a p e r t u r e s e l e c t i o ns w i t c h . A f t e r y o u
g M a k es u r et h e A E - 1 ' ss h u t - f o c u s , c h e c k t h e l e n s ' d i s t a n c es c a l et o m a k e s u r e t h e f o c u s e d
ter speed dial is not on d i s t a n c ei s w i t h i n t h e r a n g es h o w n b y t h e c u r v e .
"8".
is o kay.
Any other setting a D o n o t s h o o t b e f o r e t h e p i l o t l a m p g l o w s o r e x p o s u r em a y b e
rncorrect.
17
*Self-Timer
Advance the film to the next
frame.
lg Use the viewfinder cover
to cover the eyepiece
whenever your eye is not
to it at the moment You
take a shot. lf it is un-
covered, stray light enter-
ing f rom th e rear may
c a u s eu n d e r e x p o s ur e .
18
Push the self-timer lever for-
w a r d t o u n c o v e rt h e s e l f - t i m e r
lamp.
@ fne AE-1 sets the ex-
p o s ur e t h e m o m e n t Y o u
p r e s s t h e s hu t t e r b u t t o n .
Do not stand in front of
t h e l e n s w h i l e p r e s s i n gt h e
b u t t o n o r e x p o s ur e m a y
be incorrect.
T o s t a r t t h e s e l f- t i m e r , P r e s s
the shutter button. The self-
t i m e r l a m p w i l l b e g i nt o b l i n k .
When it stops blinking ten
secondslater, the shutter will
b e r e l e a s e da u t o m a t i c a l l y .
Nif!{?t
Following exposure, unless you
want to use the self-timer for the
next frame, reset the self-timer
l g v g rt o " A " o r " L " .
*Pre- Shooting Checklist

LensSetting? Bbtter'y?

ASA Setting?

F ilm Adrrance?
 Oh, no! lalready started the
s e l f - t i m e ra n d I w a n t e d t o s t o p i t s o
I j u s t p u s h e dt h e l e v e r b a c k i n , b u t
as soon as I did that, the shutter
released.

l f y o u h a v e s t a r t e d t h e s e l f-
timer and wish to cancel it
b e f o r es h u t t e r r e l e a s ep, r e s st h e
batterycheck button.

You're going to haved

g r e a t p i c t ur e o f a n
empty chair! Try press-
ing the battery check
button next time.

19
*Carrying the Camera

tittiXtuilii*it
Th read the ends of th e strap F o r c a r r yi n g t h e c a m er a , i n To remove the top cover, turn
through the rings on the particular, insert it into its it down, then push it straight
c a m e r aa s s h o w n . s e m i - h a r dc a s e ( o p t i o n a l a c c e s - up and out. Turn the lens'
s o r y) a s s h o w n . Y o u c a n s t i l l focusing ring to infinity (*)
take a picturewhile the camera f o r c l o s i n gt h e t o p c o v e r .
is in the case by turning the
t o p c o v e rd o w n .

rSFItF
1 . D o n o t f o r g e t t o t u r n t h e s h u t t e r b u t t o n l o c k l e v e r t o " L " t o p r e v e n t a c c i d e n t a l s h u t t e r r e l e a s ew h i l e c a r r y i n g
the camera,
2 . T h e c a m e r ac a s em u s t b e r e m o v e d f o r l o a d i n g a n d r e w i n d i n g f i l m .

20
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