Film cameras
Canon AE-1 Quick Start Quick start guide
Quick start guide for Canon AE-1 Quick Start. 22 pages in English. Read the original PDF, download or print a copy without registration.
22 pagesEnglish4.5 MB PDF
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Document details
- Brand
- Canon
- Model / document
- Canon AE-1 Quick Start
- Document type
- Quick start guide
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 22
- File size
- 4.5 MB
- Category
- Film cameras
- Document date
- Not specified in catalog
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Page 1 · Read text
What's all this? War- Udf'lil1t4trflfhe Basic Steps to Picture-Takingranty, instructions
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 guessit won't take us very long.
think maybe we should look intoView original page 1Page 2 · Read text
Congratulations on your Pur- CONTENTS
chase of a Canon AE-1. We 1 . A t t a c h t h e l e n s . r . . . p P . 3 - 4
know that you are anxious to 2. Set the lens for AE photography . . . . p.5
start taking pictures with it. 3. Load the battery . . P.6Our first hint for taking great
4. Check the battery . P.7ones is to read these instruc-
tions. Follow the steps in 5. Before loading f ilm, learn to operate
order and become well ac- b a s i c c o n t r o l s . . . . P . 8
quainted with the camera. 6. Set the ASA . p.9
Then, once you have a good 7 . Loadthe film pp.10-12understanding of PART l,
move on to PART ll. lt con- 8. Learnto hold the cameracorrectly p.13
tains a lot of information you 9. Oneshotat a time pp.14-15
won't f ind elsewhere. The 1 0 . At the end of the roll, rewind
brief time spent in reading t h e f i l m p . 1 6
these instructions is a sound * DedicatedFlash Photography . p.17investment in satisfaction and
* Self-Timer. pp.18-19enjoyment.
* Carryingthe Camera p.2O
Symbols * Pre-ShootingChecklist. . P.2"1
an importantDO. ffiSignals
@ Signatsan importantDON'T.
Copyrighto 1980by CanonInc.
Camera parts are labeled on the insides of the foldout All rights reserved. flaps at the beginningand end of PART ll.
Printed in Japan
2 www.butkus.us
t .View original page 2Page 3 · Read text
1. Attach the Lens
Remove the rear lens cap by Removethe body cap.
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
it in and turn it clockwiseuntil
It StOpS.View original page 3Page 5 · Read text
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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.
as illustrated.
A lf your camera looks like
this, with a red dot show-
ing inside the camera
mount, do not mount the
lens yet. First press in
the small ch rome button ffiWfren film is loaded, make sure
as shown to release the it is completely advanced to
stop-down slide. Then the next f rame before mou nt-
mou nt the lens. Leave ing the lens.
the stop-down slide as it is.4View original page 5Page 6 · Read text
2.Setthe Lens for AE(3:J:[?:")Photography
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Mike Butkus Digitally DN:email=mike@butkus.org,Date:cn=Mike2024.12.06signedButkus,by14:22:17Mikeo, ou=Butkus.org,Butkusc=US-05'00'
Remove the f ront lens cap. While pressingin the AE lock pin, turn the aperture ring in the
direction of the arrow until "4" click-stopsat the apertureindex.
"A" will be in line with the red dot on the camera. lf you forget
to do this, automaticexposurewill be impossible.
NiliT?lH
To remove th e lens, tu rn it in 1. AE photography is possibleonly with a Canon FD lens. See PART ll,
the direction of the arrow, p.24 for how to use a non-FD lens on the AE-1 .
wh ile pressingthe lens release 2. Some Canon FD lenseshave a green circle in place of the " A" mark. lt
button, until it stops. meansthe sameth ing as the "A" mark.
www.butkus.usView original page 6Page 8 · Read text
Insert the negative end f irst. Pressthe battery check button lf the battery is good, the
Then push down and insert while looking through the meter needle will rest at or be-
the positive end. Close the viewf inder. The meter needle low the battery check index.
chamber cover. in the viewf inder will move. lf there is not enough power,
it will rest above the index.
Replace the battery.
Don't touch the batteryA
poles. Wipe them and the rNilqlF
camera contacts with a 1. With normal use, the battery should last about one year. clean, dry cloth before 2. lt is necessaryto take special precautions with the
loading to prevent poor battery when you ar_eshooting in very low tempera-
contact from dirt. tu res (below OoC , 32" Fl . See pRRT | | , p.30
www.butkus.usView original page 8Page 9 · Read text
5. Before Loading Film, Learn to Operate Basic Controls
)
Turn the shutter button lock Turn the film advancelever in The AE- 1 has a two-step
lever to "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 continuous stroke or in to get a meter reading in the
several short strokes. When viewfinder. Gently squeeze it
f i I m is loaded, th is wi | | ad- all the way down toreleasethe
vance it to the next frame. shutter. You cannot release
-g:Turn the shutter againuntil the film
the shutter button is advanced. t ' lock lever to L" to pre-
' vent accidentaI shutter
re lease o r battery d ra i n
whenever you are not @ NEVER JAB the shutter button! Pressingit gently is im-
usingthe camera. portant for getting sharp pictures.View original page 9Page 10 · Read text
Lift the knurled ring around the shutter speeddial and turn it until the ASA speedof your film is
alignedwith the green index. This is absolutelynecessaryfor gettrngcorrectexposure.
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!
lf the shutter speeddial turnS while uiit
you are setting the ASA, turn it to
"8" or "1000" and then set the
ASA.
www.butkus.usView original page 10Page 11 · Read text
7. Load the Film
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P u l l t h e r e w i n d k n o b u p u n t i l The AE-1 uses color (negative Pull the film leader acrossthe
the back cover pops open. or slide) or black and wh ite camera and insert it into any
film in standard 35mm car- slot of the take-up spool.
A plastic insr -t is attached to the tridges. Place the cartridge in
pressure plate of a new AE-1 to the f ilm chamber as shown.
protect it in transport. Before Then push the rewind knob
loading the first film cartridge, it down, rotating it until it drops this insert. is important to remove into its normal position. away. It may be thrown
Bshield the film from direct
sunlightwhileloading.
1 0View original page 11Page 12 · Read text
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Advance the film once. Check The film should be taut. lf there is slack, gently
that the f ilm perforations are crank in th e d irection of the arrow u n t i l i t sto ps.
engagedin the teeth of the f ilm cover.
transport sprocket and the
take-up spool.
@ Wfrlteloading the film, take
care not to touch the shut-
t e r c urt a in , t h e f ilm rails
or the pressure plate ( parts
in red). www.butkus.us 1 1View original page 12Page 13 · Read text
Take several blank shots, raleasingthe shutter Each time you advance the film, the frame and advancingthe f ilm, until the f rame counter counter also advancesto the next frame. lt can reads"1" (the dot following zero). While doing count up to 38 frames. The numbers 20 and this, keep an eye on the rewind knob. lf it 36 are in orange to call your attention to the rotates in the direction of the arrow, the f ilm is f act th at rol ls with those nu m bers of f rames loadedcorrectly. are or are almost finished. 1 2View original page 13
Page 14 · Read text
B. Learn to Hold the Camera Correctly
v /x) t\/\ i{l
The slightest movement of your body during shutter releasemay
cause blur in the picture. To reduce chances of this, hold the
camera as steady as possible with you r left hand supporting the
camera and lens. Press both elbows to your body and lightly
press the camera to your cheek or forehead. For a vertical shot,
steady at least one elbow against you r body. Spread you r f eet
slightly apart, one foot ahead of the other, and relax. lf a wall or
a tree is available,lean against it.
NF?Iil
There is, of course, no one correct way to hold the camera. Experiment to find the '!.+'i,i,ft
most comfortable way for you of holding it steady. lt may help to practice in
front of a mirror.
www.butkus.us 1 3View original page 14Page 15 · Read text
9. One Shot at a Time
Set a shutter speed bY turning Then look into the view' lf the meter needle Points
the shutter speed dial until f inder and press the shutter to the red zone at the top of
a number from 60 to 1000 is button HALFWAY. The meter the scale or if the red LED
alignedwith the index. needle will move to tell You (Light-Emitting Diode) Utinks
whether the shutter sPeed You below the scale,turn the shut-
have set will give correct ex- ter speeddial as shown. Other-
posure. wise, exposure will be correct
at the shutter sPeed You have
set.
A Do not set the shutter speed dial between the click-stop set-
tings. Note that it does not turn past "1000" or "8" .
Nriql!
See PART I l, p.14, if you must set the shutter speed dial to a number
500 | 000 below "60". lf action is a particularly important element in the shot, you
may wish to refer to PART ll, p.13, for more information on choosinga
shutter speed.View original page 15Page 17 · Read text
',.i:it'i,;:,;;:i!'iir,iri":itji:i:ri;,it'it,lRoll,
www.butkus.us
@:
You can tell you have reached Then turn the rewind crank in Then open the back cover, re-
the e nd of the f ilm by the the d i rection of the a rrow u nti I move the f ilm cartridge, place
frame counter and the film the f rame cou nter, wh ich it back in its canisterand have
advancelever. Either the film counts backwards as you re- it developed as soon as pos-
advance I ever wi | | n of tu rn wind, reaches"S". sible.
at all or it will not tu rn all the
way. F irst press in the rewind
button. You may immediately
let go of it.
Nh?EI
A DO NOT open the back cover until you have rewound the f ilm Therewindrewindthe film.button Whenrotatestheas filmyou
back into the cartridge. lf you do, light falling on the film is completely rewound, it stops
may ruin all of the pictures. rotating.
1 6View original page 17Page 18 · Read text
* Dedicated Flash
Load the flash with batteries Turn the Speedlite'sASA film 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 shoe. Tighten the speed and push the aperture lamp glows, press the shutter
lock nut. selection switch to tire green button to take the picture.
or red A" position.EUE 'tCan on off ers f ou r Speed I ites ( 1 33A,
155A, 177A, 199A) for the AE-1 . 'g For correct exposure, the subject must be within a certainWith slight differences,all four are range of distances from the camera. The required distanceused in almost the same way. See
PART ll, p.33, and the Speedlite's range is shown on the flash by the curve which is the same
instructionsfor more details. color as the setting of the aperture selectionswitch. After you
g Makesurethe AE-1'sshut- focus, check the lens'distancescale to make sure the focused
ter speed dial is not on distance is within the rangeshown by the curve.
"8". Any other setting Do not shoot before the pilot lamp glows or exposure may be a is o kay. rncorrect. www.butkus.us 1 7View original page 18Page 19 · Read text
*Self-Timer
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Advance the film to the next Push the self-timer lever for- To start the self-timer, Press
frame. ward to uncover the self-timer the shutter button. The self-
l a m p . t i m e r l a m p w i l l b e g i n t o b l i n k .
When it stops blinking ten
seconds later, the shutter will
be releasedautomatically.
lg Use the viewfinder cover
to cover the eyepiece @ fne AE-1 sets the ex-
whenever your eye is not posure the moment You
to it at the moment You press the shutter button. Nif!{?t take a shot. lf it is un- Do not stand in front of Following exposure, unless you
covered, stray light enter- the lens while pressingthe want to use the self-timer for the
ing f rom th e rear may button or exposure may next frame, reset the self-timer
causeu nderexposure. be incorrect. lgvgrto "A" or "L" .
1 8View original page 19Page 22 · Read text
*Carrying the Camera
tittiXtuilii*it
Th read the ends of th e strap Fo r carrying the camera, in To remove the top cover, turn
through the rings on the particular, insert it into its it down, then push it straight
cameraas shown. semi-hard case (optional acces- up and out. Turn the lens'
sory ) as shown. You can still focusing ring to infinity (*)
take a picture while the camera f or closingthe top cover.
is in the case by turning the
top cover down.
rSFItF
1. Do not forget to turn the shutter button lock lever to "L" to prevent accidental shutter releasewhile carrying
the camera,
2. The cameracasemust be removed for loading and rewinding film.
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From the M. Butkus Camera Manual Library. Original publisher and archive notices are retained.
Check the model and edition against your equipment.
PDF verified 2026-10-10.