Canon A1 Review

Good Points
Weight - just enough, metal body, so much better than the entry DSLRs of today. This is a real camera. Plus it has a fully automatic exposure mode for those quick snaps shots.

Well it is a film camera

Bad Points
Well it is a film camera. Yes this is expensive (film i mean). I wish I could swap the back for a digital sensor, because then it would be perfect (who cares for auto-focus? not me)

another bad point is I sold the sport winder, though it was a bit heavy, I still have the normal winder which is great when you want the extra heft, but I miss the grip.

General Comments
This was a ground breaker in its day, sort of like the first EOS Rebel DSLR which broke the mold for entry DSLRs, the A-1 broke the mold for entry SLRs by introducing an affordable auto exposure.

I personally feel this is much more of a camera then the modern DSLR equivalent (say 450D) which are plastic replicas.

The A-1 evokes the days of the newspaper photographer.

I brought mine second hand a decade ago. In fact it was older than my Pentax SE which I also still have. The SE I brought new, but it is a true second to the A-1, which feels like a pro (though it is not of course).

If only I could buy an A-1 digital I would be a very happy photo geek.