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23-524: The A-1 is a historically significant camera. It was the first SLR to offer an electronically controlled programmed autoexposure mode. While the Minolta XD came out in 1977 with electronic control exposure modes, specifically Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Full Manual modes, as well as an "off the mode dial" full program exposure mode, the Canon A-1 offered "Program" mode. Instead of the photographer picking

46-595: A battery . The XD-7 was the top-of-the-line Minolta camera when it was in production and retains a reputation for quality. It was Minolta's last metal -bodied SLR design before the company switched to plastic with the X-700 . There was also a less-expensive version of the XD-7 called the XD-5 . Introduced in 1979, the XD-5 was mostly identical to the XD-7 but without some higher-end features like

69-524: A larger production volumes. The A-1 represented Canon's bid to defeat Nikon through more features and cheaper pricing. The A-1 attracted much press attention when it was released in early 1978, though not all comments were positive. Some professional photographers worried about the long term reliability of its consumer-level mechanical and electronic components under heavy daily use, the relatively slow flash sync and top shutter speeds. Traditionalist photographers complained about an "excess" of automation ruining

92-632: A line of L-series lenses of exceptional quality. Accessories for the A-1 included the Canon motor drive MA (automatic film advance up to 5 frames per second), the Canon Databack A (sequential numbering or date stamping on the film), and the Canon Speedlight 155A (guide number 56/17 (feet/meters) at ASA/ISO 100) and Canon Speedlight 199A (guide number 98/30 (feet/meters) at ASA/ISO 100) electronic flashes. The A-1

115-499: A shutter speed to freeze or blur motion and choosing a lens aperture f-stop to control depth of field (focus), the photographer relied on the A-1's microprocessor to automatically select a compromise exposure based on light meter input. Virtually all cameras today have at least one program mode. The A-1 accepts any lens with the Canon FD breech lock mount (introduced in 1971) or Canon New FD pseudo-bayonet mount (sometimes called

138-408: A viewfinder exposure information system using a six-digit, seven-segment per digit, red alphanumeric LED display on the bottom of the viewfinder to indicate the readings of the built-in silicon photocell light meter. It supports one metering mode, center-weighted average metering. The focusing screen also has Canon's standard split image rangefinder and microprism collar focusing help. Beginning with

161-408: Is a battery-powered (one 4LR44 or PX-28) microprocessor-controlled manual-focus SLR with manual exposure control or shutter priority , aperture priority or programmed autoexposure. A fifth mode is "stopped down AE", in which the aperture is closed and alterable by the photographer and the camera selects the shutter speed based on the actual light reading. This differs from aperture priority in which

184-503: The Pentax ME F . As a lower-end camera, the AL-1 did not offer a long list of features. Instead, Canon focused on providing core functionality and lowering price. The AL-1 provides focus-confirmation, aperture-priority autoexposure (controlled by a through-the-lens silicon photocell), manual shutter speeds from 1/15 to 1/1000 of a second, and a 10 second self-timer. It also added a larger grip, and

207-779: The XD-11 in North America and as the XD in Japan ) is a 35mm SLR film camera manufactured by Minolta from 1977 until 1984. It was Minolta's first SLR camera to feature both shutter priority and aperture priority automatic exposure modes, as well as a program automatic mode, albeit not described as such on the camera or in the manual. The camera also offered fully metered manual exposure as well as depth of field preview and an eyepiece shutter. Also, included were fully mechanical "O" (1/100 sec) and bulb settings, which allowed it to operate without

230-488: The 1980s. Canon AL-1 The Canon AL-1 was an FD mount , 35mm single-lens reflex camera introduced in March 1982. Its main feature was the "Quick Focus" focus-assist system that was aimed at those who had trouble focusing through the viewfinder —either novices, or those with poor eyesight—and was intended to head off competition from the first full- autofocus cameras from other manufacturers, such as

253-526: The FDn mount, introduced 1979). It can also use most earlier FL lenses and some even older R (or Canomatic) series lenses, albeit with reduced functionality. This excludes all of Canon's EF bayonet mount autofocus lenses (introduced in 1987). During the late 1970s and the 1980s, there were approximately 55 Canon FD lenses available for purchase. They ranged from a 7.5mm f/5.6 fisheye to an FD 800mm f/5.6 telephoto, and included lenses with maximum apertures to f/1.2 and

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276-474: The amateur level Canon AE-1 of 1976, there was a complete overhaul of the entire Canon SLR line. The 1970s and 1980s were an era of intense competition among the major SLR brands: Canon, Nikon , Minolta , Pentax and Olympus . Between 1975 and 1985, there was a dramatic shift away from heavy all-metal manual mechanical camera bodies to much more compact bodies with integrated circuit (IC) electronic automation. In addition, because of rapid advances in electronics,

299-410: The aperture is not closed until a photograph is taken and the shutter speed is calculated based on the light measured through the fully open aperture. Stopped down AE existed so that old FL lenses could be used with at least some kind of AE, and was also useful for photomicroscopy , manual-aperture lenses, etc. The A-1 is the first SLR to have all four of the now standard PASM exposure modes. It has

322-456: The art of photography, a criticism that was leveled at all of the newly automated cameras released in the 1980s. However, the automated features appealed to many new amateur photographers on a budget, and the camera saw strong sales. Later, as competitors brought out their own programmed SLRs, the A-1 began to show its age. This is especially true for its horizontal cloth-curtain shutter, viewfinder information display and autoflash control. The A-1

345-416: The brands continually leapfrogged each other with models having new or more automatic features, and less expensive components and assembly. The industry was trying to expand out from the saturated high-end professional market and appeal to the large mass of low-end amateur photographers keen to move up from compact automatic leaf shutter rangefinder cameras to the more "glamorous" SLR but were intimidated by

368-582: The camera's lack of features, it was never overly popular and so it would be 1985 before Canon expanded on the concept, even though its competitors raced ahead. In 1983 Nikon introduced the F3AF , a special version of their pro-series F3 , which used a special viewfinder with a built-in autofocus system connecting electronically to a motor in the lens. In 1985 Minolta introduced the Maxxum 7000 (Dynax 7000 in Europe and Asia),

391-456: The camera. Light is diverted to these sensors through a partially silvered mirror. When the light of the subject is in phase, the image is in focus. Below the viewfinder image, two red arrows indicate which direction to turn the focusing ring to achieve focus. Optimum focus is indicated by a green light (circle) between the two arrows. Contrast detection is the system used for autofocus on most compact digital cameras in recent years. Due to

414-449: The convenience of using of AAA cells for power. However the battery door is one of its weakness as most of the cameras that are found today on the market have a battery door that is broken or has been replaced. Its body was constructed from a special polycarbonate that was then painted to imitate metal. An ISO hotshoe, A-series power winder connections, and cable-release socket provide an acceptable level of compatibility with accessories. It

437-497: The eyepiece shutter or the display of the selected shutter speed in the viewfinder in manual exposure mode. A black variant with a viewfinder diopter instead of the eyepiece shutter called the XD-S was also offered in Japan. Many professional photographers have used the XD-7. One of the best known is Harry Benson , who often acknowledged the XD-7 in the various photography books he published in

460-690: The need to learn all the details of operating a traditional SLR. The A-1 is the high technology standard bearer of the landmark Canon amateur level A-series SLRs. The other members of the A-series are the Canon AE-1 (released 1976), AT-1 (1977), AV-1 (1979), AE-1 Program (1981) and AL-1 (1982). They all use the same compact aluminum alloy chassis, but with differing feature levels and outer cosmetic acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) plastic panels. By sharing most major components, and an inexpensive horizontal cloth-curtain shutter, costs could be spread out over

483-452: The same concept as the T80 but with a new and incompatible mount designed around an all-electronic interface. The AL-1 marked Canon's first public foray into autofocus technology. While far from a true autofocus system, the camera acted a test for Canon engineers to evaluate phase detection for SLR cameras. The QF focus-assist system uses traditional phase detection linear CCD arrays in the base of

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506-558: Was also the last SLR camera to carry Canon's 1960s-era logo on the pentaprism. The camera uses Canon's breech-lock FD mount , and so users could choose from the wide variety of Canon FD lenses, as well as those from third parties. Users could also utilise Canon R and FL lenses, but with some limitations. In 1987, Canon abandoned the FD mount in favour of the EF mount along with the EOS camera system, which uses

529-592: Was due for replacement when the Canon T90 came out in 1985. Canon's abandonment of the FD lens mount for the EOS design also had a significant effect on demand for the A-1 on the used market.   Canon F series   |   F series with pellicle mirror   |   Canon T series   |   Canon A series   See also: Early Canon film SLR cameras | Canon EOS film cameras | Canon EOS digital cameras Minolta XD-7 The Minolta XD-7 (sold as

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