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com
Udf'lil1t4trfl
fhe Basic Steps to Picture-Taking
What ' s al l t hi s? War -
r ant y, i nst r uct i ons
We don' t need al l t hi s
st uf f . l ' m goi ng t o
throw i t away.
l l , l ook her e. Thi s war r ant y ca
says t hat i t doesn' t cover any
mi shandl i ng of t he camer a by t he
user . Besi des, we know next t o
not l l i ng about a camer a l i ke t hi s. I
t hi nk maybe we shoul d l ook i nt o
Hey! Wai t a mi nut e. .
Come on. You' ve never r ead a
si ngl e i nst r uct i on sheet i n al l t he
t i me l ' ve known
You.
Okay. They' r e
pr et t y
shor t .
I
guess i t won' t t ake us ver y l ong.
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Congr at ul at i ons on
your
Pur -
chase of a Canon AE- 1. We
know t hat you ar e anxi ous t o
st ar t t aki ng
pi ct ur es wi t h i t .
Our f i r st hi nt f or t aki ng gr eat
ones i s t o read t hese i nst ruc-
t i ons. Fol l ow t he st eps i n
or der and become wel l ac-
quai nt ed wi t h t he camer a.
Then, once
you have a
good
under st andi ng of PART l ,
move on t o PART l l . l t con-
t ai ns a l ot of i nf or mat i on
you
won' t f i nd el sewher e. The
br i ef t i me spent i n r eadi ng
t hese i nst r uct i ons i s a sound
i nvest ment i n sat i sf act i on and
en
j oyment .
Symbol s
f f i Si gnal s
an i mpor t ant DO.
@
Si gnat s an i mpor t ant DON' T.
Copyr i ght o 1980 by Canon I nc.
Al l r i ght s r eser ved.
Pr i nt ed i n Japan
2
CONTENTS
1 . At t a c h t h e l e n s . r . . . p P. 3 - 4
2. Set t he l ens f or AE
phot ogr aphy . . . .
p. 5
3. Load t he bat t er y . .
P. 6
4. Check t he bat t er y .
P. 7
5. Bef or e l oadi ng f i l m, l ear n t o oper at e
bas i c c ont r ol s
. . . .
P. 8
Set the ASA .
p.9
Load t he f i l m pp. 10- 12
Lear n t o hol d t he camer a cor r ect l y
p. 13
One shot at a t i me
pp. 14- 15
At t he end of t he r ol l , r ewi nd
t h e f i l m
p . 1 6
*
Dedi cat ed Fl ash Phot ogr aphy .
p. 17
*
Sel f - Ti mer .
pp. 18- 19
*
Car r yi ng t he Camer a
p. 2O
*
Pr e- Shoot i ng Checkl i st . . P. 2" 1
Camer a
par t s
ar e l abel ed on t he i nsi des of t he f ol dout
f l aps at t he begi nni ng and end of PART l l .
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
t .
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1. Attach the Lens
Remove t he r ear l ens cap by
t ur ni ng i t i n t he di r ect i on of
t he ar r ow unt i l i t st ops and
pul l i ng i t out .
To r eat t ach t he r ear l ens cap,
al i gn i t wi t h t he l ens as i l -
l ust r at ed. Then l i ght l y push
i t i n and t ur n i t cl ockwi se unt i l
I t St OpS.
Remove t he body cap.
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To mount t he l ens, f i r st al i gn
t he r ounded r ed posi t i oni ng
poi nt on t he l ens wi t h t he r ed
dot above t he camer a mount
as i l l ust r at ed.
Then t ur n t he l ens i n t he
di r ect i on of t he ar r ow unt i l
i t st ops and t he l ens r el ease
but t on pops
out wi t h a cl i ck.
A
l f your camer a l ooks l i ke
t hi s, wi t h a r ed dot show-
i ng i nsi de t he camer a
mount , do not mount t he
l ens yet . Fi r st pr ess i n
t he sma l l ch r ome but t on
as shown t o r el ease t he
st op- down sl i de. Then
mou nt t he l e ns. Leave
4
t he st op- down sl i de as i t i s.
f f i Wf r en
f i l m i s l oaded, make sur e
i t i s compl et el y advanced t o
t he next f r ame bef or e mou nt -
i ng t he l ens.
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Remove t he f r ont l ens cap.
2.Set the Lens for AE(3:J:[?:")Photography
Whi l e pr essi ng i n t he AE l ock pi n, t ur n t he aper t ur e r i ng i n t he
di r ect i on of t he ar r ow unt i l " 4" cl i ck- st ops at t he aper t ur e i ndex.
" A" wi l l be i n l i ne wi t h t he r ed dot on t he camer a. l f you f or get
t o do t hi s, aut omat i c exposur e wi l l be i mpossi bl e.
NiliT?lH
1. AE phot ogr aphy
i s possi bl e
onl y wi t h a Canon FD l ens. See PART l l ,
p. 24 f or how t o use a non- FD l ens on t he AE- 1 .
2. Some Canon FD l enses have a gr een ci r cl e i n pl ace
of t he " A" mar k. l t
means t he same t h i ng as t he " A" mar k.
To remove t h e l ens, t u rn i t i n
t he di r ect i on of t he ar r ow,
wh i l e pr essi ng
t he l ens r el ease
but t on, unt i l i t st ops.
anon
N
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Load the
Remove t he vi ewf i nder cover
f r om t he accessor y shoe.
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Open th e batte rY
cover usi ng t he
cove r.
Load one new bat t ery so t hat
i t s pol es ar e i n t he di r ect i ons
i ndi cat ed by t he di agr am i n-
si de t he bat t er y chamber .
cham be r
v i ewf i nde r
f,,E-[
Correct Batteri es
Exampl es
Si l ver Oxi de 6V
Ever eady
( UCnR)
N o. 544,
Mal l or y PX 28, JI S 4G 1 3
Al kal i ne- manganese
6V
Ever eady
( UCAR) No. 537
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I nser t t he negat i ve
Then push
down
t he posi t i ve
end.
chamber cover .
Press t he bat t ery check but t on
whi l e l ooki ng t hr ough t he
vi ewf i nder . The met er needl e
i n t he vi ewf i nder wi l l move.
A
Don' t t ouch t he bat t er y
pol es.
Wi pe t hem and t he
camer a cont act s wi t h a
cl ean, dr y cl ot h bef or e
l oadi ng t o pr event poor
cont act f r om di r t .
l f t he bat t ery i s good,
t he
met er needl e wi l l rest at or be-
l ow t he bat t ery check i ndex.
l f t here i s not enough power,
i t wi l l r est above t he i ndex.
Repl ace t he bat t ery.
rNilqlF
1. Wi t h nor mal use, t he bat t er y shoul d l ast about one
year .
2. l t i s necessar y t o t ake speci al pr ecaut i ons
wi t h t he
bat t er y when you ar _e shoot i ng i n ver y l ow t emper a-
t u r es
( bel ow
Oo C
,
32" Fl . See
pRRT
| |
,
p. 30
end f i r st .
and i nser t
Cl ose t he
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5. Before Loading Film, Learn to Operate Basic Controls
)
Turn t he shut t er but t on l ock
l ever t o
"A".
- g: Tur n
t he shut t er but t on
l ock l ever t o
t '
L" t o pr e-
'
vent acci dent a I sh ut t er
re l ea se o r bat t ery d ra i n
whenever you ar e not
usi ng t he camer a.
Tur n t he f i l m advance l ever i n
t he di r ect i on of t he ar r ow
unt i l i t st ops. You may t ur n i t
i n one cont i nuous st r oke or i n
several short st rokes. When
f i I m i s l oaded, t h i s wi | | ad-
vance i t t o t he next f r ame.
The AE- 1 has a t wo-st ep
sh ut t er but t on. Press i t hal f
-
way t o t urn t he met er on and
t o get a met er readi ng i n t he
vi ewf i nder . Gent l y squeeze i t
al l t he way down t or el easet he
shut t er. You cannot rel ease
t he shut t er agai n unt i l t he f i l m
i s advanced.
@
NEVER JAB t he shut t er but t on! Pr essi ng i t gent l y i s i m-
por t ant f or get t i ng shar p
pi ct ur es.
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Li f t t he knur l ed r i ng
al i gned wi t h t he gr een
around the shutter speed di al and turn i t unti l the ASA speed of
your fi l m i s
i ndex. Thi s i s absol utel y necessary for gettrng correct exposure.
l f t he shut t er speed di al t ur nS whi l e
you ar e set t i ng t he ASA, t ur n i t t o
" 8" or " 1000" and t hen set t he
ASA.
The t op of t he f i l r i
car t on f i t s i n t her e.
That way we can re-
member what ki nd of
f i l m i s l oaded . Wh at
a conven i ent memo
hol der !
uiit
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7. Load the Film
Pu l l t he r ewi nd k nob u p u nt i l
t he back cover pops open.
A
pl ast i c i nsr
- t
i s at t ached t o t he
pr essur e pl at e of a new AE- 1 t o
pr ot ect i t i n t r anspor t . Bef or e
l oadi ng t he f i r st f i l m car t r i dge, i t
i s i mpor t ant t o r emove t hi s i nser t .
I t may be t hr own away.
The AE- 1 uses col or
( negat i ve
or sl i de
)
or bl ack and wh i t e
f i l m i n st andar d 35mm car -
t r i dges. Pl ace t he car t r i dge i n
t he f i l m chamber as shown.
Then
push t he r ewi nd knob
down, r ot at i ng i t unt i l i t dr ops
i nt o i t s nor mal
posi t i on.
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Pul l t he f i l m l eader acr oss t he
camer a and i nser t i t i nt o any
sl ot of t he t ake- up spool .
Bshi el d
t he f i l m f r om di r ect
sunl i ght whi l e l oadi ng.
1 0
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=j'fi
Advance t he f i l m once. Check
t hat t he f i l m per f or at i ons ar e
engaged i n t he t eet h of t he f i l m
t r anspor t spr ocket and t he
t ake- u
p spool .
@
Wf r l t e l oadi ng t he f i l m, t ake
car e not t o t ouch t he shut -
t er cur t ai n, t he f i l m r ai l s
or t he pr essu r e pl at e ( par t s
i n r ed) .
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The f i l m shoul d be t aut .
cr an k i n t h e d i r ect i on of
cove r.
l f t her e i s
t he ar r ow
sl ack,
unt i l i t
gent l y
sto ps .
1 1
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Take sever al bl ank shot s, r al easi ng t he shut t er
and advanci ng t he f i l m, unt i l t he f r ame count er
r eads
" 1" ( t he
dot f ol l owi ng zer o) . Whi l e doi ng
t hi s, keep an eye on t he r ewi nd knob. l f i t
r ot at es i n t he di r ect i on of t he ar r ow, t he f i l m i s
l oaded cor r ect l y.
Each t i me
you advance t he f i l m, t he f r ame
count er al so advances t o t he next f r ame. l t can
count up t o 38 f r ames. The number s 20 and
36 ar e i n or ange t o cal l your at t ent i on t o t he
f act t h at rol l s wi t h t hose nu m bers of f rames
ar e or ar e al most f i ni shed.
1 2
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B. Learn to Hold the Camera Correctly
v /x)
t\/\
i {l
The sl i ght est movement of your body dur i ng shut t er r el ease may
cause bl ur i n t he pi ct ur e. To r educe chances of t hi s, hol d t he
camer a as st eady as possi bl e
wi t h you r l ef t hand su ppor t i ng
t he
camer a and l ens. Pr ess bot h el bows t o your body and l i ght l y
pr ess t he camer a t o your cheek or f or ehead. For a ver t i cal shot ,
st eady at l east one el bow agai nst you r body. Spread you r f eet
sl i ght l y apar t , one f oot ahead of t he ot her , and r el ax. l f a wal l or
a t r ee i s avai l abl e, l ean agai nst i t .
NF?Iil
Ther e i s, of cour se, no one cor r ect way t o hol d t he camer a. Exper i ment t o f i nd t he
most comf or t abl e way f or you of hol di ng i t st eady. l t may hel p t o
pr act i ce
i n
f r ont of a mi r r or .
,ft
' !.+' i ,i
13
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9. One Shot at a Time
Set a shut t er speed bY t ur ni ng
t he shut t er speed di al unt i l
a number f r om 60 t o 1000 i s
al i gned wi t h t he i ndex.
Then l ook i nt o t he vi ew'
f i nder and
pr ess t he shut t er
but t on HALFWAY. The met er
needl e wi l l move t o t el l
You
whet her t he sh ut t er sPeed
You
have set wi l l gi ve cor r ect ex-
posu r e.
l f t he met er needl e
Poi nt s
t o t he red zone at t he t op of
t he scal e or i f t he r ed LED
( Li ght - Emi t t i ng Di ode) Ut i nks
bel ow t he scal e, t ur n t he shut -
t er speed di al as shown. Ot her -
wi se, exposur e wi l l be cor r ect
at t he shut t er sPeed
You
have
set .
A
Do not set t he shut t er speed di al bet ween t he cl i ck- st op set -
t i ngs. Not e t hat i t does not t ur n
past " 1000" or
" 8"
.
Nriql!
See PART I l , p. 14, i f you must set t he shut t er speed di al t o a number
bel ow " 60" . l f act i on i s a
par t i cul ar l y i mpor t ant el ement i n t he shot ,
you
may wi sh t o r ef er t o PART l l ,
p. 13, f or mor e i nf or mat i on on choosi ng a
shut t er speed.
500 | 000
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Compose t he
possi bl e. Tur n
p i ct u re . Ce nt e r
t he f ocusi ng r i ng
your subj ect i n t he vi ewf i nder i f
unt i l t he mai n subj ect i s shar p.
Pr ess t he shut t er but t on al l t he
way down t o t ake t he pi ct ur e.
Nifi?Er
l f t her e i s l i ght , such as t he sun or
a wi ndow, behi nd your subi ect ,
pr ess t he backl i ght cont r ol swi t ch
as you press
t h e sh ut t er but t on .
See PART l l , p. 2O.
Must be Eyecup 45. I t r i ed at t ach-
i ng i t t o t he eyepi ece and i t made
vi ewi ng l ot s mor e comf or t abl e.
1 5
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Roll,
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@:
You can t el l
you have r eached
t he e nd of t he f i l m by t he
f r ame count er and t he f i l m
advance l ever . Ei t her t he f i l m
advance I ever wi | | n of t u r n
at al l or i t wi l l not t u r n al l t he
way. F i r st pr ess i n t he r ewi nd
but t on. You may i mmedi at el y
l et go of i t .
Then t ur n t he r ewi nd cr ank i n
t he d i r ect i on of t he a r r ow u nt i I
t he f r a me cou nt er , wh i ch
count s backwar ds as you r e-
wi nd, r eaches
" S" .
Then open t he back cover, re-
move t he f i l m car t r i dge, pl ace
i t back i n i t s cani st er and have
i t devel oped as soon as pos-
si bl e.
Nh?EI
The r ewi nd but t on r ot at es as you
r ewi nd t he f i l m. When t he f i l m
i s compl et el y r ewound, i t st ops
r ot at i ng.
A
DO NOT open t he back cover unt i l you have r ewound t he f i l m
back i nt o t he car t r i dge. l f you do, l i ght f al l i ng on t he f i l m
may r ui n al l of t he pi ct ur es.
1 6
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*
Dedicated Flash
Load t he
and sl i de
accesso ry
l ock nut .
f l ash wi t h bat t er i es
i t i nt o t he AE- 1' s
shoe. Ti ght en t he
Tur n t he Speedl i t e' s ASA f i l m
speed di al t o t he cor r ect ASA
speed and push
t he aper t ur e
sel ect i on swi t ch t o t i r e gr een
or r ed
' t
A"
posi t i on.
Tu rn t h e Speed I i t e' s ma i n
swi t ch oN. Af t er t he pi l ot
l amp gl ows, pr ess t he shut t er
but t on t o t ake t he
pi ct ur e.
EUE
Can on of f ers f ou r Speed I i t es
(
1 33A,
155A, 177A, 199A) f or t he AE- 1 .
Wi t h sl i ght di f f er ences, al l f our ar e
used i n al most t he same way. See
PART l l , p. 33,
and t he Speedl i t e' s
i nst r uct i ons f or mor e det ai l s.
g
Make sur e t he AE- 1' s shut -
t er speed di al i s not on
"8". Any ot her set t i ng
i s o kay.
For cor r ect exposur e, t he subj ect must be wi t hi n a cer t ai n
r ange of di st ances f r om t he camer a. The r equi r ed di st ance
r ange i s shown on t he f l ash by t he cur ve whi ch i s t he same
col or as t he set t i ng of t he aper t ur e sel ect i on swi t ch. Af t er you
f ocus, check t he l ens' di st ance scal e t o make sur e t he f ocused
di st ance i s wi t hi n t he r ange shown by t he cur ve.
'g
a
Do not shoot bef or e t he pi l ot l amp
r ncor r ect .
gl ows or exposur e may be
1 7
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*Self-Timer
Advance t he f i l m t o t he next
f r ame.
l g Use t he vi ewf i nder cover
t o cover t he eyepi ece
whenever
your eye i s not
t o i t at t he moment
You
t ake a shot . l f i t i s un-
cover ed, st r ay l i ght ent er -
i ng f r om t h e r ear may
cause u nder exposu r e.
1 8
Push t he sel f - t i mer l ever f or -
war d t o uncover t he sel f - t i mer
l amp.
@
f ne AE- 1 set s t he ex-
posu r e t he moment
You
pr ess t he sh ut t er but t on.
Do not st and i n f r ont of
t he l ens whi l e
pr essi ng t he
but t on or exposu r e may
be i ncor r ect .
To st ar t t he sel f
- t i mer ,
Pr ess
t he shut t er but t on. The sel f -
t i mer l amp wi l l begi n t o bl i nk.
When i t st ops bl i nki ng t en
seconds l at er , t he shut t er wi l l
be r el eased aut omat i cal l y.
Nif!{?t
Fol l owi ng exposur e, unl ess you
want t o use t he sel f - t i mer f or t he
next f r ame, r eset t he sel f - t i mer
l gvgr t o " A" or " L" .
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*Pre-
Shooting Checklist
Lens Set t i ng?
ASA Setti ng?
Bbtter'y?
F i l m Adrrance?
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Oh , n o ! l a l r e a d y s t a r t e d t h e
sel f - t i mer and I want ed t o st op i t so
I
j ust pushed
t he l ever back i n, but
as soon as I di d t hat , t he shut t er
r el eased.
You' r e goi ng
t o have d
gr eat p i ct u r e of an
empt y chai r ! Tr y pr ess-
i ng t he bat t er y check
but t on next t i me.
l f you have st ar t ed t he sel f
-
t i mer and wi sh t o cancel i t
bef or e shut t er r el ease, pr ess
t he
bat t er y check but t on.
1 9
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*Carrying
the Camera
Th r ead t he ends of t h e st r ap
t hr ough t he r i ngs on t he
camer a as shown.
tittiXtuilii*it
Fo r car r y i ng t he came r a, i n
par t i cul ar , i nser t i t i nt o i t s
semi - har d case
( opt i onal
acces-
sor y
)
as shown. You can st i l l
t ake a pi ct ur e whi l e t he camer a
i s i n t he case by t ur ni ng t he
t op cover down.
To r emove t he t op cover , t ur n
i t down, t hen
push i t st r ai ght
up and out . Tur n t he l ens'
f ocusi ng r i ng t o i nf i ni t y
( * )
f or cl osi ng t he t op cover .
rSFItF
1. Do not f or get t o t ur n t he shut t er but t on l ock l ever t o "L" t o
pr event
acci dent al shut t er r el ease whi l e car r yi ng
t he camer a,
2. The camer a case must be r emoved f or l oadi ng and r ewi ndi ng f i l m.
20
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