Uncle left my girlfriend a camer in his will - What exactly do we have here? Canon A1

[AnthonyC]

My girlfriends uncle was quite the photographer in the 70-s and 80's
When he died, he left his camera to my gf. It sat in her closet for 20 years or so and she just recovered it.


Here are the pics:

Any thoughts?


ANT

 

[Trever1t]

Look it up on Google! Nobody can do better than the big G

 

[DorkSterr]

Wow thats pretty epic! Does it still work?

 

[Trever1t]

Canon A-1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[dxqcanada2 1]

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/canon/fdresources/SLRs/a1/index.htm

 

[AnthonyC]

Look it up on Google! Nobody can do better than the big G

Neither of us are in to film, so we are trying to get an idea of what we can sell it for to buy her a new digital Canon.
Having a difficult time on google seeing what it is worth.

Wow thats pretty epic! Does it still work?

I assume so, but honestly have not tested it.

ANT

 

[dxqcanada2 1]

canon a-1 | eBay

 

[jake337]

Look it up on Google! Nobody can do better than the big G

Neither of us are in to film, so we are trying to get an idea of what we can sell it for to buy her a new digital Canon.
Having a difficult time on google seeing what it is worth.

Wow thats pretty epic! Does it still work?

I assume so, but honestly have not tested it.

ANT

Buy a few rolls of film and give it a try. You may change your mind. Considering you want the same FOV as your film camera you would be spending $2,000 and up on a body only in digital.

 

[AnthonyC]

How about the lens?

 

[Helen B]

B&H are selling one of those lenses for $80. You are not likely to get that much selling privately. Used Tokina Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 SZ-X

 

[Derrel]

When it premiered, the Canon A-1 was, if I recall correctly, the first "five-mode" SLR camera. It was quite advanced in its day!!! One might say that it was *the most-advanced* 35mm SLR in terms of metering options. It never was a big seller...the lower-cost Canon AE-1 program was Canon's runaway best-seller.

 

[STM]

Quite a find.

The Canon A-1 was (and really still is) a very capable camera. It was kind of the bridge between the professional F-1 and the amateur AE-1. There are also an array of other accessories for it like winders and dedicated flashes. Don't know anything about the Tokina though but were I to venture a guess it is a passable lens but nothing to write home about.. But you should be able to find a whole host of Canon's really excellent FD lenses on Ebay for very good prices.

 

[greybeard38 10]

I had some real GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) for one of those back in the day. It was the 1st to offer all the modes of exposure automation. Very nice camera. Buy a roll of film and see how it does.

 

[Svandru]

The A-1 was a great camera. My wife has one, but even though she hasn't pulled it out in a decade she won't part with it. It is loaded with features, but one of my favorite things is that it uses LEDs in the viewfinder. The A-1 came out before LCD displays. It looks totally retro, but eats batteries. Another thing about that period is that Canon had a breech-lock lens mount instead of a bayonet. Unfortunately it won't work with modern lenses, so it isn't very desirable for current film shooters.