The Canon AE-1, released by Canon in 1976, has made a revolution in the world of photography. It was the first 35mm SLR camera controlled by a built-in central processing unit (CPU). It is a great camera for those who start to learn the art of photography, as the AE-1 is easy in use, understandable, and having a certain quantity of both manual and automatic functions. The Canon’s status as a leader of innovations has been proved by success of just this camera.
With the release of the Canon AE-1 model, many principles of the future cameras constructing have changed. Canon has begun to use the technology of plastic injection molding, which results in simplifying the process of cameras’ assembly. That approach gave the possibility to reduce the weight of products, as well as their cost, and in addition opened the way for the development, implementation, and output to the mass consumer market of attached motor drives, electronic Speedlite flash units, and other additional photo accessories.
The AE-1 camera is under the complete control of precise electronics rather than mechanics, and its operation depends solely on a battery power. In the 1970s, heavy, mechanical types of cameras have still been dominating in the market to a great extent, and contrary to the basic design concept of those cameras, the AE-1 was very competitive, and has quickly gained its own segment of the market, offering a much more accurate exposure, reduced weight, and other features that might have never been realized on the basis of mechanics.
However, the AE-1 was not a professional camera, but an amateur one, compared with the same Canon F-1. But it was the Canon AE-1 project that later became the starting point in creating cameras for the amateur SRL segment, and not only by the company, that created the AE-1, but also by its competitors on the market.
The range of the AE-1 cameras has evolved into the Canon AE-1 Program in 1981, but three years earlier, in 1978 a semiprofessional Canon A-1 had been released, based on the developments used in the AE-1. All of them were intended for photo enthusiasts and all of them featured good quality.
The AE-1 features fully automatic system with a central microprocessor; support for interchangeable lenses with FD bayonet; electronically controlled shutter; ergonomic body made of plastic with a metal coating, lightweight design; central metering system; electronic self-timer; continuous shooting at a rate of 1-2 frames per second; shutter priority mode which allows to shoot good pictures without blurring the image; fast metering taking only 0.001 seconds.
The integrated circuits applied in the AE-1 enabled to create a compact camera and replace over 1,000 mechanical elements with electronics, thereby simplifying its design and increasing the reliability of the device. Advanced production methods (almost fully automated) and a high packaging technology in the manufacture of the electronic circuit, enabled to provide a complete sealing of vital parts of the camera against dust, moisture, and temperature effects.
Nowadays the AE-1 is considered a classic device in the overcrowded market of SLRs, but in 1976 when it appeared in the market for the first time, it represented the most technologically innovative camera, equipped with a microprocessor, offering to use Shutter Speed Priority exposure mode, which are still very popular options on the market nowadays.
