The Canon AE-1 Program is a favorite from the 80's.  It sold very well because it was a great camera.

This camera is a follow up to the original AE-1 (1976) and A-1 (1978).

The AE-1 Program sold so well because it represented a high-point of camera development.  The AE-1 Program has all the features you really need in a film camera without adding a bunch of extra features that you just aren't going to use.

The AE-1 Program features an advanced manual focus, through the lens (TTL) full aperture metering, and shutter priority metering.

The AE-1 Program uses several kinds of lenses.  It can use the Canon FD series of bayonet mount lenses and most FL and non-FD Canon lenses.  Older Canon FL and non-FD lenses mount but metering is stop-down only.

Automatic exposure control makes the AE-1 Program a joy to use.  Set A on the lens and PROGRAM on the body and just shoot.

The AE-1 Program uses a 6V PX28A Alkaline Battery that you can get at any camera store and many other kinds of stores like Walmart or Walgreens.

This is an excellent camera for a photography student or as a second body of a hobbyist/pro who likes the FD system of lenses.  It was the lightest of the metal based Canon FD body series.

Introduced a year after the Pellix, the FT QL had a normal quick-return reflex mirror and stop-down TTL metering. The finder's condenser lens was cut at a 45-degree angle. Twelve percent of the image area surface was semi-silvered with vapor deposition. The incident light reflected by this semi-transparent mirror was directed to the metering element. The viewfinder had match-needle exposure metering. The distance to the metering element was the same as the distance to the focal plane. Therefore the camera had the same focal plane metering characteristics as the Pellix.

The QL stands for Quick Load.

The Canon Booster for low-light metering down to EV 3.5 (23 sec. at f/1.4) was available as an optional accessory attachable to the accessory shoe.

Note: This article assumes a film-based photography class.  If you are taking a digital photography class, much of this does not apply.

You want a Non-Automatic Camera?

Your instructor for your photography class has indicated that you need a "Non-Automatic Camera" to use for the class.  What does this mean and what should you get?

"Non-Automatic" is not a common term in the photography world, it could mean many things.  This article attempts to explain some of the options so you can make a proper choice.

Taking a picture is about capturing light.  Capturing light is what cameras do.  To do this, they have adjustable aperture and shutter speeds (and ISO speed, but that doesn't come into play here).

Sometimes the camera controls the adjustments, sometimes the photographer controls them.  There are 3 different ways this is
usually handled:

1.      The photographer controls everything
2.      The photographer controls some things and the camera controls the others
3.      The camera controls everything

#1 is known as Manual Control.  If you're taking a photography class that's anything beyond "How to use your point & shoot" you should be required to have Manual Control.  With Manual Control, you set both the aperture and the shutter speed.

#2 is known as Automatic Control.  You pick one setting, the camera Automatically picks the other setting.  This is handy once you
understand what the settings do.  There are two basic Automatic Control methods, Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority.  With Aperture Priority the photographer sets the aperture and the camera
picks the shutter speed.  With Shutter Priority the photographer sets the shutter speed and the camera picks the aperture.

#3 is generally known as Program Mode or Program Control.  Most point & shoot cameras use this.  It can be handy, but you have to understand what the camera is going to do in order to take advantage of it best.

With Program Control, the camera picks both the Aperture and the Shutter Speed.

Different cameras have different Modes that include these control methods.  Some cameras have multiple modes, some only have one.

A good example of a Manual-Only (type 1) camera is the Pentax K1000.  Introduced in 1976, it has long been a favorite of photography students.  It is built like a tank and can survive dropping and abuse.  It has a wide variety of inexpensive high-quality lenses available.  And its manual-only control forces the student to consider the settings and learn what they do.  If you're taking a photography course, a K1000 is a great camera.  And when you move beyond it, you can probably resell it for about what you paid for it.

There are some Automatic-only (type 2) cameras out there.  One very common automatic-only is the Pentax ME.  For a photography class you don't want an Automatic-only camera.

Program-only (type 3) cameras are somewhat less common.  Program-only cameras are useless for learning photography.

Much more common than any single-mode or single-type are cameras capable of multiple modes.  Cameras are available with every combination of Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program, and Manual Controls.

So what is a "Non-Automatic" camera?  Well, that depends on your instructor.  It may be that you are required to have a manual-only (type 1) camera.  Or your instructor may allow you to use a camera with a combination of modes, one of which is full manual (type 1) control.  Regardless of definition, if you want to get the most out of your photography class you will need full control of your camera.

How to visually tell if a camera has full manual control:

Here is a full manual control camera that also has a program option:

You can see that it has an aperture adjustment to manually control the aperture as well as a green 'A' for automatic or program aperture control

Also it has a dial on the top to control the exposure time.  It also has a green 'Program' setting for automatic shutter setting.  If you don't see a dial like this on the camera you are looking at, it probably isn't a full manual control camera.  They usually have settings that range from "B" to 1000.

This Sears KS Super camera is Aperture Priority.

It has settings to control the aperture but not the shutter speed.  There is a dial to set the film speed but where the shutter speed dial would usually be there is one with only 4 settings, and one of those is LOCK.

Shop for Film Cameras at the Bricks and Beams eCrater Store

Lots of Vintage and Newer Film Cameras to choose from