Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

I do stand corrected about the price of Canon bayonet Mount lenses. With that being said, it was a phenomenal camera then and the film choices were without contest. Now many great films are long gone but you can still give the camera the workout it deserves. I stand by my earlier suggestion. Put together a package and donate it to a high school for their creation of a photography club.
A good gift would be a Canon AE-1, a readable user manual, two lenses, some rolls of film,
a tripod and an inexpensive light meter. What you have is a vision for a new generation of photographers.

Just because a camera uses film, doesn’t mean it is a paperweight.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

When in school, my teacher let me borrow the school’s AE-1. And I fell in love with my new “hobby.” My aunt asked if I could dog sit her St. Bernard named “Bagels.” He was a lovable furry beast who enjoyed being walked (actually I was dragged) and loved a good brushing. At the end of one week, my aunt slipped me a cool $100. I was in heaven and went down to Olden Camera. I damn near cried when I saw the price of an AE1 and sulked off to buy a Zenit-E. Although it weighed as much as a brick I ‘schlepped’ it around every day.

Even though I didn’t have a Canon my teacher taught me as much as I could learn. In later years, I bought the AE-1 and remember all the joy (and work) to using it.

Film has taken it on the chin because very few pharmacies take film for developing. Gone are the days of One Hour Photo stores. Having a digital or a mirrorless may be the greatest thing since sliced bread but I always love photographers “chimping.”

To All: Enjoy photography in any possible way. It is the greatest joy to preserve the past!