C41
Kodak Portra 400
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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slr-35mm
The A-1 (1978) is the consumer/enthusiast top of Canon's A-series. It was the first 35mm SLR to offer all four classical autoexposure modes plus manual: **Program** (camera picks shutter and aperture), **Aperture Priority** (you set aperture), **Shutter Priority** (you set shutter), **Stopped-Down**, and **Manual** — the PASM matrix that defined every subsequent enthusiast camera. A digital LED viewfinder readout displayed all four exposure values, replacing the analog meter needles of the AE-1.
Reference
Recommended film stocks for the 35mm format your camera takes.
C41
Kodak Portra 400 is a professional C-41 color negative film known for flexible exposure latitude, natural skin tones, and fine grain.
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Kodak Tri-X 400 is a classic black-and-white film known for strong tonality, visible grain, and documentary character.
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Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight-balanced C-41 color negative film with warm color, moderate grain, and a classic consumer-film look.
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Labs in our directory that process 35mm film.
Before you buy used
About this camera
The first SLR with full PASM exposure modes. The camera that turned automatic exposure into a marketing pitch.
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Format | 35mm |
| Mount | Canon FD |
| Years | 1978–1985 |
| Shutter | 30s – 1/1000s, electronic horizontal cloth |
| Flash sync | 1/60s |
| Meter | TTL center-weighted SPD |
| Modes | Program, A, S, M, Stopped-down |
| Weight | 620 g |
| Battery | 1× 4LR44 / PX28 |
Launched April 1978 alongside the AE-1 (which continued in production). The A-1 cost more, weighed about the same, and offered substantially more features — Canon positioned it as the "advanced amateur" choice. The body has the famous Canon shutter squeak (degraded mirror bushing oil) just like every A-series body. Production ran until 1985, replaced indirectly by the T-series and EOS line.
PASM first appeared here. Nikon and Pentax followed with similar mode-dial-based bodies (FA, Super Program). The LED viewfinder readout — a tiny seven-segment display showing aperture and shutter values — was the first time an SLR's meter looked digital. The A-1 became a fixture of late-70s/early-80s photography classes for students who wanted automation as well as manual control, and persists today as a $200 entry point into the FD lens system.
Canon FD lens system (same as AE-1 / F-1). Power Winder A or A2 (2 fps). Speedlite 188A and 199A flash units. Data Back A. Lens preferences: 50/1.4 SSC, 50/1.8 SC, 35/2.8, 28/2.8, 135/3.5.
BW
Ilford HP5 Plus is a flexible ISO 400 black-and-white film with classic grain and strong push-processing tolerance.
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Kodak Ektar 100 is a fine-grain C-41 color negative film with saturated color and high sharpness.
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