New Week Different Camera – Canon A-1

This week’s “New Week Different Camera” is a Canon A-1. I’ve used this camera about a year ago after I got it but thought I should give it a go again. 

What is the camera: The Canon A-1 was an advanced amateur / prosumer manual focus FD-mount 35mm SLR. The camera was introduced in 1978 and manufactured until 1985. It was preceded by the Canon EF and replaced by the Canon T90. It was considered the 1st SLR that had all 4 exposure modes (P, A, S, M or P, Av, Tv, M in Canon speak). Competitive equivalents of the time were the Nikon FE, Minolta XD-11, Pentax ME Super and the Olympus OM-2N to name a few

Where did I get the camera: I purchased the Canon A-1 (body only) at Roberts Camera “as-is” during their August 2025 Tent Sale. Roberts has a bi-annual Tent Sale (also called a Garage Sale) to sell excess inventory / unloved / “parts only” cameras and accessories. They either sell items on a set price or by “box”. They offer different sizes of boxes and you pay a fixed price for the box. Anything that fits into the box only costs the price of the box.  

I got the A-1 along with 31 other camera bodies I was able to fit into 4 boxes.

One note, about ½ of the cameras of the 32-camera lot ended up being unusable (which was expected).

How much did it cost: Each box was $25 so I spent $100 for the 32 cameras so the A-1 worked out to be just over $3.

Key features:

• Canon FD lens mount (there are many affordable FD lenses available)
• All 4 exposure modes (P, A, S & M) – I used P mode
• Shutter speeds from 30s – 1/1000 including B
• Flash sync speed of 1/60 
• Shutter button lock
• Convenient battery check light
• TTL center weighted metering
• LED red exposure display at bottom of viewfinder (speed & aperture)
• ISO range from 6 – 12,800
• Uses LR44 batteries (6v total)
• All metal body
• Exposure compensation dial

Plus / Negatives based on my experience: 

Pros = good looking all black camera, easy to use in all exposure modes, excellent ISO range, easy to find and affordable lens selections  

Negatives = LED speed and aperture readout in viewfinder is sometimes hard to see in bright settings, won’t work without batteries, flash sync speed is too slow to be used with studio lights at typical light settings, top speed is reasonable but not as fast as later SLR’s & develops the typical Canon SLR shutter “squeal” (mine has it).

Thoughts / Will I use it again: Overall, a great-looking capable camera! It has all the features I use for street and casual photography. The viewfinder is bright and the light meter on my version is true. I have all the lenses I normally use for SLR’s (28, 35 & 50mm) so I can use the A-1 in most settings I prefer. The main downside on my version is the shutter squeal is very noticeable so limits its use as a street photography camera. I will definitely use the A-1 again.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Images:

Kentmere 400

Kentmere 400

Kentmere 400

Kentmere 400

Kentmere 400

Kentmere 400

Kentmere 400

Kentmere 400

Kodak 5302

Kodak 5302

Fomapan 200

Fomapan 200

Fomapan 200

Fomapan 200

Fomapan 200

Fomapan 200

Fomapan 200

Film Negatives - Flat or Curl

Flat Negatives Are Your Friends

Photographic film negative curling is an issue if you develop film yourself. During the digitizing or printing workflow your negatives will need to be scanned, photographed or used in a darkroom enlarger. Having film negatives "flat" is important. Even the slightest curling / cupping of the negative can make the film difficult to put into a scanner holder, keep flat on the scanner glass or keeping the entire photo in focus. You WANT your negatives to be as flat as possible for good results.

Different film stocks "curl" / "cup" to various amounts or remain flat while drying. How you dry your negatives (i.e., hanging with a weighted clip on the bottom) or your drying conditions (i.e., humidity level) will also impact how much a negative does or does not dry flat.

Here are a couple examples of flat and slightly curled negatives. Your results may be similar or much more cupping / curling.

Fomapan 400 dries flat

Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400 has a moderate curl. This negative has been back-rolled

There are DIY ways to flatten curled negatives. You can cut your negatives, sleeve them and put them under a weight (like a book). You can back-roll the negative before cutting and keep it back-rolled for a few hours until flat, etc.

Again, what ever process you use, the simplest is to use film (WHEN POSSIBLE) that dries flat.

To help you decide, here is a list of films I've (or others) have used and how they "typically" end up when dried.  Please note, this list covers just 35mm film. 120 film curls more or less the same but if it curls it tends to curl more than 35mm. AGAIN AS A CAVEAT, your experience may vary.

• Aerocolor 100 - flat
• ADOX HR50 - flat
• Agfa APX 100 - flat
• Agfa APX 400 - slight curl
• Arista EDU 100 / 200 / 400 - flat
• Arista EDU 100 DX - flat
• Arista EDU 400 DX - flat
• Berger Pancro 400 - slight curl
• Camera Film Photo (CFP) 500T The Film - flat
• Candido 200 - flat
• CFP Kiki Pan 320 - flat
• CineStill BWXX - slight curl
• Dubblefilm Jelly - flat
• Eastman Double-X (5222) - flat
• EFKE 100 - curls
• Fomapan 100 - flat
• Fomapan 200 - flat
• Fomapan 400 - flat
• FPP Mummy - flat
• FPP RetroChrome 320 - curls
• FPP Wolfman 100 - flat
• Fujicolor Pro400H - light curl
• Fujifilm Provia 100 - curls
• Fujifilm 200 - slight curl
• Fujifilm Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 400 - curls
• Fujifilm Fujicolor Superia 800 - flat
• Harman AZURE - slight curl
• Holga 400 - flat
• Ilford Delta 100 - flat
• Ilford Delta 400 - flat
• Ilford FP4 - flat
• Ilford HP5 - flat
• Ilford Kentmere 400 - flat
• Ilford Ortho 80 - flat
• Ilford PAN 400 - flat
• Ilford SPX 200 - flat
• Ilford XP2 400 - flat
• JCH Streetpan 400 - flat
• Kodak Double-X - slight curl
• Kodak Ektar 100 - flat
• Kodak Ektachrome 100 - flat
• Kodak EliteChrome 100 - curls
• Kodak EliteChrome 200 - curls
• Kodak Gold 200 - slight curl
• Kodak Gold 200 in 120 - curls
• Kodak Kodalith 6556 - flat
• Kodak MAX 400 - curls
• Kodak Plus X 125 - slight curl
• Kodak Portra 160/400 - flat
• Kodak Portra 800 - flat
• Kodak T-Max 400 - flat / slight curl
• Kodak T-Max 3200 - flat / slight curl
• Kodak Tri-X - curls
• Kodak Ultramax 400 - flat
• Kodak Vision3 250D - flat
• Kodak Vision3 500T - flat
• Kodak X-Pan 125 - slight curl / flat
• Kono Moonstruck - flat
• Kosmo Foto Agent Shadow - slight curl
• Lucky SHD100 Pro - flat
• Lucky SHD400 - flat
• LuckyPan 400 (old formula) - flat
• ORWO UN54 - flat
• Rollei Retro 80s - flat
• Rollei Retro 400s - flat 
• Rollei RPX25 - flat
• Shanghai GP3 - curls
• Street Candy 400 - slight curl
• Silberra Ultima - flat
• Ultrafine 100 - flat
• Ultrafine Finesse 100 - flat
• Ultrafine Finesse 400 - flat

I'll update this list as I get feedback from others or have personal experience with other films.

New Week Different Camera – Nikon N90s SLR

I’ve started a photography / blogging project I’m calling “New Week Different Camera”. The plan is to use a different camera each week. This will be the primary (but not only) film camera I use during the week. The goal is to try cameras I haven’t used recently / previously or don’t get regular use. After the week, I’ll list some information on the camera and summarize my thoughts.

The first camera is my Nikon N90s. I’ve written about this camera previously:

N90S Blog Post - Features

Details about the camera’s functions are listed on the earlier post.

For the project, here are the topics about the camera:

What is the camera: The Nikon N90s was an advanced SLR for the time. It has all the features of an advance camera. Nikon introduced the N90s in 1994 and discontinued it in 2004. It was proceeded by the N90/F90 version and replaced by the Nikon F100 starting in 1998. The N90s has a “classic” Nikon SLR look and feel. My copy has the accessory battery grip which adds to the weight / size but gives you flexibility with a portrait-oriented shutter release button.

Where did I get the camera: I purchased the Nikon N90s (body only) at Used Photo Pro “as-is”. UPP is a part of Roberts Camera located in Indianapolis. 

Used Photo Pro sells used digital and film cameras and accessories both online and instore. Cameras purchased in-store are “behind the case”, not in the case but in back and on a series or “as-is” shelves (recently labeled “Outlet”). The cameras on the “as-is” shelf are low / fixed priced but come with no guarantee. However, in my experience the cameras purchased “as-is” work but almost always have something wrong with them mechanically or cosmetically. If you have a question the UPP staff can answer them for you. “As-is” is only sold in-store.

How much did it cost: The N90s body cost $20. (I had plenty of F-Mount lenses to use)

Key features: Important features are on the previous blog post.

Plus / Negatives based on my experience: Pros = all advance features for an SLR, top speed of 1/8000, super-fast focus, ability to use all my F-Mount lenses &additional portrait-oriented shutter release button. Negatives = Very heavy (with battery grip), not stealthy (loud mirror slap) for street photography (what I primarily use it for) & difficult fitting in a shoulder camera bag with the battery grip attached. While advanced when introduced there were other cameras on the market with similar specs, so IMO it only differentiated itself you wanted a Nikon.

Nikon N90s without the battery grip

Thoughts / Will I use it again: Overall, a good-looking capable camera! Many similar features to the F100, F4 & F5 but clearly not as capable. More than likely I won’t use the camera all that much because I have the F100, F4 and F5 which have the same form factor but have more features. However, if I didn’t have any of the other cameras I’d use it regularly. 

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

Images from the week:

Indianapolis Airport with Kentmere 400

Indianapolis Airport with Kentmere 400

Indianapolis Airport with Kentmere 400

Tipton, Indiana with Kentmere 400

Indianapolis with Lucky SHD400 at 200

Indianapolis with Lucky SHD400 at 200

Elwood, Indiana with Lucky SHD400 at 200

Elwood, Indiana with Kentmere 400

Elwood, Indiana with Kentmere 400

Indianapolis with Lucky SHD400 at 200

Indianapolis with Lucky SHD400 at 200

Indianapolis with Lucky SHD400 at 200