Canon AE-1 Price

At the time of introduction, the original price varied considerably, and many discount houses were able to sell the AE-1 for as little as $300.00. Even then, the camera enjoyed "wild fire" sales with over four million units sold by 1981.

eBay

Today, this camera is a classic and usually for sale on eBay. The price can vary depending upon the condition, and a broken camera body in used condition might sell for a few pounds, whilst a good working camera together with the lens, accessories, and manuals could sell for around one hundred pounds. Their worth very much depends upon the condition, and the number of collectors present on the day bidding.

Buy

If you are looking to buy one then make sure it has the battery door, because there are many with the battery door missing, and whilst a replacement is readily available on eBay, it can be time consuming to repair. For a camera this old, it is a foregone conclusion that a light seal kit will be required, because the existing foam will have turned into a gooey substance after all these years.

Sometimes, it is better to pay a little extra and get the complete working kit from a genuine seller because this camera uses state-of-the-art Japanese electronic engineering that is extremely difficult to repair. This was one of the earliest cameras to have mechanical and electronic systems integration. Honestly, you could be a member of IEEE with letters after your name, member of the fraternity, with over inflated grades obtained during the Blair education era, but it will not be enough!

Troubleshooting the photometric system, or any form of electronic repair is practically unheard of here in the UK, as there is nobody skilled enough for the task. The electronic design uses three custom ICs (PX1, PX2, and PX3) mounted upon flex circuit. Removing this circuit involves an almost complete disassembly of the camera. PX1 consists of a MOS operational amplifier, which has a light sensor connected to the inverting input. PX2 consists of the central processing unit (CPU), and a 20-bit counter. PX3 is a highly custom integration, which drives the meter, manages flash signals, and provides shutter speed control.

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