The mystery of the Canon A/L switch

Since the 1960s, Canon SLRs have had their power switch confusingly labelled as A and L. This has persisted through many different generations of camera and confused beginners through the ages. But what do the letters A and L stand for? Why not use On and Off, or a red dot and a white dot,Continue reading “The mystery of the Canon A/L switch”

Using Canon FD lenses on digital cameras

Digital camera lenses are expensive, so it’s no wonder people are turning to much cheaper second-hand manual focus lenses. However these older, mechanical lenses behave quite differently from the electronic ones that digital camera owners are used to. This article discusses the key differences and will hopefully help you get the best out of manual focus lensesContinue reading “Using Canon FD lenses on digital cameras”

The Canon A family

I didn’t mean to be a collector – I really didn’t. I was given a Canon AE-1 Program by my uncle in 2009 and I started using it. I loved it and I fell firmly into film photography with both feet. I’ve bought various cameras since but I have always had a rule that IContinue reading “The Canon A family”

Canon EOS M

Released 2012 I purchased this mirrorless digital camera entirely to use with manual focus lenses. Canon FD lenses can’t be used on a Canon EOS DSLR without a corrective adapter which spoils the image quality. However due to the shorter focal flange length, FD (and other) lenses can be used on the EOS M with onlyContinue reading “Canon EOS M”

Canon Auto Zoom 814 Electronic

Released 1972 I’ve dabbled in Super 8 film-making before with my budget-level Mayoral Super 8 camera. It was rather point-and-shoot and I found it quite limiting. For my latest project, I decided to buy this Canon Super 8 camera which has more manual controls, variable frame rate, TTL viewing and other useful stuff.