Canon AE-1 Program - Is it still worth it?

Guido,
The Canon AE-1 was among the best selling 35mm SLR's of all time for good reason. They were affordable, reliable, durable, and capable. For around $50, how can you lose?

Maybe also realize that many of these old SLRs may have developed issues needing repair. I've purchased many cameras on eBay. Most were in good working condition and some were definitely not. Good or even great cosmetics can hide problems in cameras as old as the AE-1 series. Securing a money back guarantee if not functioning as described, is a good idea. Otherwise, it may be a $50 conversation piece.

Yes, I realize the repair issue (I am also checking out dealer offerings with return policy). Apart from that, how about the Canon A-1 which goes for only slightly higher prices? It seems the A-1 might be even more versatile, since it has aperture-priority + other modes?

The A-1 was a dream in its day, a step up from the AE-1. I owned one for about 10 years but grew away from it. When I came back to the Canon FD mount cameras, I decided against the A-1 and got a T90 which IMHO really blows its predecessors away, plus it used batteries I can pick up almost anywhere in the world for a song. In fact yesterday I was using the T90 with Canon, Nikon, Leica and Tamron lenses on it (via adapters). I've never had a problem with mine, although some owners report the old electronics can be an issue.

The AE-1 Program looks like an AE-1, but if my understanding is correct, it is quite different inside. It offers more complete automation than the AE-1, as well.

The short answer to your question is YES.

The cameras mostly still work well (may need new foam here and there, and there is the lubrication of the mirror mechanism problem which causes the dread 'Squeek"). The lenses are very often the same basic formulae that are still being used in Canon EOS lenses, but are available dirt cheap because of the replacement of the FD mount by the auto-focus EF mount in 1987 (note to other FD users: it may be time to "get over it" ;). At the time the A line was coming out, I was still a Nikonista, but if I had actually tried one then, I might be among those bitter FD-mount folks today. I still really like my Nikkormat EL, and even the more basic F, but the Canon AE-1, AE-1 Program, and the A-1 were the beginning of what became Canon dominance in much of the market place in years to follow.

The T90 is a harbinger of the future, on the other hand. It is in essentials and form, a manual focus EOS camera with a FD mount. It is a superb camera, but will cost more than an AE-1 Program. For collectors it has what the Antiques Roadshow calls "crossover appeal". FD people want it as the end of the line, but no EOS collection would be complete without it either. The AE-1 Program has a lot of the same features, but in a then-traditional Canon body, rather than the futuristic plastic of the T90 and the T series in general.

If you want to shoot in cold, rain, snow, dusty conditions etc., off all the camera manufactures, the New F1N is hard to beat. Sealed electronics, usable if battery craps out. AE Finder needed for aperture priority, FN Winder for shutter priority. 50/1.4 cheaper than the 35/2.

If you can pick up an A1 and 50mm F1.8 for a bit more than $50, then jump at the chance. I've owned one from new since 1981 and with medium use it's still perfect for me. I've also acquired another 5 fairly cheaply over the years for back up and spares. I dropped one on to concrete with the back open; that one is definitely just for spares now! Overall, of the six I can give you some statistics, based on a small sample: all of them had working electronics, display and metering; all of them needed new light traps and mirror buffer foam (an easy DIY job); 2 got the dreaded squeek/cough, which is, I believe, fatal in the end.
The one I use most, I bought on ebay; it's all scratched and brassed but works as well as a mint one. I don't worry about getting another little mark on it and tend to take it out with me most of the time when I'm walking. They are good reliable cameras. If you're not wearing gloves you can change the shutter speed or aperture without taking the camera from your eye and see the change of parameters in the viewfinder display.
The perceived wisdom is that they are not as rugged as the Canon/Nikon F1s and the like. I can't dispute this, never having owned one. I can say that they are quite tough, as my original one (in its case) survived a ballooning accident which put me in hospital for a month and seriously damaged the basket.
In Britain, dealer prices are about £70 to £100 for body only. They appear to be a bit cheaper in the US. I'd take a chance; it will do most things you want apart from fancy metering. The other camera you might like to consider is an Olympus OM10 plus manual adapter. They seem quite tough, small and apart from not displaying the aperture value in the viewfinder, seem pretty good. They seem to sell really cheaply (got mine +lens for £20).
I hope this helps,
Regards
Nick

I've used seven different FD bodies (F-1, F-1n, F-1N, EF, AE-1, A-1, and T90). While the F-1N and T90 are my favourites, I don't think you can go wrong with any FD body, provided that it has the features you need. I do almost all of my shooting in aperture priority, so my A-series and pre-F-1N F-series bodies get less use.

I've purchased all of my FD bodies used, and they typically have needed to have their light seals and mirror foam replaced. My F-1 and F-1n bodies needed some shutter and meter adjustment, and I also had their meters recalibrated so they would accept 1.5 V batteries. The shutters and meters in both of my F-1n's and both of my T90's were, and remain, deadly accurate.

Guido, if I were you, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up an AE-1 Program with a 50/1.4 for $50, if you can do without Av. The FD 50/1.4 is an outstanding normal prime, the optical formula of which is still being used in the EF 50/1.4, almost 40 years after it was introduced with the F-1 in 1971!

The only A series camera I have is an A-1. If I get another one it will be an AE-1 Program. It would allow me to change the focusing screen to a grid type and have something lighter than an F-1 to carry. I think more AE-1 Program owners used the Program feature than the interchangeable screen feature. The screen in an A-1 can also be changed but you need to remove some screws to do it.