Had to decide between a Pentax K1000 and a Canon AE-1 for my first film camera last month

I went with the K1000 for $85 at a garage sale because it felt simpler to learn on, but now I'm wondering if the AE-1's auto mode would've saved me from three totally blown rolls, what do you think?

2 comments

2 Comments

palmer.henry1d ago

Respectfully gotta disagree here. Those blown rolls are a rite of passage, not a reason to regret the K1000. Learning to nail exposure manually will make you a better shooter in the long run, even if it costs you some film now.

joelsanchez1d ago

Bro, been there, three rolls in the trash on my first camera too. That K1000 was the right call, trust me. For $85 you basically stole that thing. What you need is a cheap light meter app on your phone for like five bucks, use that until you get the sunny 16 rule down. Once you can guess exposure within a stop, those AE-1 guys are the ones missing shots when the battery dies. Plus you can always zone focus and shoot from the hip, can't do that with auto mode fussing around.