Canon A-1

Yes, this is the Canon A-1 camera which the BF and his itchy hands got.

Lomography Konstruktor Part III: Using the Konstruktor

After building the Konstruktor, we went out and bought a couple of rolls of film. The instructions included were a little sketchy on some of the stuff that a new film shooter might want to know,such as how to manipulate the controls (loading,taking shots and unloading the film canister) we’ll go through these right now.

Loading Film

We bought lomography branded 3 pack 400ISO film from the local lomo store. Taking it out, you’ll notice a little exposed film strip that’s cut, this is called the leader. The leader will make it easier to load the film into the spool.

1st you’d have to open up the back of the Konstruktor, the back is held on by a fairly strong clip, and then it flips open.

Next pull up on the rewinding knob while the back is open.

Then put in the film canister and engage the rewinding knob into the slots in the canister. Pull the film out sufficiently to engage the little catch on the take up spool on the right, you may have to fiddle with the rewinding knob to make sure the film stays tensioned. The film sprocket holes must also ride in the little gear just to the left of the take up spool.

Thereafter close the back and take2 shots, (this ensures the film is properly wound onto the take up spool). To take shots (pictures) you’d 1st have to flip up the mirror with the little lever on the side. Then compose the image using the viewfinder, press the shutter, and then wind the film into the take up spool.

After taking the 1st 2 shots, I’ll move the film counter over to indicate 36.

The counter itself is not real accurate and it’s easy to move it halfway through the roll of film because it’s kind of loose.However it does gives you an idea of how many shots are left. I just shoot until I can’t advance the film anymore.

Rewinding and unloading film.

When you’ve shot the last frame and cannot advance the film anymore (or you can advance the film, but it only turns partway and then stops), you know you’ve come to the end, before you unload the film, you’d need to rewind the film so it goes from the take up spoll back into the canister. To do that, simply rotate the rewind knob in the direction of the arrow, and watch as you turn the rewind knob, the take up/advance know turns to follow.

Wind until you see the advance knob stop turning (you know it’s almost to the end) and then abit more until the resistance changes. The film is now completely in the canister. Open up the back, pull up on the rewind knob, take out the exposed canister and you’re now ready to load and shoot the next roll.

My New Canon AE-1 Program

Say hello to my Birthday present from G: Canon AE-1 Program :D

First Impressions: It is relatively heavy for a girl like me, but I guess I could get used to it. 

On the top of the camera there are also some controls that I need to learn to use:

• Shutter button: Comes with a screw hole for a remote shutter.
• A / L / S switch: A is engaged, L is lock, and S is for self-timer.
• Shutter dial: 1) Shutter speeds range from 2 seconds to 1/1000 second. 2) Bulb is also available. 3) On this dial you can also set the Program mode
• Film ISO selector: Here you set the camera to suit the film's sensitivity
• Film rewinder: Rewinds the film.
• Battery beeper button: Allows you to check the battery level by listening to the beeping frequency when you press on it.

Can't wait to snap more pictures with it - experimenting with films in different ISOs, camera settings, and then discover beautiful effects along the way!