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1980s

Pentax MV1

Surprisingly, given it’s decidedly amateur auto-only positioning, this MV1 was “rode hard and put away wet”. It’s one of the most used models in the… Read More »Pentax MV1

Pentax ME-F

One of the first integrated Auto Focus 35mm SLRs offered – possibly the first. There had been other attempts where the A/F system was fully enclosed within the lens, but in this heavily modified version of the ME-Super, electronics within the camera body used contrast detect sensors to determine correct focus.
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Canon AE-1

The AE-1 marked the introduction of micro-processor electronics to photography. For the first time microprocessors calculated exposure and timed the shutter, which in this case was still a fairly traditional horizontal cloth design.
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Canon A-1

The Canon A-1 was the first camera to offer micro-processor controlled, programmed auto-exposure, where both aperture and shutter were determined by the camera.
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Olympus Trip 35

A wonderfully simple and unsophisticated camera, we sold lots of Trips during the time I worked as a retail assistant in Dixons from 1981 to 1983. Despite having no battery, the trip manages to offer programmed automatic and aperture priority metering modes – made easier because it had to choose between only 1/40th or 1/200th shutter speeds!
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