How can I work around the lack of AE lock on a Canon AV-1?

Asked 5/20/2011

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I’m shooting with a Canon AV-1 and realized it doesn’t have an exposure lock. Some of my recent photos were misexposed, especially when the subject wasn’t centered. Is there a practical way to meter for the subject, then recompose quickly without AE lock?

canon ae-lock metering film-camera exposure

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

15y ago

2 Answers

I also had this issue and this is what I did. Take your desired exposure on your subject. Lets say you need a shutter speed of 1/50. Then, move you camera to where you want to place the shot, and adjust the ISO dial.

So, if you want you shutter slower, take your ISO down, else take it up. This works perfectly for me, not the quickest, but then again, this camera is old! still a nice camera.

Makes sense ?

Originally by user5250. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user5250

15y ago

AI Answer

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Yes. A simple workaround is to meter from the area/subject you want exposed correctly, note the shutter speed the camera selects, then recompose and adjust the ISO dial until the camera shows that same shutter speed again. That effectively shifts the meter reading to preserve the exposure you wanted after recomposing.

Example: if the subject meters at 1/50s, then after recomposing the camera indicates a different speed, change the ISO setting until it returns to 1/50s.

This isn’t as fast or convenient as a true AE lock, but it can work on older cameras like the AV-1 when you need to recompose. Just be aware that changing the ISO dial is only a shooting workaround for metering; remember to set it back correctly so your later exposures aren’t thrown off.

How can I work around the lack of AE lock on a Canon AV-1?

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