Canon AE-1P Manual metering

Hey all,

I've only had my AE-1P a few days and I just noticed something odd with the metering. If you leave the shutter speed the same and change the aperture, the meter doesn't move. When you move the stop-down lever to the inserted position, however, the metering changes. Is that the correct exposure I should be using when using an aperture that's not wide open?

If the AE-1P is like the A-1, the camera displays the shutter speed and aperture you should be using but makes no effort to guide you to setting it. You have to set it yourself. Changing settings on the camera won't change the display; only changing light will.

Stopping down makes the camera think it is darker than it is, so it adjusts the recommended exposure.

The DOF lever has no use in metering, it's just for DOF. Using it while metering will simply be confusing.

When you take the lens off "A" it shows you the correct aperture to set the lens to, for that selected shutter speed. Move the camera around to different lighting, and you'll see the correct aperture reading change in the viewfinder.

So with this particular camera, it's not possible to shoot fully manual? You have to shoot in shutter-priority or full program mode? That doesn't seem right.

No, You can shoot manually, it's just not as direct as an FTb or F1 would be.
The metering in manual mode is just kind of a round about way of getting there.
If you use it for a while you'll adapt without even thinking about it. If you find it disturbing to the point of obsession you may want to change cameras.
The camera gives you the correct exposure, you have to take the camera from your eye to set the correct combination.

If you move the aperture ring on your FD lens from the "A" setting to a specific f/stop, your AE-1P will be in manual exposure mode. The meter should continue to display the aperture it would set in shutter priority AE mode, but your exposure will be at the actual f/stop set on the lens.

When using an FD lens, the AE-1P will not meter properly when you stop the lens down. In this case, the stop down lever should only be used to check depth of field.

However, with non-FD lenses (e.g., Canon Tilt-Shift, FL or R mount lenses, or preset lenses), the AE-1P will provide a form of match-needle metering when the stop down lever is engaged (i.e., you must meter with the lens stopped down). On preset lenses, remember to close the aperture to the desired f/stop. Using the AE-1P's meter in this mode, set a shutter speed and aperture combination and press the shutter button halfway. If the viewfinder indicates "5.6", you have the correct exposure. If it reads higher or lower than "5.6", change the shutter speed and/or aperture until the viewfinder reads "5.6." Don't take the "5.6" literally. In stopped-down metering mode, it only indicates correct exposure at whatever aperture you set. A readout other than "5.6" simply indicates over or under exposure.

Okay, still a little confused. I get the way to meter for non-FD lenses that Yeeski was talking about, and that's actually how I was trying to meter with my FD lens as well. So what I've gathered from what everyone is saying is that when using an FD lens, when you move the aperture off "A" mode, you can only shoot in shutter-priority mode. The camera shows the aperture it suggests for the selected shutter speed. Is there any way around this?

No, there's no way around this that I know. In manual exposure mode, the AE-1P meter will tell you the aperture and shutter speed it would use in AE mode. The user can use this information to set his/her own exposure manually. Because it is essentially a shutter priority AE camera, you must first set the shutter speed. Unlike an aperture preferred AE camera, the AE-1P does not select, nor does the viewfinder display, the shutter speed based on the aperture set on the lens. I presume that you were expecting it to show you the shutter speed based on the aperture you set.

Well I'm basically expecting it to be similar to a DSLR which shows how many stops over or under you are, so that I can adjust accordingly. I assumed f/5.6 on the light meter was neutral gray, such as a DSLR would have the scene evenly exposed when the meter is in the middle. Is there a Canon film camera that would be similar to what I just described?

The AE-1P was introduced in April 1981. Why do you expect a camera of this vintage to be similar to a DSLR? You need to have an understanding of the interaction between shutter speed and aperture to use this type of camera in manual exposure mode. The only Canon FD mount body that I'm aware of with what I think you're after is the T-90. Most of the more advanced Canon EOS film cameras should also provide this type of information.

I have a full understanding of the interaction between shutter speed and aperture. However, I can't just look at a scene and know the information off the top of my head. Obviously I don't expect a 1981 camera to be the same as a DSLR, but I would expect that a camera from that time could give me similar metering.

Just one of the idiosyncrasies of the Canon system trying to cram all the features into one package. The Nikon & Minoltas of similar vintage used an electronically controlled shutter that would compensate for the chosen aperture. The Canon was an electronically timed shutter but the circuitry used didn't allow for variable timing.
Cameras that used shutter priority used more complex mechanical solutions to control the aperture.