Match the A1, with it's successor the T90.
Get him the upgrade to the Canon A1, the Canon T90. It was the best & last of the FD cameras. Yes it's battery dependent, but it takes only 4 AA batteries & with the advent of Lithium AA's battery life, should not be an issue.
1. A max, of 1/4,000 of a second.
2. 1 /250 second flash synch.
3. 1/2 stop settings available.
4. Easy to change the metering pattern.
5. Able to take 8 different spot readings & average them.
6. Canon's first camera with TTL & ETTL flash.
7. Meter readings in digital, just like the A1, which makes changing between the 2 more effortless.
8. Lighter than the A1.
For this & so many other reasons It's a great match for the A1.