I got a tip that a Knoxville thrift store had a pristine, boxed Canon A-1. I had to go look. The A-1 was my first real camera, my high school graduation gift in 1983. This one felt personal.
The haul was bigger than just the A-1. There was a Canon Top Twin point and shoot with what looked like unshot Fujifilm rolls still inside it. A Tokina 28 to 200 in very clean condition. A Minolta Freedom K. The usual thrift store banter with the clerk, which is half the fun.
The A-1 itself came in under a hundred bucks. Body, original box, paperwork and brochures, motor drive, a Sunpak flash I will never use, a Canon 28mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.8 in their boxes, plus a 20mm f/2.8. Eighty-something dollars for all of it.
Here is why the A-1 matters to me. I shot sports and lifestyle for the Northern Virginia Sun from 1981 to 1983. One of my photos ended up in the Washington Post. That camera was there for the start of all of it.
Testing it was an adventure. Clean bottom plate. No battery in the new one, so I borrowed the battery from my original A-1. Shutter fired. Then the meter looked dead and I had a moment of panic before realizing it was just in the wrong mode. I am such a dumbass. Working meter, red readout, in a 45 year old camera.
The lenses are pristine. The 50mm f/1.8 and 28mm f/2.8 both test great. Compared to my original A-1, which has a tripod worn bottom plate and a lost battery cap, this thrifted one looks like it was never used.
I think I got me a winner. And no, I am not taking offers.
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