Canon AE-1 Instructions Manual page 74

A Gentle Touch Activates the Shutter
B u t t o n
This unique shutter button activates a
complex of electronically controlled
fuctions.
As opposed to the conventional mechanical
systems,
it
serves a s a switch to turn the ele-
ctric circuity on or off, and operates magneti-
cally, in order to make the shutter release
extremly fast and smooth.
Immediate Response Metering f o r
Any
Situation
From light metering to exposure setting,
all functions are electronically controlled.
With this astounding, revolutionary system, at
the very instant the shutter button is pressed,
the electronic brain (CPU) immediately com-
putes the photographic information and
produces the operating command. In EV 1
lighting conditions, light metering takes but
only 0.04 sec.
There is no need to worry about in-
accuracies in metering and exposure timing.
avails
itself to you, a gentle pressure on the
shutter button will do the trick.
Silicon Photocell and Logarithmic
Amplifier In
a Single
IC
The silicon photocell is well known for i t s
outstanding photosensitive characteristics.
The
AE-1
has a logarithmic amplifier and
a special, immediate response circuit, inte-
grated into a single IC in order to obtain the
speediest responsiveness while at the same
time ensuring remarkable overall durability.
Power-Saving Circuit
The main parts were designed so a s to
require the minimum of energy while a
sequential command controls energy cut-off
and supply. Thus, there is no unnecessary
battery consumption.
A
battery lasts the equivalent of
20,000
shutter releases in continuous photography, or
one year under normal use.
No matter how suddenly the chance to shoot