It uses an electronically controlled, electromagnet horizontal cloth focal plane shutter, with a speed range of 2 to 1/1000 second plus Bulb and flash X-sync of 1/60 second.

[4] Original FD lenses, introduced in 1971, do not rotate in the mounting process; instead, a locking ring at the base is turned to attach the lens.

The exposure control system consists of a needle pointing along a vertical f-stop scale on the right side of the viewfinder to indicate the readings of the built-in light meter (center-weighted with a silicon photocell).

Nikon, with its solid reputation for quality of material and workmanship, held a stranglehold on the prestigious professional SLR market that competitors could not break.

By sharing most major components, including an inexpensive horizontal cloth-curtain shutter, viewfinder information display, and autoflash control, Canon further reduced costs and could undercut the price of the more expensive SLRs then on the market.

In keeping with its cost-cutting philosophy, Canon designed the AE-1 to use a significant amount of structural plastic for a lighter and cheaper camera at the expense of being less impact resistant.

Canon went to great effort to disguise the use of plastic - the injection-molded acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) for the top panel finished with either satin chrome or black enameled to give the look and feel of metal.

After decades of chasing Nikon for Japanese optical supremacy, Canon finally hit upon a formula for success: high technology for ease of use, cheaper internal parts and electronics for lower price, and heavy advertising to get the message out.

The shutter-priority system of the AE-1 was more suited to sports action than to preserving depth-of-field, yet the 1/1000 s top speed of its horizontally traveling shutter limited its use for such activities.

The battery door design was subject to frequent breakage, and over time owners have reported instances of shutter and mechanical gremlins, including mirror linkage wear (the "Canon squeal").

Canon's eventual abandonment of the FD lens mount for the EOS autofocus design also had an effect on prices for the AE-1 on the used market.