The A-1 is a historically significant camera. It was the first SLR to offer an electronically controlled programmed autoexposure mode. While the Minolta XD came out in 1977 with electronic control exposure modes, specifically Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Full Manual modes, as well as an "off the modev dial" full program exposure mode. The Canon offered and heavily marketed an on dial "Program" mode. Instead of the photographer picking a shutter speed to freeze or blur motion and choosing a lens aperture f-stop to control depth of field (focus), the photographer relied on the A-1's microprocessor to automatically select a compromise exposure based on light meter input. Virtually all cameras today have at least one program mode.