The Motor Drive MA was made for the A-1 and works on the AE-1P as well. It should not be used on other A series cameras. On both cameras you will need to remove the finger grip that covers the battery compartment. This drive features single and continuous shooting at both high and low speeds. You can also switch to high-speed continuous shooting by using your right pinky on the white button on the hand grip. Very handy for shooting sports. The five frames per second shooting was very fast for the period. The only drawback is the weight of the twelve AA batteries. At least with the New F-1 there as an optional four AA battery Power Winder that had the hand grip. Canon made a Ni-Cd pack for the MA drive but finding one today that holds a charge is nearly impossible. I surprisingly have one for the AE Power Winder FN that can still be charged. They are not interchangeable, however. This motor drive still commands a relatively high price for one in working condition.
If you find a both the MA and an A1 in great condition, you will discover that the MA has a nice fit with the A1, with a secure and comfortable grip. The drive speed is respectable, actually quite good back in 1980. Not as comfortable or easy to hold vertically as the newer drives are for the newer digital cameras. I really wish they had the nice rechargeable eneloops back when I had to use one of these for wedding and event work. I am not sure how practical these drives are now, being that film (at least for me) is more of a deliberate picture taking form, and there is digital for when I need to cover an event and shoot lots and lots of frames. But if you have a nice A1 that you would like to keep and enjoy using, then I think it is worth the experience to find a good condition MA for it.