Canon Ae-1 Won't Fire?!

Hi all, i have a canon ae-1 that is new to me. I just got it from my

brothers fiance and it sounds like it worked great for her, i'm just

unsure as to how to fire it. Sometimes it'll fire peachy, and others

there won't be a thing. The camera's battery tests okay, and it

fires occasionally just not consistantly. Any ideas on a fix to my

problem?

 

Mike

The AE1 is a pure electronically controlled camera. First, replace the battery by a known good one. Even batteries where the test shows OK may fail after some shots - the battery test shows the voltage only but not the capacity.

 

Second, it might be the contact below the shutter button. Getting to it involves removal of the top cover. If the camera still fails occasionally with a new battery you should take it to a repair shop.

battery needs to be replaced

1. Battery

2. Battery contacts

3. Power wire to battery compartment

4. Shutter release button contacts

5. Shutter release solenoid under the bottom plate needs cleaning or replacement.

Just had a similar problem with my A-1 looked into. Tech replaced a capacitor in the release circuit in addition to the above steps. Been fine since.

 

Bill

 

http://www.vermontel.net/~wsalati/CasualCollector/index.htm

With a new battery it works fine, although the fella at the store(citizens, portland oregon) said that the shutter is whining, and evidently that means the shutter is going to fail sooner rather than later. He said it isn't replaceable, or fixable because it is a Permanently Lubed Shutter. I don't know if i trust this, they said that my Kowa 85mm wasn't CLA'able, sent it to yerkes and came back good as new.

any advice?

This is the so-called 'Canon squeal', usually found in the brass flywheel brake located in the mirror box geartrain. The lube on the pivot shaft dries out and the bearing begins to wear. A tiny drop of lubricant on the bearing shaft will stop the squeal, no more (be advised that many an AE-1 owner has ruined their camera by spraying lube all over the internals). Sometimes the flywheel has worn oversize as well.

 

Then, there is the condition of the rest of the camera. There are many other mechanisms, including the shutter, that may well have dried out lubricants. The shutter speeds may be off and should be checked for accuracy and the shutter mechanism and magnets for grungy dirt and dried lube. The film advance mechanism may also have dried out lubricants. The viewfinder may need a good cleaning and the foam seals replaced.

 

In short, a good CLA to take care of all these issues might be advisable if you plan to keep the camera long-term.

Or... it can be cursed like mine. I tried EVERYTHING I could do myself - every contact, every wire. And I still get 10 blank frames from a roll of 36. As much as I like the camera when it is working, I can't justify paying to have it looked at - you can get one for $30 on eBay - about a 1/5 of a decent CLA. I hope its just a contat in the shutter release in your case. After that, it gets a bit complex...

Even an ebay A-series Canon will eventually have issues if it hasn't been CLA'd. In fact a lot of camera techs recommend a tuneup/cleaning every 2-3 years for the A-series bodies.

An intermittent fault like that sounds like it could be a capacitor, or the electromagnet under the floor. Cleaning the magnet is easier than replacing the capacitor, so that's the first place i'd look.