Canon A-1: LED won't flash, AT dial stiff - fixable?

<p>Hi, I just bought an A-1 off eBay, for which the listing stated it was in full working order. I've encountered two, small issues, and would appreciate thoughts"</p>

<p>1. The knob ("AT dial") for switching between aperture priority (Av) and shutter priority (Tv) is really difficult to turn. Is this a common issue? Can it be fixed by oiling, and if so, how easy would this be to do at home? There's a little bit of blue just below the dial, I'm wondering whether the metal has oxidised a little (or whatever the term is).</p>

<p>2. The LED that flashes for battery check and countdown for the self-timer doesn't work. The camera itself is working fine (shutter fires, meter reading in viewfinder works, self-timer works etc.) so this is more of an inconvenience than anything else, but I'm wondering whether this is fixable i.e. if I got it CLA'd is this something they can fix? I realise the electronics are usually the hardest parts to save in these cameras.</p>

<p>I'd get my money back...it definitely isn't as described.</p>

<p>It might be worth it to get a CLA, just because it's an older camera with an unknown history that would likely benefit from a checkup. Light seals and mirror cushions deteriorate, and other issues besides the ones you've noted might be discovered. A CLA might cost as much or more than what you paid for the camera, but once it's in good working order you should get many more years out of it. For me, if I bought an A-1 on ebay, I'd automatically add the cost of a CLA to the purchase price. As for the fixability of the dial and the LED, find a good repair technician and give him or her a call to discuss it.<br>

<br />There is a small locking button on the dial that you need to press in order to rotate the dial. Likely you are doing that, but I just want to be sure.<br>

<br />If the camera checks out in every other respect, i.e., it looks clean, no unusual noises, test films turn out fine, then you might want to ask if fixing the dial and LED are worth the cost of repair (or the trouble of returning the camera and buying another one). With my A-1, I find myself shooting in shutter priority mode almost all the time, which is what I always did with my AE-1, so I could get by with Tv only. If a sticky dial and a bad LED were the only problems with my A-1, I'd probably delay the CLA until a more important problem cropped up.<br>

<br />Whatever you choose to do, don't start applying oil to the sticky bits.</p>

<p>1. You could try cleaning the AE mode selector (“AT dial”) as follows: Set main switch to L position. Remove the shutter release button. To remove, unscrew the ring around the button (turn counter-clockwise) using a piece of leather. Carefully use a pliers (leather between pliers and button) if you cannot unscrew it with your fingers. Ring and button come off together. You can now take off the AE mode selector. There is a copper washer between the button and the selector and a black washer under the selector. Remove the button seat (the little thing inside the threaded hole with a pin reaching into the camera) by simply pulling it up.<br /> <br /> Now gently use a brush or toothbrush to clean. Hold the camera upside down to avoid dirt falling into the camera. Reinstall the black washer and the AE mode selector and try if it operates smoothly now. If it does put the copper washer and the button seat back in place and tighten the release button. Turn on camera and check if it fires. Done.<br /> <br /> If that doesn't help you could try operating the actual AE mode switch inside with a small screwdriver (with the selector removed). If the switch itself seems to have an issue further disassembly of the camera would be required in order to see if and how it can be fixed.<br /> <br /> Picture of the shutter release button and AE mode selector removed with button seat still in place (click to enlarge):<br /> <a href="http://oi65.tinypic.com/2uqf81u.jpg"><img src="http://i65.tinypic.com/2uqf81u_th.jpg" alt="Canon A-1 Shutter Release Button Removed" border="0" /></a></p>

<p>The “little bit of blue” could be corrosion of the thin copper layer which is under the black paint. If there are clear signs of corrosion chances are that there is more corrosion inside the camera which may have done all kind of evil to the mechanics and circuitry.</p>

<p>Dirk's directions are handy for future reference, but I'm with Stephen here. The camera wasn't as described, so I'd get my money back. A-1s are extremely common on eBay, so chances are good you can find another one that's in full working order.</p>

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<p>I see a lot of recommendation for CLA. How much does it cost? Does it make the camera fully functional? I have many very old cameras. Some doesn't work well like the one the OP has. Some work perfectly fine without any CLA. I generally tried to fix the bad ones myself. If I can't then I sell it. I generally get as much money as I paid for it. </p>

<p>The camera is "fixable" but at a cost that would be uneconomical, it would probably be more than you paid for the camera.</p>

<p>I recently had a CLA done on my Pentax LX by a local pro camera repair place. It's been around forever and these guys know the old stuff. I paid $80 to have my LX CLA'd, so that's probably a ballpark number for you to consider. It's also about what you can get two A-1s for on eBay if you're patient and shop for deals.</p>