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Canon AE-1 program stopped working (locked up)?


charles_madigan

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I borrowed a AE-1 program camera. It was working (I could advance the

film and fire the shutter). All of a sudden, it will not fire the

shutter. I put a new batt in it and the red lights work in the view

finder. The meter works since they read out changes as I move towards

different light sources. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY. I need help!

Thanks in advance, Chuck

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I don't have a definitive answer but the Canon A bodies all require cleaning, lube and adjustment every couple of years. Was it squeeking before the hang up?? If there was a noticable chirp, that's solved by a lube done at the camera repair shop.

 

If you can not advance the film lever in the normal fashion you may have a problem which is more costly to repair. Suggest a trip to a camera shop that does repair for pro photographers to get you an estimate/idea of the problem.

 

If it's more than $200 to fix, consider a replacement body and use the one you have for parts or trade.

 

PS. If you don't do camera repair -- leave it to the pros -- you can damage the shutter by forcing things. A stuck shutter may be something simple or complex but leave it to those who do it professionally.

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I've seen this before, and heard it has something to do with the circutry, a magnet sticking, or something like that. This might work: take the battery out, and turn it upside down and try to fire the shutter. Then take the battery out and install it correctly and try to fire the shutter. You may have to do it a couple of times, but sometimes this will loosen it up and get it working again. I've seen a few A series cameras in this situation, and this technique works often.
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I left this in the FD forum and it may seem a silly question but... Are you sure you have advanced the film all the way to the next frame? If not, the shutter will not cock or fire. The AE1 (and all A and F series) have multi-stroke advance levers, you can advance the film in multiple short strokes or one long stroke. I hope it's that simple...
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Its the magnet sticking, and VERY easy to fix

 

If you knew what part the magnet was, you could unstick it yourself.

 

I worked for a dealer in the 70/80's and we used to unstick these all the time while the customer waited. Takes like 5 minutes, and once unstuck will likely remain so as long as the camera gets reasonably frequent use.

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