Jump to content

Av-1 problem


tibor_b

Recommended Posts

<p>Hi guys,<br>

Not sure how to describe the problem really. This is my first 35mm film camera since the 1980's and I was a kid back then so did not know much about cameras. Now I was gonna get back to film from dslr but having a really hard time.<br>

So I purchased an AV-1 on Ebay from Japan. It came with a 35-70mm zoom lens. I did not pay attention on the aperture blades as the light meter was working properly on aperture adjustment. After shooting a full roll of b&w I had came to the painful realization that I had shot a full roll of blank film.<br>

There's not many places that do 35mm b&w development anymore in Dublin and they're experts so I'm sure the failure came from my part. I examined the lens and noticed that the aperture blades weren't closing neither on the body nor detached.<br>

I ordered a second lens thinking that it was a lens failure. The lens came today from Germany and the exact same thing is happening. I cannot tell you how frustrated I am as I haven't a clue what causes the problem.<br>

The best way to describe is that if I attach the lens fully and hear the clicking sound that confirms that the lens in fact in the right place then nothing happens when the aperture ring is turned. If I detach the lens half way or so I can see the aperture blades moving but they don't open or close fully.<br>

Should I use the camera as paper weight?<br>

Thanks</p>

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>I'm only familiar with the A1 and AE1 models, the AV1 is a bit different so I can't reply from my own experience but I don't think testing with the lens half detached gives a good impression. I'd set the camera on B (Bulb) with different f-values to see whether the lens is stopped down, in other words whether the camera sets the lever so that the proper f-stop is set on the lens. Work from there and perhaps test with color film first, that's a lot cheaper.</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>The aperture won't stop-down/change until you press the shutter. A blank roll can be from many causes, but if the aperture never closes down you'd be essentially shooting wide open, which means you're letting in as much light as possible. Unless you were shooting in a dim interior or at night, there would have been something on the negatives. FD lenses are hard to make stop-down so the only way you can likely see it is by shooting with the lens attached and looking at it.</p>

<p>My guess is that you didn't engage/load the film correctly and when you thought you were winding, you weren't. It happens. Be sure that when you load the film, the rewind knob turns as you advance the film. The shutter could be at fault too, but with a good battery you can check that by cocking the film advance lever, opening the back, and pressing the shutter button.</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>Just a quick note...if you take a spare rear lens cap and cut out the center of it (making it look like a donut), you can attach that cap to rear of a lens and then easily visually check the diaphragm operation of the lens.</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>Is the developed film totally clear or solid black? If it's clear, then the film was not exposed, it probably did not go through the camera, wasn't loaded properly. If it is all black, then it was overexposed, which could be a lens problem, but I doubt it.</p>

<p> </p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>My first assumption on any camera that does it is that I misloaded the film. It's almost never wrong. It's easy enough to open the back, set the shutter to bulb and fire it off to verify the shutter does open. If the shutter doesn't move or moves but never opens (the curtains move together), then the shutter is broken, which is the second most likely possibility. If there's no edge markings the film was developed wrong, possibility 3. Everything else is pretty darn rare.</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>Tibor, it's either the film, that wasn't loaded properly (make sure the rewind knob turns when you advance the film!) or the shutter of the camera is broken. Either way, set the camera to B, open the back anbd then fire with all apertures that you can set on your lens. Watch, if the shutter opens or not. And let us know what happened.</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p>I have a Canon AV1 & here is how I would check it. With no film in the camera take the lens off & fire the shutter to see if the mirror works properly. If so open the back to see if the curtains open as they should when the shutter is fired. If that is ok put the lens on & look to see if the blades open at different f stops. If all checks out OK then you must of not loaded the film properly. I've done that & now I wind on to make sure the sprockets & spool grab the film before I close the film door. I really like my AV. so good luck with it</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

<p>I suspect I might be having a similar problem with an AV-1 that I recently acquired (although I'm still only a couple of frames in on the film, so we're yet to find out for sure!) The needle seems to indicate an unusually high exposure for the conditions. Regardless of whether I'm indoors or out, and seemingly regardless of the light conditions, it clicks up above the red overexposure mark on any f stop lower than f8, after which the needle drops down to a minimum of 500 at f22.<br>

I'm running ISO100 film, and the ASA dial is set accordingly. Stopping it up or down by changing the ASA dial only changes the needle marginally - down to 125 at ASA 25, f22. This seems consistent regardless of the light conditions.<br>

Could it be a problem with a sensor? Or is there a high and lower limit on the needle than needs to be adjusted to "true" it to the correct range? I've read elsehwhere that the battery could be cooking the needle higher than it should be, but I'm just using the recommended 6v battery...<br>

I may have to see how this first roll turns out, but in the meantime - any help would be greatly appreciated!</p>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

<p >Remember you’re dealing with 1980 electronics so it could be anything dealing with that. Probably should be looked at by somebody qualified but that will cost $$$$, and maybe not worth it considering who cheap you can get an A-series camera for. You’ll know more when you get your pictures back.</p>
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...