HELP! T-90 problem

I have just purchased a T-90 (used, of course) and I'm having a panic

attack! The camera was listed on eBay as being in "mint" condition

and perfect working order. Cosmetically, the camera appears to have

been barely used - extremely clean with no scuffs or scratches. All

buttons and controls seem to do their job and the results are

reflected in on the LCD display.

 

Here's the rub: as I was putting the camera through it's paces (no

film, FD 50mm in auto, program mode, single frame mode),

the "HELP" / "EEE" error message would appear in the viewfinder and

on the LCD every few cycles. Using the battery check button or

removing the battery pack clears the error and the camera will work

again for another few frames. The shutter and diaphragm are working

correctly.

 

I then loaded a 24 exposure roll of film and went out in the back

yard to take some test shots. Everything seemed to be going fine

until, at frame 12, the film auto-rewound. I removed the film and

cycled the camera a bunch more times (I didn't do a scientific

count). There seemed to be no more problem, so I loaded another roll.

This time, the camera went through all 24 exposures and rewound

properly at the end. I ran the rolls to the 1-hour mini lab and

everything on the exposed frames looks fine.

 

Now, back at home (and without film in the camera), the error

messages are appearing again. I'm going nuts!!!!!!!

 

I e-mailed the seller who seems to be an older gentleman selling the

camera for his son... he doesn't know much about the camera except

his son had put it away in "perfect" working order.

 

Is this something anyone out there has come across? I'm an A-1 person

and this is my first T- series body. If this is a simple matter of a

dirty contact or loose connection somewhere, I can probably get it

taken care of without too much trouble. I love the camera's form,

feel and features and would really like to be able to keep this one

rather than go through the hassle of searching and bidding again. I

don't know if T-90s this clean are hard to find or not. Can anyone

help me?

you might wannna send it out to get cla'd by some one... i think there is some dude in reno that comes highly recommended by others on this board... do a search on ebay for t90 repair... i think he advertises there. i think the help/eee can flash because of a bunch of easily fixable reasons that were caused by not using the camera for extended periods of time (maybe yours was sitting around unused for a while) from what i've gathered. and from like mirror foam needing replacement and other minor stuff. i bought a t90 from keh like a year ago in "bargain" condition for 300$ and it never gave me a problem and i use it regularly... it looks like it has seen a fair amount of use too judging by the body, which has some slight scuffs and stuff but nothing too bad. my point though is that this camera seems to last longer/work better if excercised regularly.

The T90 is a great camera, but it does need to be used regularly. If yours has been rested for some time the likelyhood is the shutter magnets are sticking slightly and as per previous advice a good CLA will do the trick.

 

The fact that you have had some success with it would suggest nothing too serious is wrong and you may find that just with some more frequent use it will sort itself out.

 

My advice, invest a couple more films in it and see what the results are and see if the hateful 'HELP/EEE' goes away.

 

If not, find a good specialist to do the CLA for you.

 

A mint condition T90 is a rare find, these things are up to 17 years old now so a good one deserves a caring owner who will use it regularly and enjoy it's unique character.

 

Joe

That's pretty normal for the T-90. As someone said above, the shutter magnet sticks somewhat without regular use.<BR><BR>

My solution with my own T-90s was to exercise the shutter on high every couple of months if I wasn't using it. Just set it to H and shoot a few continuous bursts of 12 to 15 frames (without film of course). All three of my T-90s did this at least once, so I wouldn't panic, just keep using it. If the error won't clear for you, take the lens off "A" and push in the stop down lever and then release the stop down, put the lens back on "A" and proceed to the above sequence of exercising the shutter.

I just want to give you words of encouragement. Don't give up on your T90 yet, and hopefully the advice given to you by others will resolve your problem. I bought my T90 in March of 1986 and I have taken at least 4000 frames perhaps even 6000. Never "professionally" ie. getting paid to do so. Nowadays, the longest the camera sits is 3 months. I have made lots of mistakes with this camera but it has never done anything wrong! Well, I don't recommend allowing road salt dissolved in moisture to get beneath the shutter button, but that was $65 and 13 years ago! Still keeps on clicking!

 

Good-luck!

This site will tell you about anything you want to know about T90:

 

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/messageboard/canont90msg/index.php3

 

The Canon repairman to contact is: Steven40@aol.com and is located in Reno, Nevada.