Sick A-1

A friend of mine is thinking of getting back into photography. Only

thing is he had dropped his A-1 (obvious damage to the hotshoe), put

the camera on the shelf and forgot about it. This was a number of

years ago. Inserting a new battery fails to bring any response (yes I

cleaned the terminals) and I noticed that it is stuck in rewind mode.

Given the age of this camera, is it worth the repair costs? If so,

can anyone recommend a repair person?

TIA

I've got 2 A1's which I got last year for about $100.00 each in some ways I like the A1 better than the F1N I used to have. Anyway, a CLA alone which your friends probably needs will usually cost more than the camera is worth. Then add a major repair on to that. So it would be less expensive to start with another A1.<p>

 

1.)A couple of options is to get another A1 and use the FD lenses that he has and keep the old one for spare parts.<p>

 

2.)Get something like a Nikon FE2 if he thinks he'll use it's 1/200th flash sync speed.<p>

 

3.)If he wants to keep using FD lenses AND still needs a high flash sync then about the only option is the Canon T90. The problem with the T90 is it has a built in winder which makes it quite heavy.

The T90 is only a few onces heavier then the F-1N and only 4 onces heavier then the FTb even with the motor and 4 AA batteries.

 

BUT any A series camera you would buy should be CLAed to be in top working condition unless it has had one in the last four or five years. A Cla can be had from a number of very experianced people around the country for under $75.00 (costs that much to have your oil changed at a dealership anymore)

 

 

I would suggest that if there is physical damage to the camera then your friend consider replacing it. BUT if the hot shoe still fits a flash and the viewfinder still looks good I would think about having it fixed. Another one off ebay will run around $100.00-125.00 for a nice one. less for a beater. So I don't know if there is much savings in starting over. you can also recover some of it's value by selling it as a parts camera on ebay.

 

IMHO

Just a friendly disagreement but I gotta ask; since when has the flash synch been put on the top of the must-have list of options? When do you use 1/200 and how often is that? 1/60 or 1/90 is fine and a you'll get lighter backgrounds 99% of the time indoors. Fill flash in full sun? who takes pictures in full sun? Is it worth fixing? depends on your budget. I'd have a hard time fixing a camera I wasn't sure whether I wanted or not. Probably should return it to the shelf.

I would consider sending it to Morgantown Camera,West Virginia for an evaluation and estimate.(visit their web site first) Set a limit for repairs to about 100.00. I believe that one in excellent condition can be had from KEH for about 225.00,with warranty for x months. I have an A-1 that I will do the same for,it needs the finder cleaned up and the mirror damper squeak silenced. Otherwise, I think your friend might be surprised to get his machine in great shape for maybe a hundred dollars. A hundred dollars now will get you two ink cartidge refills for a HP printer it seems!A-1,yes. It is one of the modern classic cameras,certainly worth a try at repair. If the mount is solid and it has no dents on the pentaprism housing nor obvious cracks in the body, go for it I recommend. Morgantown has a good reputation for fair pricing and service. Age isnt always a make or break item. And I could give examples galore.

I recently had a Canon F1-N overhauled with good results by "Camera Repair Japan" who are located in Duluth, GA. If you go to their website at www.camerarepairjapan.com you can fill in a form describing the problem and they will supply you with an estimate.

Kenmore Camera seems to have a couple of A1's right now http://www.kcamera.com/main/invusd/usedca.htm#cab

 

And KEH has at least 10 http://www.keh.com/

 

If sticking with FD I would get another A1 myself.

 

I had A1 bodies when I used FD lenses and liked them, but liked Canon EOS, Olympus OM, Olympus Pen, and Mamiya RZ better and storage space and time to actually use them all became a constraint!

What you don't say in the OP is whether your friend has a significant investment in FD lenses.

 

If all he's got is a 50/1.8 and a broken camera, then he's at a point where he can start building a new system from scratch. He might not want to be in Canon FD at all.

He's still looking for the lenses. He says that there should be a 135mm as well as a zoom of some sort. All Canon.

Just a followup. My guess is your pal doesn't have much money tied up in lenses, although that depends on exactly what the 135 and the zoom are. Assuming it's a garden-variety 135 and a third-party zoom, you might be talking about $100 worth of glass, and a dead camera worth $20-50 for parts.

 

I think the decision is whether to (a) dump the camera body for parts, and buy a working body to use with his existing lenses, or (b) unload the whole kit and start fresh with modern gear.

 

Don't get me wrong-- I like my Canon FD stuff, but if I was a young guy starting out building a new system, I'm not sure FD would be my first choice.

I also agree about Morgantown Camera. Those guys are great! I picked up a Canon A-1 off eBay and (Oh, I don't want to get back into it again) well... The A-1 was a total piece of #*&@!!! I got taken by the seller on eBay. ***Excellent+. Perfect working condition.*** ....NOT!!!! I ended up with a $130 "paperweight". I considered going after the seller and getting a refund, but given the legendary history of the A-1, I decided to get it fixed up.

 

I contacted Morgantown Camera ( http://www.mcvr.com ) and told them about it and what I needed. They took it all apart, gave it the full treatment, new foam seals, a "CLA", and all sorts of things. Put it all back together, and it is a fantastic camera now! If you need something *NOW*, then Morgantown has a $29 "rush" feature and will get the camera done in roughly 3 working days. Incredible!

 

Butch A.

((If you need something *NOW*, then Morgantown has a $29 "rush" feature and will get the camera done in roughly 3 working days. Incredible!))

 

Correction.... MCVR's "rush" service is only $16 bucks, not $29.

 

Butch A.