Viewfinder Problem : Canon EOS 1

I have a the original eos 1 here in my hand (i.e. not the 1v or the 1n). Ordered it from ebay at very good condition (which it is) for ~120 dollars Canadian.

Everything works perfectly except that the aperture values in the viewfinder are scrambled. Shutter speeds are fine. Its impossible to tell what value you are cycling through. Everything is fine on the top deck display. But it is still very annoying and I am not sure I can live with it.

The seller did offer a full refund upon return or 80 dollar refund and I keep the camera. I chose to take the refund and keep the camera. I may sell it, unless there is some way to fix this issue? I do like it.

I imagine this is likely an electronic gremlin which cannot be fixed...but perhaps its the focusing screen?

Thanks

I have bought a fair number of EOS 'pre-owned' cameras from the first to the late film cameras. With the exception of an early Elan model (one of my few excursions into the 'Pro-Am' sector), all of them still worked out of the package.

I'd guess your Can$40 was a fair price if it works otherwise. I don't have urls to them, but I think a Google™ might find some repair notes somewhere, but it sounds electronic.

My own experiences with the EOS 1 are detailed at LINK

Any partial or full scrambling, illegibility of either the external or internal LCD displays can often be traced to a fault in the display driver circuit. This is common across the EOS range, and particularly bad with the EOS 5 models. An EOS 5 that I serviced in 1994 had extensive corrosion in the vicinity and on the display driver circuit. It was repaired, but a sequalae of unrelated and compound problems consigned the camera to trash. The camera at the time was only 3 months old.

Returning the camera to the seller for a refund is fine, but otherwise if you are keeping it, I recommend that you have the camera professionally examined at a service facility (not necessarily Canon's). It may not be possible to repair an advanced fault as parts for early and discontinued EOS bodies are difficult to source, save from like-bodies. Corrosion of the EOS 1 was is also known to be more problematic than the following 1N with better its weather-resistant sealing around the body (by way of mention, the next-gen 1V took this several levels higher in thoroughness).

The EOS 1 was very basic compared to the improvements that came out with the later EOS 1N in 1994, and which even today makes the camera a reasonable investment, but being so electronic-centric, one must always keep in mind the possibility of fault or failure somewhere along the line of ownership. Heavily used and abused specimens should, as a rule, be avoided.