teacher in need of help!!!

[kyle_hach]

Hi....I am starting up a photography class at my high school and have recently

been ordering cameras off of ebay. I have decent knowledge of cameras and how

they function but I seem to have a continuing problem. I fiddle with the

cameras and get to know them and every once in a while the film advance lever

will get stuck. I try to snap the picture and nothing happens. Is there a

certain reason why the film will not advance and why I cannot take the

picture!!!!

 

Thanks

Kyle

[kyle_hach]

By the way...They are all 35mm SLR's if you were wondering. The one I am having the most problem with is a Canon AE1 Program.

[robert_young9]

I'm sure a Cannon person will jump in here....

 

Does the AE1 require a battery to trip the shutter? Can you switch the AE1 to a full manual mode (maybe B, T or the flash sync speed) so that the shutter no longer requires a battery to fire? If this was a Pentax ME/Super ME or similar, the battery would be the first thing I check.

[trw]

It sounds like you've reached the end of the roll, or the film rewind crank is un-folded and obstructed, or the battery is dead.

 

The AE-1P does require a battery to fire. Check the battery by pressing the black recessed button next to the film rewind knob. It should beep at least once per second (rapidly is better). If it doesn't, check the contacts and replace the battery.

[leslie_cheung]

If the school is paying for the camera/equipment, it would be much better to get cameras

from a reputable dealers like KEH.com. This way, you get atleast full money back if DOA and

you also get 60 days warranty not to mention avoiding all bidding and hassle time.

 

Another advantage is you can get the same cameras so they all function in a similar fashion

for the students.

[kyle_hach]

Tren..what do you mean by the rewind crank is unfolded?

I think I have my question answered. I checked the battery and it does not have enough juice to run the camera. I did some checking on the net and it said that the camera WILL NOT run without battery power.(never knew that about 35mm slr's)

Thanks for the help.

Kyle

[ted_adamczyk2]

I will definitely agree with Leslie's comments above, no matter who is paying for the equipment. Firms like KEH back up their products and will assist you if you have a problem with anything that you purchased. In any auction program, its a "crap shoot." You "may" get great deals or many problems.

[trw]

<blockquote>Tren <i>(sic)</i>..what do you mean by the rewind crank is unfolded?</blockquote>

<p>If you have left the rewind crank unfolded (from loading the film) and your finger is in the way, the film can't be pulled out of the cassette, so the film won't advance.</p>

<p>It's pretty obvious if the crank is unfolded.</p>

[trw]

<blockquote>I did some checking on the net and it said that the camera WILL NOT run without battery power.(never knew that about 35mm slr's) Thanks for the help. Kyle</blockquote>

<p>It depends on the SLR. Older ones sucha as the Canon EF only need the battery to meter and/or for some of the speeds. Medium age ones like the AE-1P and newer ones like the Elan need the battery all the time.</p>

[jon_goodman1]

Hello, Kyle.

One thing you might keep an open eye for is light leaks. If you happen to notice damage to the developed pictures from light leaks, this is something you can fix yourself. If you need a light seal kit, I can send you one for a very reasonable price ($6 or $9.99, depending upon how many cameras you need to re-seal). To see those kits, you can search on E-Bay using the "Items by Seller" option and entering my ID...Interslice. As for re-sealing instructions, you can go to this site to see most of the ones I've written: http://www.kyphoto.com/classics/sealreplacement.html

 

Good luck with your classes. I hope they go very well for you.

 

Best regards,

 

Jon

[sfcole]

I don't know about anybody else, but it seems like some info is missing here. This is

happening with several cameras? There's an implication that sometimes they work, because

you say that "every once in a while the advance lever will get stuck." That means that

eventually they get unstuck, right? So it can't be a battery problem, and I doubt you'd have

the same problem with several different cameras. Are you pulling the advance lever all the

way? I know on my F-1 if I pull the lever almost all the way, it won't cock the shutter.

[byronlawrence]

yea the film or the battery is the best bet.. i think you got that already though.

[alexis_currier]

I also have 3 old Canon AE-1's that have the same issue. The film advance does not work. One works intermittently, the other two dont work at all any more. these are old like 1970's. The little black button on the bottom is pushed in also,if that makes any sense to anyone.

thanks.

Alexis