giorgio_bianchi Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 I bought a canon A1 8 monyhs ago in nearly mint condition. Since then is working properly with nothing going wrong. I was told recently to be careful with this camera, beacause the ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT of it is rather delicate, and if it goes wrong, there is no way back, and you can throw away the camera. You know, the A1 is an electronic camera that does not work anyway without batteries. Does anybody of you have any such a problem with the A1, or knows if this is true? Also, I live in a damp place, but I try to keep the camera away from humidity, I know this may harm the electronics in long term... Thanks, GB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles barcellona www.bl Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 Never had a problem with that. I've seen A1's that were beat and worn to the point that that black was worn to foil, then to white milky plastic under that! They still worked good. Humidity is not good, but it would have to be VERY humid to cause problems. If your camera has free airflow even in a humid climate it ought to be ok. What you dont want is condensation, so be mindful of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_swartz Posted February 27, 2003 Share Posted February 27, 2003 I have owned two A-1's since 1985/1986, and have never had a problem with the electronics. They have lived in intense, humid summer heat and winter cold. With one exception, I don't think there is anything you could do to the camera under normal conditions that would damage the electronics. The exception is the use of a flash that presents a high voltage to the sync terminal on the camera. Conventional wisdom is that such voltage can damage the camera. The Canon flash units only apply about six volts to the camera. Older A-series cameras sometimes keep working properly, yet develop a serious battery drain. This seems to happen through aging and natural deterioriation of the electronics, not through accident or abuse. I would be more concerned with mechanical damage and corrosion from high humidity. Does anyone have experience to the contrary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee_brand Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 Never owned an A1 but I have done a lot of research into the A series in general. Two major issues seem to be fairly common - the battery doors on the AL-1 and AE-1 are a problem: the catch breaks. This may affect other A series models. Also the AE1-P has a shutter squeal that surfaces sometimes and then invariably develops into a real problem - lack of lube? Other that the tar/foam issue that happens to all models I have never come accross any "widespread" comments on the electronics of the A1. Other Canons have common(ish) problems - The T90's switch sometimes gets dirty but use seems to fix it. Also it develops an electronics problem that presents you with EEEE in the viewfinder that has to be repaired. Remember that any electronic failure in any of the FD line cameras is going to cause us to stress now! Some can be repaired and others not. Some guys have spares - others not. I would certainly concur with the opinions on too much humidity - especialy coastal humidity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_goldfarb Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 My first A-1 (circa 1979) failed after a few days--manufacturing defect. I exchanged that one for a new one, and that functioned fine for a few years until it was stolen (circa 1983), and perhaps it is enjoying a happy life somewhere in eBay land (Don't worry--insurance covered the loss, which went into the F-1N that I still use). It's like any electronic equipment--if it survives the first 24 hours of continuous use, it's probably okay. Eventually, circuit boards crack or capacitors dry out, but you can't do much about that. Go out and take pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_maragelis Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 MY AE-1 failed on electronics after 15 years, dont know why, kept it as a antique and got me a Eos elanII and a FD to EF converter and now I am using a eos with all my fd lenses only problem is Focus, its alittle hard but getting used to it and also getting great pictures from these lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles barcellona www.bl Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 I used to literally put a piece of black tape under the top cover of the A1's I had. The contact between the shoe and circuit is with springy tabs... just keeping an insulator there allowed the use of a 283 or similar via the PC contact. The synch is not the problem with the A series.. that will take the voltage, its accidentally getting the voltage on one of the side contacts that makes the camera go belly up. Doing the tape trick let me put the flash in the shoe, but synch it via that sidebody contact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hans_van_hal Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 I have 4 A1's. Two of them have blown the circuits with a flah gun.It was beyond repair.I will never use a flash anymore with my two surviving A1's.But, It's a great camera. I bought my first one on 1978. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now