Canon AE-1

spencerchase · Jan 8, 2016

Hi. I've been doing digital photography for many years now. I've been getting into film photography lately and recently got my hands on a canon AE-1 with a Canon FD 50mm f1.8 lens.
I've been experimenting with metering and learned how to use this camera's meter, but realized that the meter does not change when I change the shutter speed. Could the camera be stuck metering for a specific shutter speed, no matter if I change it?
I know the shutter speed knob works... I can hear the shutter changing speed when I depress the shutter on different speeds. It is simply the meter's response to my turning the knob that seems to be problematic.
Thanks in advance for your replies!

gsgary · Jan 8, 2016

Get a handheld meter and forget about the camera meter

vintagesnaps · Jan 8, 2016

What's the needle doing? If you go out in bright light on a sunny day does it jump? does it spring into action or barely move... It should react and snap to in bright sun if you have the lens fairly open (midrange or larger aperture).

I might try some experimenting (not necessarily with film) and see as you change shutter speeds what the meter does. Then as you change apertures what does it do. It should react well to brighter light if you open up the lens, in lower light it may not have so much bounce. At some point you may need to shoot a test roll and write down what you did.

I can sometimes hear that the shutter's slower, in time you might be able to hear the difference if the shutter's on a fast speed or a slower one.

Does it have fresh batteries? I've found that the zinc oxide ones quit on me much faster than good ol' mercury batteries did.

If it's just the meter like Gary said use a handheld, or I've used another camera's meter to get a reading (if I'm using an older camera that doesn't have a meter or a nonworking one).

spencerchase · Jan 8, 2016

vintagesnaps said:
What's the needle doing? If you go out in bright light on a sunny day does it jump? does it spring into action or barely move... It should react and snap to in bright sun if you have the lens fairly open (midrange or larger aperture).

I might try some experimenting (not necessarily with film) and see as you change shutter speeds what the meter does. Then as you change apertures what does it do. It should react well to brighter light if you open up the lens, in lower light it may not have so much bounce. At some point you may need to shoot a test roll and write down what you did.

I can sometimes hear that the shutter's slower, in time you might be able to hear the difference if the shutter's on a fast speed or a slower one.

Does it have fresh batteries? I've found that the zinc oxide ones quit on me much faster than good ol' mercury batteries did.

If it's just the meter like Gary said use a handheld, or I've used another camera's meter to get a reading (if I'm using an older camera that doesn't have a meter or a nonworking one).

Well it's a shutter-priority camera... the needle isn't supposed to move as I change aperture (unless i have the DOF switch turned on). And in bright light the meter does function... it simply does not react to my changing the shutter speeds. So yes unless anyone else has any better ideas, I believe it's unfortunately a meter problem.