Canon A-1... am I cursed?

'Daniel' · Feb 23, 2006

I got a Canon AE-1 for christmas. It was purchased from Jessops and seemed in good condition. After minimal use (10 exposures) It stopped wotrking. The shutter would not fire and I could not advance film. I took it back to jessops and ended up getting a Canon A-1 as replacement.

Now after having taken 4 exposures with the camera the exact same thing has happened. I am aware it could just be chance that it has happened but I was wondering if it could be something else.

Is it possible I'm doing something that is causing it to happen? I do not mistreat the cameras in any way.

Rob · Feb 23, 2006

Just sounds like really bad luck to me! You're not using hand-loaded bulk film are you?

Rob

'Daniel' · Feb 23, 2006

Nope, first instance, roll of XP2. Second instance, roll of Plus-X.

Rob · Feb 23, 2006

You're not rolling the film round the spool the wrong way or something are you? If you open the back with the film in, can you see what's wrong.

Rob

'Daniel' · Feb 23, 2006

Hmm, I've not tried tha, I might do it but it will mean a roll pretty much unused wasted. Oh well.

Mitica100 · Feb 23, 2006

There could be a few things that can cause the jam:

1- battery depleted (replace battery);

2- battery terminals corroded (expensive to replace terminals if corrosion got through the body to the internal wires);

3- dirty shutter release magnet under bottom cover (easily repaired);

4- dirty shutter signal switch under the shutter reelease button (could try a few drops of Naphta down the shutter chute);

5- damaged mirror damper foam (easily replaced);

6- damaged door seals (easily replaced).

As you can see, save for option #2, the rest are quite easy to deal with. I can tell you how to do it if interested but I'd take the A-1 back to Jessop's to have it looked at or replaced. Let me know if you want advice on the above.

Good luck.

'Daniel' · Feb 23, 2006

Well I've tried two batteries. The numbers and letters also don't come up in the viewfinder unless I press apparently randmly the tester button and shutter release at the same time. Then if I try to expose (which it doesn't anyway) the readings go away until I do the random button press again.

I should also say this has also happened with another camera apart from AE-1 and A-1. That was a Ricoh KR-10. Maybe I am doing something when I wind on thats causing it to jam but I don't see what.

Thanks Mitica I think I'll take it back to jessops see if they can do something about it. If not then I will probably get my money back, assuming I can.

I'll thwn have to find another camera that I maybe wont break!

ksmattfish · Feb 23, 2006

The Canon AE-1 was probably the most popular manual focus 35mm SLR ever sold. Most of the used ones on the market today have been used hard by more than one owner. They are notorious for the shutter squeak, which eventually leads to shutter failure. Mine died last summer. I know folks who are buying up every AE-1 they can find just for spare parts to keep theirs going, as spare parts are becoming increasingly hard to get.

'Daniel' · Feb 23, 2006

I see. So the solution is to either get a near mint/mint one or get something else?

df3photo · Feb 23, 2006

I have had similar problems with Pentax K1000's in the past, all they needed done was opent the bottom and spin the gears around abit till they catch again, from use and probably alittle misuse the gears where missing eachother abit. but I would recomend taking it back before opening it up.

DocFrankenstein · Feb 23, 2006

Hope it works out. I have A-1 myself... are they really that rare?

'Daniel' · Feb 24, 2006

I doubt it they were very popular when they were released. my mum had heard of it and she knows pretty much nothing about cameras.

Cdeep04 · Feb 24, 2006

I have a Cannon AE-1 and never had a problem. You might look and see if people before you didnt use the film right and there are film fragments that are jaming the components.

'Daniel' · Feb 24, 2006

I took the bbotom plate of and looked at it. The mechanism works when set to multiple exposre (doesn't wind on the film) and the gears etc look to be working when I do this. I tired then to get the top plate off but couldnt figure it how to do it without taking out every screw i could see (I took out about 10) so I stopped and put it back together.