squeaky question

[montresor]

Okay, I have a few old Canons and none of them squeak. What exactly is this "Canon squeak" everyone warns against?

 

[Steph]

I don't think it has anyhting to do with lenses. It is a problem with some canon bodies such as the A-1 and I think the squeak comes from the mirror mechanism.

 

[Steph]

Sorry, I misread your post. I don't know why I assumed you were talking about lenses. The 'squeak' affects mainly older canons such as the A-1 and AE-1. In those cameras the lubricant in the mirror mechanism bearings dries out over time and this results in the squeaky noise.

 

[ksmattfish]

You'll know it when you hear it. It's a sickly sound for a camera.

 

[kevin_c]

My old A-1 developed it after about 5 years of 'average' use, I took it to a repair shop and they fixed it in a day and it didn't cost that much either, although this was about 20 years ago! - It's extremely common in the old 'A' series bodies.

 

[JamesD]

I'm guessing my AE-1P has it. It certainly has something. It's in the mirror mechanism; local shop said it's the bearing(s), and they quoted $120 to repair it. That's more than I paid for the camera and both the lenses I have for it combined, so I'm going to ignore it 'til it seizes, then decide what to do with it.

For the record, it sounds kind of like "ker-WREKHewww", or sometimes "wrekkheych!", except higher-pitched.

 

[Mitica100]

A Canon squeak fix:

http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-157.html

(not for the weak of heart)