Crazy, you uploaded this video 2 days ago! I've been struggling to fix my Canon A1, I can manually release the magnet as you did at the beginning, but still my shutter button is not responding. I'm already in a new battery. My next step is to open up the shutter button as you did but I haven't been able to unscrew it yet.
Hi Eric, thanks for you comment! What a coincidence! In my case the electromagnets were in perfect condition. My shutter button was originally totally stuck, so I would try to press it down and it would never move. I wouldn´t even get the red numbers in the viewfinder to show up, the shutter button was like a rock. Once I unscrewed its ring cap, I found all those corrosion salts underneath, and that was the reason why the shutter button and mode selector wouldn´t move. Once I cleaned them and lubed the shutter pin, and cleaned the second electromagnet, everything went back to normal. It may also be possible that you need to clean the first curtain electromagnet. Hopefully your issue is similar to mine and your electromagnets and circuitry are in good condition. Best of luck!
@@RVURU I'm glad you got yours working! I managed to remove my shutter but it looked perfectly clean, and in my case it would already turn on the red numbers. But for some reason (most likely a faulty release magnet) it won't fire. It's a shame since the rest of the camera and lens are in great condition.
@@ericrubinoff2967 Did you clean the 1st curtain electromagnet with isopropyl alcohol? (I had to clean my 2nd release magnet, which I show in the video, to get it to work). If you have done it and you´re sure it´s perfectly clean, then maybe you may need to test the 1st curtain electromagnet...I haven´t done it myself, but I think I´ve seen some video showing how.
@@RVURU actually I don't think I've tried that! The only electromagnet I tried cleaning, is the big coil one you find at the bottom after removing the lid. Could you guide me on where to clean the 2nd release magnet? I'm not sure I've understood which one that is.
Hi, thanks for the video! I have a similar shutter curtain issue with my AE-1 but cleaning the MG3 contacts didn't fix it for me. So far I've checked my battery it came out at 5.97v (alkaline) and the only thing I've noticed compared to your unit is the wire connections (red and black) at the circuit at the left hand corner. Mine is flipped compared to yours, but i'm not sure if it would make a difference. I can share photos if you'd like to help.
Hi and thanks for your comment! I´m glad you may have found some us in it. The wiring on the AE-1 may be different from the A1. If your camera was working well before, certainly the order of the wires should not be the issue. Sometimes cleaning the electromagnet is not so easy, you may have to use a small piece of cloth in isopropyl alcohol to clean both surfaces. This is like the most trivial fix really. There´s at least one video I remember I once saw about how to test the electromagnet in order to know if it´s not fried. All the best!
@@RVURU You're right the wiring is slightly different. I just bought this off of someone online and I haven't used it yet myself. I tried cleaning it but I still can't get it to work so I'm just gonna return it and buy a different camera. I'm eyeing the Nikon FE this time :D
Hi,thank you for the video. I like the sound effect also haha. But I was wondering if you can help me with my canon A-1. It seems like when the camera is on program mode and the lens is set to A, the camera always shoots at 1000 shutter speed, also when I try to use aperture priority and the lens is set to A then that camera also chooses the shutter speed of 1000 no matter what aperture I change it it. In the viewfinder it does have an accurate reading of the settings I change it to whether it’s Aperture or shutter speed. But when I try fully manual mode and I choose the shutter speed then the aperture blinks a 32 or 27 and the shutter reads and shoots whatever speed I chose. Sorry for the long message but I was wondering if you can help me with this? Is there anyways to fix it or is it better to just find another A-1? Thank you in advance. Ps if I change the ISO from like 100 or to 400 it does show strange reading in the viewfinder like indoors on 200 iso it will tell me that the camera will shoot at 1000 shutter and f16, or at iso 400 it’s telling me that the camera will shoot at 1000 and use f19. It’s weird lol.
Hi! Thanks for your comment! The fact that 1/1000s is selected automatically but manually you can choose any other speed, suggests to me that there is an electronic defect. Also the weird numbers you sometimes see through the viewfinder. I´m sorry, but probably there is a fried chip inside. I´m not a specialist though, but you may find some comments on this thread useful, have a look: www.photrio.com/forum/threads/canon-a1-shutter-speed-problem.113210/ Just in case, make sure the battery is fresh and new also. Cheers!
@@RVURU thank you for your reply. Do you know if this is a common problem with the A-1? I might just buy another one when a good deal comes by or maybe I’ll have to look for another type of canon if this is a problem in half of the A-1s
@@antoninafedotova you´re welcome! I don´t think it´s a common issue. I have had a few Canons and never had that issue myself. If I had to choose, I´d probably go for a Canon F-1 for full manual operation, but if you need the AE, AV, P modes, the A-1 is the best option. You should probably also check with a technicial close to you about your current A-1, just in case; but I´m afraid with your description it points to an electronic defect.
@@RVURU ya I like the F-1 also I’m searching for a good deal on those. But I have the AE-1 and the FTB as well and just got the A-1 because it was $20 and I thought I can fix it. I guess I can keep it and use it as a full manual also. Hoping that the camera reads the lens aperture haha. Or it might just be a display camera 😅 either way thank you!
great video i wanted to ask i also have an A1 and it is not recognizing the battery i inserted in it, i checked the voltage on the battery it is 6V and it is brand new, the check light doesn't turn on at all either, what do you suggest is wrong with it
Hi! Quite hard for me to know from a distance, but maybe you should first check if the contacts in the battery holder are really making good contact with the battery contacts.
Hi thanks for this video. I am also trying to repair my a-1 and when i open the bottom part the spring (the one in the middle) just fell from the camera, and seems to be broken. I would assume thats the problem. Do you know how to buy that spare part?
Hi Giuseppe. Hasn’t happened to me yet, but maybe there is a broken lever inside the speed selector wheel, that’s right under the top hood under the speed selector. Best of luck!
Thanks! What would you do if the viewfinder lights up, but shutter button doesnt do anything when pressed. No Shutter, no mirror moving. LED turns of and has to be switched on and off to get the lights to turn on. I've tried cleaning both magnets and new batteries.
Hi. Does the shutter button move freely? If the shutter button is dirty inside, or with rust inside, it won´t work. That´s just an idea...you could disassemble it and check it out. Good luck!
@@flowermaze___ so you shouldn’t be able o wind the camera if you can’t fire the shutter when you press rhe button. If you can wind the camera without firing it, then there’s another problem. I would still check the shutter release button, if there is Rust inside you won’t be able to remove it by flushing with isopropyl alcohol. Disassemble the button and check that the pin moves freely and everything is clean inside the button mechanism.
There is probably some more information you can get. Like is the shutter firing when you press the shutter button, desposte the advance Handle being stuck?
Crazy, you uploaded this video 2 days ago! I've been struggling to fix my Canon A1, I can manually release the magnet as you did at the beginning, but still my shutter button is not responding. I'm already in a new battery. My next step is to open up the shutter button as you did but I haven't been able to unscrew it yet.
Hi Eric, thanks for you comment! What a coincidence! In my case the electromagnets were in perfect condition. My shutter button was originally totally stuck, so I would try to press it down and it would never move. I wouldn´t even get the red numbers in the viewfinder to show up, the shutter button was like a rock. Once I unscrewed its ring cap, I found all those corrosion salts underneath, and that was the reason why the shutter button and mode selector wouldn´t move. Once I cleaned them and lubed the shutter pin, and cleaned the second electromagnet, everything went back to normal. It may also be possible that you need to clean the first curtain electromagnet. Hopefully your issue is similar to mine and your electromagnets and circuitry are in good condition. Best of luck!
@@RVURU I'm glad you got yours working!
I managed to remove my shutter but it looked perfectly clean, and in my case it would already turn on the red numbers. But for some reason (most likely a faulty release magnet) it won't fire. It's a shame since the rest of the camera and lens are in great condition.
@@ericrubinoff2967 Did you clean the 1st curtain electromagnet with isopropyl alcohol? (I had to clean my 2nd release magnet, which I show in the video, to get it to work). If you have done it and you´re sure it´s perfectly clean, then maybe you may need to test the 1st curtain electromagnet...I haven´t done it myself, but I think I´ve seen some video showing how.
@@ericrubinoff2967 Have a look at this video just in case: ruclips.net/video/PzjW9Y0WcuI/видео.html
@@RVURU actually I don't think I've tried that! The only electromagnet I tried cleaning, is the big coil one you find at the bottom after removing the lid. Could you guide me on where to clean the 2nd release magnet? I'm not sure I've understood which one that is.
Hi, thanks for the video! I have a similar shutter curtain issue with my AE-1 but cleaning the MG3 contacts didn't fix it for me. So far I've checked my battery it came out at 5.97v (alkaline) and the only thing I've noticed compared to your unit is the wire connections (red and black) at the circuit at the left hand corner. Mine is flipped compared to yours, but i'm not sure if it would make a difference. I can share photos if you'd like to help.
Hi and thanks for your comment! I´m glad you may have found some us in it. The wiring on the AE-1 may be different from the A1. If your camera was working well before, certainly the order of the wires should not be the issue. Sometimes cleaning the electromagnet is not so easy, you may have to use a small piece of cloth in isopropyl alcohol to clean both surfaces. This is like the most trivial fix really. There´s at least one video I remember I once saw about how to test the electromagnet in order to know if it´s not fried. All the best!
@@RVURU You're right the wiring is slightly different. I just bought this off of someone online and I haven't used it yet myself. I tried cleaning it but I still can't get it to work so I'm just gonna return it and buy a different camera. I'm eyeing the Nikon FE this time :D
@@w.ave_ Best of luck with your next camera!!
Hi,thank you for the video. I like the sound effect also haha. But I was wondering if you can help me with my canon A-1. It seems like when the camera is on program mode and the lens is set to A, the camera always shoots at 1000 shutter speed, also when I try to use aperture priority and the lens is set to A then that camera also chooses the shutter speed of 1000 no matter what aperture I change it it. In the viewfinder it does have an accurate reading of the settings I change it to whether it’s Aperture or shutter speed. But when I try fully manual mode and I choose the shutter speed then the aperture blinks a 32 or 27 and the shutter reads and shoots whatever speed I chose. Sorry for the long message but I was wondering if you can help me with this? Is there anyways to fix it or is it better to just find another A-1? Thank you in advance. Ps if I change the ISO from like 100 or to 400 it does show strange reading in the viewfinder like indoors on 200 iso it will tell me that the camera will shoot at 1000 shutter and f16, or at iso 400 it’s telling me that the camera will shoot at 1000 and use f19. It’s weird lol.
Hi! Thanks for your comment! The fact that 1/1000s is selected automatically but manually you can choose any other speed, suggests to me that there is an electronic defect. Also the weird numbers you sometimes see through the viewfinder. I´m sorry, but probably there is a fried chip inside. I´m not a specialist though, but you may find some comments on this thread useful, have a look: www.photrio.com/forum/threads/canon-a1-shutter-speed-problem.113210/ Just in case, make sure the battery is fresh and new also. Cheers!
@@RVURU thank you for your reply. Do you know if this is a common problem with the A-1? I might just buy another one when a good deal comes by or maybe I’ll have to look for another type of canon if this is a problem in half of the A-1s
@@antoninafedotova you´re welcome! I don´t think it´s a common issue. I have had a few Canons and never had that issue myself. If I had to choose, I´d probably go for a Canon F-1 for full manual operation, but if you need the AE, AV, P modes, the A-1 is the best option. You should probably also check with a technicial close to you about your current A-1, just in case; but I´m afraid with your description it points to an electronic defect.
@@RVURU ya I like the F-1 also I’m searching for a good deal on those. But I have the AE-1 and the FTB as well and just got the A-1 because it was $20 and I thought I can fix it. I guess I can keep it and use it as a full manual also. Hoping that the camera reads the lens aperture haha. Or it might just be a display camera 😅 either way thank you!
great video i wanted to ask i also have an A1 and it is not recognizing the battery i inserted in it, i checked the voltage on the battery it is 6V and it is brand new, the check light doesn't turn on at all either, what do you suggest is wrong with it
Hi! Quite hard for me to know from a distance, but maybe you should first check if the contacts in the battery holder are really making good contact with the battery contacts.
Hi thanks for this video. I am also trying to repair my a-1 and when i open the bottom part the spring (the one in the middle) just fell from the camera, and seems to be broken. I would assume thats the problem. Do you know how to buy that spare part?
I've a Canon AE-1, at any selected shutter speed it will just fire at a default speed , likely at 1/1000.
Any Hint ? Thanks
Hi Giuseppe. Hasn’t happened to me yet, but maybe there is a broken lever inside the speed selector wheel, that’s right under the top hood under the speed selector. Best of luck!
Very useful video. But why this loud and spooky music?
Thanks! The music enhances the feeling I guess :-) Cheers!
Thanks! What would you do if the viewfinder lights up, but shutter button doesnt do anything when pressed. No Shutter, no mirror moving. LED turns of and has to be switched on and off to get the lights to turn on.
I've tried cleaning both magnets and new batteries.
Hi. Does the shutter button move freely? If the shutter button is dirty inside, or with rust inside, it won´t work. That´s just an idea...you could disassemble it and check it out. Good luck!
@@RVURU it’s clean and I’ve flushed it with isopropyl’s to be sure
@@flowermaze___ so you shouldn’t be able o wind the camera if you can’t fire the shutter when you press rhe button. If you can wind the camera without firing it, then there’s another problem. I would still check the shutter release button, if there is Rust inside you won’t be able to remove it by flushing with isopropyl alcohol. Disassemble the button and check that the pin moves freely and everything is clean inside the button mechanism.
Shutter button working the handle that advances the film will not move what do I do?
There is probably some more information you can get. Like is the shutter firing when you press the shutter button, desposte the advance Handle being stuck?
How do get knob off
Hi Carrie, I don’t quite understand what knob you’re talking about.