I had read on another forum that there's a camera shop somewhere in Houston that will fix the stupid Command Dial on the A2 so it won't keep breaking. I had read that they replace the tiny plastic posts in the Command Dial with little metal screws that won't break-off like the plastic.

I myself have jury-rigged an A2 Command Dial with a Dremel tool and two tiny screws salvaged from a broken Canon AE1. But the camera now has a separate issue with the shutter so it's going to have to make a trip to CPS, I'm sure they won't like my fixit of the CD.

Does anyone know of a shop that does this fix with the metal screws and how much does it cost?

-- Baron Sekiya (baron@mediabaron.net), October 10, 2000

Answers

Ye gods! You didn't remove the top cover did you? That's a real quick way to turn those computer chips into charcoal briquets. (I worked as a Canon service tech for 11 years-found out the hard way!) Anyway, most local repair shops will do it if you ask. They may do it 'at your own risk' though. Again speaking from experience, the amount of plastic that is there to work with plus the size of the screws you have to use, it requires a little more care that even normal camera repair-and there is no second chance. Coincidentally, I agree with you on the STUPID DESIGN... even though I have had and used my A2 since they were introduced. When I replaced them, I gave the owner the option of having the darn locking button, in the center of the dial, disabled. After the mod, the dial won't lock on "lock" anymore. That usually fixed it for good.

-- Daniel Miller (dmiller2@pop3.utoledo.edu), February 28, 2001.