Canon A1 shutter not opening

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Hello I got a Canon A1 were the shutter either dosn't open at all or so fast that the film looks undeveloped. You can see the shutter curtain moving . I am a repair man myself (in a different but equally complicated field) so I think with a little help I could solve the problem. Thanking you for your expertise Theo from downunder

-- Theobald Heindl (Theobald@ozemail.com.au), December 08, 2000

Answers

Are you sure the shutter works at different speeds? Open the back and try it at all speeds and see if the speed changes in a noticeable way at each setting.

Next, are you sure the lens is stopping down properly? The A-1 has a stopped-down metering mode or DOF preview, doesn't it? Try it and make sure the lens stops down properly at each aperture setting or set the shutter on B and look through the lens from the back of the camera with the shutter open, making sure the blades aren't sticky. This could also cause your problem, though normally, one would expect overexposure rather than underexposure in this case.

-- David Goldfarb (dgoldfarb@barnard.edu), December 09, 2000.


Have you looked at the shutter's operation at a very long exposure time? I'd try setting something between 2 and 30 seconds in shutter priority and watching to see if both curtains are working properly. With those long times, you could time the shutter with some accuracy. Is the mirror stuck down? We all hear about the A-series mirror squeak, but I don't know if they ever actually "freeze" in the down position. Let us know what you discover.

-- Alan Swartz (swartz@tyler.net), December 10, 2000.

Update: Thanks for the answers but my shutter definetely doesn't open. With or without lens (I tried different ones too) even on B and with the back open you see the shutter moving but no light gets trough. I already wasted two films on it and thought first it's the winder . Any reverence to books or anything would be helpful Thanks Theo from downunder

-- Theobald Heindl (Theobald@ozemail.com.au), December 10, 2000.

Have you tried the test suggested by the others fellows but without the winder?

-- Kader Nazef (beachport14@aol.com), December 15, 2000.

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