My Canon AE-1 Program will not advance. I replaced the battery, and tested it and it's good. However, when I look through the viewfinder it's all black. Also when I hold down the shutter release, the lights/numbers on the side do not pop up. The mirror is at an angle. Any ideas on how I can fix this on my own?
SOURCE: Film advance lever and shutter release button are "stuck"
No, it is not the battery. My guess is that the film leader did not stay in the take-up spool and is now bunched up around it. Try rewinding the film carefully as you normally would but remember that you are only rewinding a small portion of the length. You can even just open the film door and start over. You will only loose 3 or 4 frames on the roll.
SOURCE: can't see through viewfinder (it's all black) and
Remove the lens and look inside it. Do you see the mirror? If not, your mirror is stuck in the up position. Its flat up against the focusing screen. If the mirror is down, the problem is in the lens, or you still have the lens cap in place.
Check your manual under troubleshooting.
Try setting the shutter speed dial to the M90 position.
Also be sure the batteries are inserted correctly!!!!
If no change yet, you can try to put the mirror back down yourself. With the lens removed, set the camera on its back. You can use your fingers, but I suggest a toothpick cuz they won't leave fingerprints on the mirror and the toothpick should break before you exert enough pressure to really break something. So just try to return the mirror to the 45 degree angle within the mirror box. Be careful not to damage anything in there, like the shutter or the arms that raise and lower the mirror. Depending on where you live, there may be some corrosion or rust on the mirror linkage. It should move easily. If you feel any roughness when you move the miror, that may be the reason it did not return on its own. Then turn it on, off again. At some point, you may want to have this camera cleaned, lubricated and Adjusted(CLA) - after all, its over 25 yrs old.
If all that did not work, you'll need to send it in. Here are some good choices for repair places...
Garry Airapetov in Niles, ILL
Camera Repairs in Avon, IN.
BTW here's a website with several pages about FG...http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/emfgfg20/fg/index.htm
copy and paste it into your browser.
SOURCE: I have an Canon AE-1 and the film advance lever
The film is either at the end or stuck. The shutter will not release unless the film advance lever has gone all the way and back.
Make a note of the frame counter. Rewind the film and remove it from the camera (When you feel the film to come loose from the receiving spool, stop rewinding to prevent the end of the film to disappear inside the can. This way you can reload it if it was stuck in the middle.) If the film was completely exposed, take it to be developed.
With the empty camera, try to advance the lever and release the shutter. If this works, the problem was the film and not the camera. Everything is fine. If the problem persists, take it to be repaired.
If the film was stuck in the middle, load it again into the camera. With the lense cap on (preferably in a dark room or similar) 'shoot' as many 'empty' frames as you had on the counter plus two more. Finish the film and develop the pictures.
If the film stucks again at the same place, rewind it and develop normally. It was a bad film.
Hope this helped you to solve the problem.
SOURCE: I have an old Asahi Pentax, release lever and shutter are stuck.
The Pentax is a easy fix, maybe.. If you feel comfortable removing the bottom cover, then remove the 3 cross point screws. The battery, if installed will be loose. Looking at the bottom section of the camera, locate the tripod socket. On on side is the battery compartment, the other an L shaped lever. Under the L shaped lever is a brass plate with a slot in it. In that slot is another lever that has a spring going through the end eyelet. Move that lever toward the front of the camera until it latches on the L shaped lever above. Then try the release.
The first thing to try on the X700 is fresh batteries. Clean the battery cap and contacts with a pencil eraser.
SOURCE: the mirror on my pentax pz1 (film) camera is stuck
Mirror lockup often occurs if the batteries are flat.
Try new batteries first and if the problem remains please report back for further options.
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