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Stratokaster
Tinkerer
Username: Stratokaster
Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2011 - 11:19 pm: | 
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Hello everybody.
Recently I bought a minty looking Canon EF. The camera really is in a very good condition with minimal brassing, clean viewfinder and fully working electronics.
However, it has a problem. Sometimes the shutter button is stuck after cocking the shutter and I need to gently move it from side to side to unlock it and take the shot. Also if I'm switching shutter speeds after cocking the shutter, sometimes shutter is released when turning the shutter speed dial. I think those two problems are related.
I tried to find a local repair shop willing to work on the EF, but could not. It seems the only way to fix it is to do this myself.
Can you please share any tips? |
Stratokaster
Tinkerer
Username: Stratokaster
Post Number: 3
Registered: 12-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 16, 2011 - 04:37 am: |
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Ok, so the shutter button part was relatively easy. Somebody clearly tried to repair the camera before but damaged it in the process, the release lever was badly deformed and did not clear the release lock even when it was retracted after turning the camera on. After straightening the release lever the shutter is firing just fine.
I also forgot to mention that the camera had problems with the shutter speed indicator. It displayed 1/1000 for B, 1/500 for 1/1000 etc. This is where things become complicated, because the shutter speed indicator depends on a thin silk thread running through the whole length of the camera from the sensitivity dial to the shutter speed disk. Apparently the thread got off one of its pulleys somewhere, but the problem is that to see those pulleys I have to disassemble the camera completely, desolder all the wires and remove the printed circuit board and the pentaprism. Frankly speaking, I understand now why this camera is considered a nightmare. I still don't know whether to disassemble the camera completely and repair it or just use it as is. I suspect that the meter may also be off because of the loose thread.
Clearly the A-1 and the Canonet G-III are much more pleasant to repair. |
Cooltouch
Tinkerer
Username: Cooltouch
Post Number: 171
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 16, 2011 - 09:59 am: |
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If you do some internet searching, you may be able to find a masochistic repairman out there somewhere. The way you describe things, it does sound nightmarish. A friend of mine who's been repairing cameras for upwards of forty years now told me once that another problem with the EF is those flex-circuit boards become fragile over time and can break. So you need to add that into the mix as well.
So even if you were to use dental picks and fine-point tweezers, it is not possible to put the thread back on its wheels without removing all the stuff on top of it?
I ask this because I have an EF with non-working electrics and I might have to dig into it one day. I'm hoping though that my problem stems from not using the right size batteries. Not looking forward at all to digging into an EF's guts.
I like your handle, btw. Back in the day, I owned a '63 Strat and sold it for about what I paid for it. Back in the 60s. Who knew? I now own a 50th Anniversary American Standard I bought new 15 years ago, and it ain't goin' nowhere! |
Stratokaster
Tinkerer
Username: Stratokaster
Post Number: 4
Registered: 12-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 16, 2011 - 12:11 pm: |
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Thanks, I used to play a Strat HSS when I was in high school, but had no much free time after that 
Back to the topic: the printed circuit boards with LOTS of through-hole components indeed look very fragile... They're not flexible anymore, that's for sure. This is one of the reasons I don't want to take the camera further apart because I'm afraid one of those boards can just snap in the process.
The problem is that the thread and the pulleys on the right-hand side of the camera are completely obscured by another parts. The pulleys on the left-hand side are fine. |
Loosecanon
Tinkerer
Username: Loosecanon
Post Number: 19
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2011 - 12:34 pm: |
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It's been years since I opened an EF. I do have one with the top off in the shop, but I don't have time to look at it right now. If it's anything like the F-1, there should be an adjustment plate somewhere. You're basically shortening or lengthening the path of the cord so that the shutter speed indicator is in the correct position. Look for a plate with two elongated screw holes that the shutter-setting cord is hooked on. Here is a link to a PDF copy of the EF service manual:
http://looscanons.com/manuals/pdf/canon/CanonEFService.pdf
This is a very large file and may take some time to open. Check out page 70. |
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