Stuck for 4 hours on a stuck shutter button on a Canon A-1

Saw a Canon A-1 come in with a shutter button that wouldn't depress. Thought it was a simple clean. Took me 4 hours to find a tiny piece of broken plastic jammed under the release magnet that I had to fish out with tweezers. Anyone else spend way too long on what should have been a quick fix?

3 comments

3 Comments

lunaf674d ago

Oh, that sounds familiar. I heard a repair guy on a podcast mention that the A-1 has a little plastic tab near the release magnet that can snap off and cause exactly this issue. Must be a real pain to track down when you're not expecting it. At least you got it sorted, even if it took all afternoon.

julia5494d ago

Wait, a plastic tab is all it takes to brick the whole release mechanism?

harpery473d ago

Yeah that plastic tab is the weak point on the A-1. First time I ran into it I was pulling my hair out for hours checking the solenoid and wiring. Zero visible damage on the outside too. @julia549 thats exactly the thing - one little piece of plastic breaks and the whole release stops working right. I ended up making a small bracket out of a paperclip to hold it in place while I ordered the replacement part. Its still working fine a year later actually. Just keep a spare tab in your parts drawer if you work on these regularly.