r/CanonAE1

hey all I’m new to film photography so bear with me. so my AE-1 program shutter squeaks according to my dad who’s owned the camera since new it’s always done that. I had it looked at last year for light seals and it tested fine so is it really a problem? it does seem to be going away the more I use it (I’m on my 6th roll right now).

I was gifted an AE-1 Program, and it appears to be in excellent shape overall, but when it was handed to me, the guy moved the film advance lever. It was pretty stiff, so I didn't force it to move back to its stowed position. I figured the shutter needed to fire before it would return to its retracted position, but there was no battery installed (kudos to the owner for storing it with the battery removed).

Anyway, I installed a new battery, and no luck.

The battery check beeps as it should.

The green P indicator and aperture appear properly.

The red M and aperture appear properly.

The film advance lever is still still to move, and it doesn't feel like it's engaging anything.

The shutter doesn't fire.

I tried using the self timer in case the shutter release button was faulty, but that didn't fire the shutter either.

Any advice? It was free, so if none of the "usual" tricks work, is it worth looking for a repair shop? Where is a good repair shop for film gear?

This is a bit of a nostalgic piece for me. It's the model camera I learned on way back in middle school when I was in the yearbook club. The 50mm 1.8 is in great shape too.

Since I'm still using my 20D and R6, this will be fun to see if my film skills are still there.

I love my Canon AE-1. I bought it recently and all of a sudden it won’t take pictures. I replaced the battery and all seems to be well. Has anyone had this issue with the shutter not going off, but the film rotates to the next frame just fine? Also, when I press the shutter button half way it seems to be working just fine, it just won’t click anymore.

Hello!! so currently I use a Canon AE-1 when I shoot film and a Sony A7IV when shooting digital. I also have three Canon FD 50mm 1.8 kit lenses (don’t ask) and a Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm 2.8-3.8 zoom lens. I like all of these lenses, but I’ve been looking into trying to find more Fd mount lenses in other focal lengths besides 50 that isn’t a fairly weighty push zoom lens which will zoom in due to weight if I point it down and don’t hold it.

The main ones I’ve been looking at are of course the other FD series lenses like the 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, and 85mm prime lenses. (Also eyed the 35-70mm, and even the 50mm 1.4 just in case I wanted the extra stop). Though I was wondering if there were any other FD mount options with any of those focal lengths that may possibly cost less than a good condition FD series lens that I could use both on my AE-1 and A7IV. That does also mean lenses that could possibly work for both photography and videography. I do like using vintage photography lenses for my short films.

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I loaded a roll and made sure the film leader was properly caught, but I noticed the rewind knob wasn’t turning when advancing the first few frames.

I gently turned the rewind knob to take up the slack until I felt some tension. After arming, the knob turned again. But after few hours, at the next rearm the knob didn't turn. I did the same test once again and the knob turned at the following rearm (by 180°). What’s the best test to confirm the film is actually advancing correctly? Is it worth opening the back to check, or should I avoid that and try something else first?

I'm carrying the camera in the bag, maybe the knob is loosing tension while moving in the bag?