Canon – Foxes Den

Canon AL1 QF

It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to understand why this camera isn’t working.

What the listing stated:

This camera is untested, I put batteries in but it did nothing but to be honest, I have no idea what I’m doing with this anyway. For that reason I’m selling as spares or repairs. For its age, it is in really good condition, please look at the pictures carefully and message with any questions.

EBay

The camera I have brought with a large but unknown lens – and the corroded battery area

Hmmm, the seller put batteries in and wondered why it wouldn’t start up…I wonder 🤔

By the way, the QF stands for quick focus. Read on to find out more.

I’ve purchased this camera, paying a measly £12:00GBP, as I move ever closer to collecting the full range of the Canon “A” series cameras. This will be my fourth of the range with only two more to go. As usual I have purchased damaged or faulty candidates to repair via my site. This one is no different, and from what I can see the battery barrel and battery door have been exposed to corrosion and neglect. this will require a lot of attention, and hopefully the corrosion hasn’t made it into the internal components.

I believe it also comes with a yet unidentified large lens, that I very much suspect will be riddled with lens fungus if the battery chamber is anything to go by.

Here’s a little history about this Camera:

The Canon AL-1 was an FD mount, 35mm single-lens reflex camera introduced in March 1982. Its main feature was the “Quick Focus” focus-assist system that was aimed at those who had trouble focusing through the viewfinder – either novices, or those with poor eyesight – and was intended to head off competition from the first full-autofocus cameras from other manufacturers, such as the Pentax ME F.

As a lower-end camera, the AL-1 did not offer a long list of features. Instead, Canon focused on providing core functionality and lowering price. The AL-1 provides focus-confirmation, aperture-priority autoexposure (controlled by a through-the-lens silicon photocell), manual shutter speeds from 1/15 to 1/1000 of a second, and a 10 second self-timer. It also added a larger grip, and the convenience of using of AAA cells for power. However the battery door is one of its weakness as most of the cameras that are found today on the market have a battery door that is broken or has been replaced. Its body was constructed from a special polycarbonate that was then painted to imitate metal. An ISO hotshoe, A-series power winder connections, and cable-release socket provide an acceptable level of compatibility with accessories. It was also the last Canon SLR to use the Canon logo, which resembles the Japanese romaji font used on Canon cameras since the 1960s on a pentaprism.

The camera uses Canon’s breech-lock FD mount, and so users could choose from the wide variety of Canon FD lenses, as well as those from third parties. Users could also utilise Canon R and FL lenses, but with some limitations.

In 1987, Canon abandoned the FD mount in favour of the EF mount along with the EOS camera system, which uses the same concept as the T80 but with a new and incompatible mount designed around an all-electronic interface.

Wikipedia

Assessment:

The camera has arrived. The lens that came with it is a canon mount “Sirius” 28-200mm 1:4.0-5.6. It does have signs of fungal infection and I’m not going to do anything with it at the moment, as I have a few stock 50mm lenses I can use for testing. I may get around to cleaning the lens in the mid to near distant future, if I get the time or to be totally honest, if I can really be bothered. It will probably become another post of the future.

On opening the battery door you can see that the contacts are quite oxidised, and definitely require a clean. The battery chamber also needs a clean as do the contact springs at the base of the battery chamber, we need to do this as we require electrical continuity to check the cameras operation.

I have tried inserting a couple of AAA batteries after first giving the door contacts a quick rub, however I had no luck, and no power was getting through to the camera, and that’s what we need to be able to attain, just to be able to do the basics on this unit. So it will need quite a considerable clean prior to putting in new power cells.

Inside the lens barrel when you first glance the mirror it looks as if it has shattered, however this is a special etching on the mirror that allows light through to a sensor placed behind the mirror that supplies information to the QF (Quick focus) system built into this camera.

This camera does not have the typical split screen focus you find within most cameras of this age. All it has is a small rectangular two piece shape on a ground screen and that is it. This is where the QF comes in to play. You have to depress the shutter button down half way as you focus. As you focus, the viewfinder will display the exposure ratings to the right hand side of the viewfinder.

At the bottom of the viewfinder screen is where the QF is calculated. As you focus you will see either one of two red arrows indicating that you focus the lens in the direction to which they are pointing. When the arrows extinguish and a green circle illuminates, that means the correct focus has been achieved. If you are happy with this and your shutter speed is not too slow and sits within the correct exposure zone, then go ahead and take your photo. it really is quite simple. A great system for those wearing glasses or for those with eyesight problems.

I have also noticed whilst testing the advance lever and shutter, that the take up sprocket moves freely in either direction, and this shouldn’t be occurring. The sprocket will wind the film onto the film collection point and then remain set, not allowing film to roll back and maintaining a taut film base across the rear of the shutter. It appears the rewind button at the base is pushed in permanently, and this would allow free movement of the sprocket whilst rewinding the film after use. There is an issue here that needs addressing.

The camera itself is in a good condition cosmetically and considering its age, approx 43 years old, its condition is quite acceptable.

It is however very dusty and dirty and will need quite a deep clean.

I shall be leaving that big lens to one side for the purpose of testing, and will be using a standard 50mm FD stock lens for ease of movement.

Repair:

As we need power before we can do anything, my only option is to head straight for the battery chamber. I’m going to have to take the base off of the camera as there are a couple of issues that require its removal. The first will allow me a good unhindered access into the battery chamber and allow removal of the battery door that is contaminated with either battery acid or oxidisation. The second will allow me to attend to that take up sprocket issue and the depressed rewind button. I may even do some light cleaning and lubrication within this area.

These cameras are notorious for the issue around the battery door failing. It has always been a problem around the latching mechanism, it fails and there are then a number of options to secure it ranging from elastic bands to custom made pieces of metal to sit on the base. There is a German company offering a 3D printed option for a replacement but it comes at a price in the range of three times the amount that I paid for the camera, so I won’t be venturing there. My battery base door does seem to be ok at the moment, the latch appears to be ok, the only issue being that the metal contact plate has come off the plastic door frame, as it was only held on with three plastic welds. It does allow me to clean the plate somewhat, however I now have to consider how I put it back into place, either I reweld, glue or screw. I could always use a Canon power winder that would also solve this issue. If I had the space at home and could set up my own 3D printer that I have had at home since my birthday earlier in November, boxed up in the corner of the living room, then maybe I could print my own? Either way I need the door free from the camera so as not to cause any further damage to it.

I have given a clean to the oxidised plate, by soaking it for a few hours in vinegar, that has lifted a lot of the dirt and oxidised material. I have cleaned it with IPA and then tested its continuity with a multimeter and the plate does have a good continuity across most of its surface. I’m going to just give a final buff with some fine sandpaper to improve its appearance and to ensure continuity across its surface is as good as it can possibly be. When I have achieved that, a good clean of the inner door and latch and spring will be carried out prior to its reassembly.

I’ve had the base off of the camera so I can carry out some maintenance to the battery rewind button and the top of the battery chamber. The battery door has been removed, cleaned and will shortly be reassembled and put back into place.

The rewind button is confusing me as it looks as if nothing is wrong, but I’m sure it is. I have made some minor adjustments to tension screws and the spool rewind without any improvement. I’ll come back to this later.

I have affixed the metal battery plate to the battery door using a small amount of superglue. I have bent the door latch spring a little to give it a bit more strength allowing the door latch to click into its stop position a lot more securely, hence the batteries will not be able to force the door open as they did previously.

Next thing is to get the rubber hand grip back in place. For this I have used some contact adhesive.

I’ve rechecked what I thought was an issue with the film rewind button, and it isn’t a problem, it is working absolutely fine and as it should be.

I’ve used an old test roll of film and as soon as the film is in place and winding, the bottom button pops out In theory locking the rewind spool so that it only winds towards the take up spool. When the base button is depressed, it clicks and allows you to rewind the film back towards the spool, it is working fine and was never an issue.

So the final job to do on this camera is to replace what is left of the light seals. There are eight pieces that need replacing on this camera, first I will hook the old seals out with a cocktail stick, I will then do this again with IPA to clean and remove the remaining bits, prior to cutting and installing the new seals.

The light seals have all been replaced.

To add a little bit of a finish, I have also 3d printed a hot shoe cover and an eyepiece. It tidies things up a bit.

This camera is now repaired.

Result:

I love the quick focus on this system as there is no split screen focus. Just focus in the direction of the arrows in the viewfinder and when in focus you get a green circle 🟢 brilliant. I just love seeing the development of new systems that were being used in these old cameras that today are just taken for granted. There was so much invested into R&D in those days.

Another old timer from the early 80s given a fresh lease of life. Another one out of landfill and back into use doing what it was built to do. I love these old cameras.

Many thanks for passing by. Always very much appreciated.

Canon AE1 – Program

I have my final piece of the jigsaw. My sixth, and final camera of the classic Canon “A” series collection

I purchased this camera as part of a job lot of 5 cameras that were faulty, read about that purchase here: More camera odds & sods

I’ve been working towards purchasing the entire range of Canon “A” series cameras, and this is the final piece of the jigsaw for me. I haven’t paid premium prices, I have purchased each and every one of them as damaged items and have had to effect the repairs on them to get them working. It’s a wonderful collection of old cameras, all showing their individual battle scars but each performing without fault in taking photographs. What they were designed to do, growing old gracefully and with a now extended life span.

It works out that this camera has only cost me £8:00GBP, and that is a superb price to pay for one of these cameras, even if it was only for parts it would have been a bargain, however these all have the ability to be revitalised and to be given another crack at life. I have done a very brief assessment and nothing appears to be operating as it should be. Electronically this is potentially a very unstable camera, I just need to run a final test on the electrical system. It has two parts that need replacing. There is a small power winder cover that is missing, it’s not important but I will replace it purely for aesthetic reasons. Secondly the battery cover is broken, I do have a 3D file downloaded so I will see how that prints out.

This camera is currently unloved, very dirty and will require quite a bit of work just to bring it up to usable standards. I don’t wish for it to be pristine and at display standards, I want it to be clean and capable of carrying out what it was originally purposed to do, it will be used and thoroughly loved.

Here’s a little bit about the AE1-Program:

The Canon AE-1 Program is a 35 mm single-lens reflex camera that uses Canon’s FD mount lenses manufactured by Canon Camera (today Canon Incorporated) in Japan and introduced in April 1981 as the successor to the Canon AE-1, five years after that camera’s introduction. The major difference was the addition of the Program AE mode first seen in the A-1. This mode sets both the shutter speed and aperture automatically—albeit with a slight bias towards the shutter speed setting. The user focuses the camera and then presses the shutter button. For those desiring more control, the AE-1’s shutter priority auto-exposure and full manual modes are still available.

Wikipedia

Repair

The first thing to do is to get the relevant battery in place and to see what does or doesn’t light up or function. These cameras take a standard 6v 4LR44 battery, and I have some more of these arriving later today, these cameras are reliant on that power source to pretty much do everything, so we have to have one in place to carry out an accurate assessment. Once i can see how the electrical system is working I can then make a decision on how to progress.

The battery has arrived and when it is installed, nothing happens. Electrically the camera is dead and requires attention, and that’s not good. The auto, lock, self timer switch under the winder is not moving, and hence the winder won’t wind, and the shutter won’t fire. It’s a very poorly camera. I go to remove the 6v battery and it is extremely hot, I’d suspect very close to exploding, this is not good at all. I’ve put the battery to one side, it’s now obvious that we have a short circuit somewhere causing the battery to overheat.

I have printed off a replacement door and catch. It’s not to the original standard but should do the job, until a quality one becomes available. To replace this door the top of the camera has to be removed anyway, so whilst I’m in there I will try to see if I can find the cause of the short circuit.

The pin that supports the door has to be pulled up through the mass of electronics to release the old door and the little spring that opens the door.

New replacement door installed after being printed

The printed door has cost me approximately 0.22p to print, and considering that Canon no longer produce the door, the options are limited to auction sites that charge horrendous amounts up to £30:00GBP, or the alternative is a 3D printed option of about £15:00GBP. Seeing this camera has cost me £8:00GBP, a layout of 0.22p will do for me just to get this camera up and running. I can always “tart” it up in the end if I choose to. To be honest, if it does a job, if the camera does what it should, then should I really worry about it? Probably not.

Just for the sake of it I have also 3D printed a speed grip that used to be facilitated on the “A” series cameras. These give a little more security to the battery chamber door, stop the door opening if the catch should fail, and give extra grip to the camera body. And it kind of looks nice so I have printed one out to use. I just need a black M3/8 screw to attach it.

I’ve also printed off a eye cap for the camera. Just because I can to be honest, it just finishes it off in my opinion.

I stated that the switch that puts the camera into auto mode, switches it off and operates the self timer was seized. When the top is removed and all the relevant parts are removed the area in question can then be observed. And there was a problem.

Under the film winder is a small Perspex frame with a spring loaded catch. This operates the three settings “A” – auto, “L” – lock or “S” – self timer. The switch must have been forced in the past, as the metal catch had sprung under the Perspex plate and was firmly wedged between the copper contacts underneath causing the short.

The metal catch had to be coerced back into position, lifted slightly to sit comfortably back in the position it had previously occupied. A quick test confirmed that the switch was now behaving how it should, and clicking firmly throughout its range.

The selector switch under the film winder in the correct position

The original battery that overheated was now showing as severely depleted due to the earlier problem, this has had to be disposed of, and so into the battery recycling receptacle it goes.

With the camera now reassembled I can try a new battery, and the result is the polar opposite of what occurred earlier. Straight away the shutter fired, when I put the switch into auto mode, the shutter could be fired again in fact it could be fired repeatedly. The light meter inside the viewfinder is working and showing lights. When in auto mode, and the battery check button is pressed you hear an intermittent sounder showing the electrical circuit is now operational, the more frequent the sound the healthier the battery is. When in self timer mode it didn’t work, it should beep and after ten seconds should fire. Hopefully it’s just dirty contacts, but none the less it will need looking at next time I take the top off. And all the while the new battery has remained cool with no temperature change. We have found the short circuit and the basic camera operation has been restored.

One thing I noticed with the shutter working is that there is quite a “Shutter cough” often heard on these older unloved canon cameras. Not a real issue, this will mean further dismantling of the camera to get to the shutter area for a little clean and some light lubrication.

So, let’s deal with that little “Cough”….open wide now!

I’m going to approach this issue by going in through the base of the camera, here I can deal with two issues at the same time. I suspect someone has been in here before me as there is only one screw securing the base when there should in fact be three. I will get these replaced now as I do have a fairly good supply of spares in stock.

This is the magnet coil, it’s known to get dirty after time causing issues such as a continuous wind with no mirror movement.

This camera doesn’t have that issue, but because I’m in here it’s a simple case of removing two screws, the casing and then just clean the magnet and coil contacts with some IPA.

That done, the plastic case is put back on, and the two screws put back into place. Simple job done, it’s future proofing the camera against this issue ever occurring. A blow through with an air canister and a little light lubrication of moving parts in the area and then we can move onto the next issue I want to address.

I’m going to attempt a shortcut with my oiler pen to see if I can deal with the camera cough without going too deep inside the camera. With the long needle of the oiler I may be able to reach deep enough into the internal workings of the camera to oil up the offending cogs and levers. If it doesn’t work then I will have no option but to open up the camera and get inside. It’s worth seeing if I can get the shortcut to work, it’s not a permanent fix but might buy me a year or so of cough free operation.

I’ve left the camera overnight for the very limited amount of clock oil I used to get into all the nooks and crannies, and I’ve checked when I got back home from work, and I’m pleased to say it’s has worked perfectly. Have a look at this little video below that shows how it sounded with the cough, and then after treatment.

Before and after cough

Now with the cough issue sorted it’s time to go back to see if we can address the self timer issue. With the base now secure with all its screws (I’ve replaced the two missing ones) it’s time to get the top off again and have another look around.

Inside the camera just below the wind on lever is the mechanism that operates the selector lever. There are four tiny copper contacts that connect with the copper circuit just below. One of these four contacts had been crushed to a level where contact was no longer made with the circuit board below.

Copper based circuit board and copper contacts under this acrylic selector

Using a small set of tweezers, I was able to bend the delicate copper contact back into shape allowing it to once again make a connection with the contacts on the circuit board. I’ve also cleaned all points of contact with IPA to ensure all surfaces were clean. A quick test at this point proved the circuit, I was now able to reassemble the camera yet again. Prior to this though I gave a good blow through the circuitry with some compressed air before sealing the top of the camera back in place.

The self timer is now fully operational.

Self timer now working

The major issues have now been addressed. Let’s get on with the bread and butter items.

The light seals including the mirror bumper were in a very poor state and had to be removed. This took a lot of patience as the felt had broken down into dust and clumpy particles. I used IPA to soften the old adhesive and probably used about a dozen cotton buds to remove all the debris. The thing with cleaning these areas is when you think it’s clean, clean it again, and once more for luck. In theory cleanliness here is your friend as it helps you through the next stages immensely.

Once all the old felt and seals are removed, and dried, I can cut the new seals to size and get them installed. This has been completed and the new seals have gone into place without issue. Personally for me, this is the most boring but essential task in restoring old cameras. It’s one of those tasks you put off until the end as it is so fiddly and has to be just right.

With the light seals now complete, the last task now is to give the camera a thorough clean.

Result

A buff of the leatherette, and a good polish of the metal work and she is looking resplendent. A new quick grip, hot shoe cover and battery door and the look is complete. My £8:00GBP cast off, dirty, damaged and broken camera is now looking a lot healthier and is now in a good working order.

I’m awaiting a roll of XP2 black and white film to arrive, and that will be the test film for this camera. I’m probably going to feature it in my weekly 7 days and 7 photos series at some point. I will post a link to that post when it occurs.

It’s been a long time bringing this camera back to life but I’m so pleased at how it has gone. These “A” series cameras will always be my favourite because of the place they have in my photographic past. I have a few that I have been working on, but this was the one that actually completed my collection. I now need to find a suitable way to display them all, rather than leave them packed away in storage.

Thank you for passing by, as always it is very much appreciated.

Stay safe.

Seven days in seven pictures. Week two

Week two of Seven days, seven pictures

Welcome to week two of me documenting my week with one picture every day taken on an old camera that i have previously repaired.

So for week two, we are going to use a Canon Powershot S5 IS Digital Bridge Camera that I repaired back in July 2025 – Canon Powershot S5 IS

Sunday: it’s the 23rd August. It’s been a nice warm day, we’ve had numerous members of the family visit. It’s been a lovely day. It’s one of those days where I’ve taken a handful of good photos, but for the purpose of this post I have to be brutal and pic just one. So here it is, meet Barney, my nieces dog, we brought him a new toy today that was demolished within about twenty minutes. If it has a squeaker in it, it’s his dog bound duty to remove it, and the balls of stuffing surrounding him shows that this mission has been a success. He never eats the squeaker though, he always leaves that to one side. Mad, but a lovely dog.

Monday: it’s the 24th August. A bit of shopping today. But before we can go out and do any, we have to wait for the Amazon lady to arrive with more shopping. Did I mention my wife loves shopping?

Tuesday: it’s the 25th August. Working today, and whilst I was carrying out some checks in the Oakham area I couldn’t help but notice the amounts of elderberries on the bushes. I remember as a child collecting lots of these, so my father could make his elderberry wine.

Wednesday: it’s the 26th August. Another working day, and today i was carrying out barrier checks on a number of crossings in our area. This one was at Brooksby crossing just outside of Melton Mowbray.

Thursday: It’s the 27th August. The yard at work, and since I’ve never been to Blackpool tower I may as well show this lovely old, still working traction unit class 37 (37407) named “Blackpool Tower”

Friday: it’s the 28th August. No work today “Hooray” it’s one of those days of just catching up with things. I’ve had to fix an extractor fan in one bathroom and adjust the timings on two other fans, I’ve also put a new raised flower bed under the front window in preparation for the spring bulbs that will be planted in the next few weeks, just letting the soil settle for a while prior to the planting.

Saturday: it’s the 29th August. New shoes. Well for attending football at least, hence they have the club badge embossed on the rear. Heading south today to meet up with family so these will get their first outing today. The weathers still very wet, however wet is wonderful as far as I’m concerned.

Canon EOS 1D MkIV

Two late production Canon EOS1D MkIV cameras, both heavily used ex-syndicate sports photographers cameras. Do they work? Can they be repaired?

I’ve been approached by an old colleague who used to be a syndicated sports photographer, he had a number of items he wanted to “get rid off” as they were just taking up space in his new house. “Would you be interested?” You betcha, so as a result I’m now the owner of a complete Bowens lighting system, two Canon EOS 1D MkIV cameras and a Canon EOS 5D MkII camera.

My days of fussing and farting about with lighting rigs has now long passed, so I know a youngster starting out in the business who is a very talented young fellah, I have donated this equipment to him and he will certainly have a use for this lighting setup. He has been approached and accepted the offer, I think he is quite happy with his new acquisition, here’s hoping his talents continue to flourish.

However the cameras are mine as no one wants this old stuff anymore 😂

Having already in the past, repaired a film version of the EOS 1 here: Canon EOS1 N HS I have now become the owner of two Canon EOS 1D MkIV versions, the digital upgrade of this superb camera. This post covers the assessment of the 1D’s the 5D can be found here: Canon EOS 5D MkII

To test these two beauties I’m going to have to invest some money into my equipment store. These cameras take a battery that neither came equipped with, an EP4 battery that currently costs around £19.00GBP per unit. On top of that a charger is required costing approximately £23:00GBP so there will have to be an outlay of approximately £42:00GBP just to get these units tested. Is it worth it? Yes, I think it is, I will then have a spare battery and charger for future use, and if the cameras don’t work? I can then sell them on or use them for spare parts as they have cost me absolutely nothing. When I go through the assessment and repair of these cameras I will refer to them one camera at a time. The camera that has stickers on the top of the camera pentaprism area will be referred to simply as “One” whilst the other will be “Two”. Nice and uncomplicated.

But first here is a little bit of information regarding this camera, the Canon EOS-1D MkIV.

The EOS-1D Mark IV is a professional 16.1 effective megapixels digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) camera body produced by Canon. The EOS-1D Mark IV is the successor of the Canon EOS-1D Mark III and was announced on 20 October 2009, just four days after Nikon announced the D3s. It used to be the only Canon APS-H format DSLR to feature HD video recording at 1080p resolution.

It was discontinued in mid-2012 with the introduction of the Canon EOS-1D X, which replaced both the EOS-1D Mk IV and the EOS-1Ds Mk III.

It received a Gold Award from Digital Photography Review.

Features:

27.9mm × 18.6mm; 16.1 effective megapixels APS-HCMOS sensor

Dual DIGIC 4 image processors

Canon EF lens mount (excludes EF-S)

New autofocus module (45 AF points with 39 cross-type AF points)

Integrated sensor cleaning system

1.3× crop factor

100–12800 ISO speed equivalent (expandable to L: 50, H1: 25600, H2: 51200 or H3: 102400)

30–1/8000 sec. shutter speed and bulb

Shutter unit tested to 300,000 cycles

Auto Lighting Optimizer

Magnesium Alloy weather sealed body

Eye-level pentaprism viewfinder with approx. 100% coverage at 0.76× magnification

Live preview mode

3.0 in, 920,000 dots Clear View II TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor with 160° viewing angle

10 frames per second continuous shooting (Large JPEG: max. 121 frames, raw: max. 28 frames)

Dimensions (W×H×D): 156 × 156.6 × 89.9 mm

Wikipedia